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Friday Focus: It takes all of us

Oct. 25, 2024

— By Dan White, chancellor

On Monday morning, during some of the worst of the weather in a while, Vice Chancellor Guthrie and I walked to the Wood Center as part of our walk and talk. It was striking to see how many people were on campus, doing what needed to be done to keep UAF running. In Dine 49, with power out across town and roads not plowed, there they were cranking out a wide range of breakfast options. Even while many UAF employees found refuge in remote work, no amount of Zoom would create a plate of biscuits and gravy. But Dine 49 did. Thanks, Dine 49 staff and leaders!

The new Wood Center Director Josh Hovis was in too, laying out a free bowling plan for students looking for a fun activity indoors. Thank you Josh! And shout out to Mark Oldmixon for ensuring the SRC was open for indoor exercise and athletics. I heard that there were three students waiting at the door at 5:30 a.m. when it opened for business. Awesome.

VC Guthrie and I could walk across campus because there they were; facilities crews out scooping, shoveling, plowing, and sanding. Sleet is a pretty unforgiving form of precipitation. Nearly everyone I saw working on our streets and sidewalks was soaking wet. A big shout out to all of the grounds crew, facilities crews, power plant operators and everyone else who showed up in person and on time to UAF facilities services! And thank you to all the UAF employees who did their part this week, either on campus or working remotely, your work is seen and appreciated. 

In addition to my regular walking meetings, I’ve had several meetings this week to discuss how to handle the inclement weather. These conversations, as much as seeing the facilities crew clear the sidewalks, reminded me how important it is to have a team of people doing their part. In our recent discussions, the safety of our thousands of employees traveling to and from work was of primary concern. We also have to balance how school district closures impact employees and students who are parents and may not have access to childcare. However, we have more than a thousand students living on campus who are dependent on university operations. And even if the weather is bad, the dining hall needs to open, the powerplant needs to run, the muskox need to be fed, and sidewalks need to be cleared. Balancing these factors required input from all areas.

On that note, before ending a meeting where we are making campus-wide decisions, I like to go around the table and ask, what hasn’t been said? This simple question helps uncover potential blind spots and gives everyone an opportunity to contribute their thoughts. By getting a wide range of university leaders in the room to represent the perspectives of all areas of our mission, the puts and takes of each strategy can be debated and balanced against each other. All of us at UAF, whether we have “director” in our title or not, make decisions and those decisions impact those around us. They impact our collective path forward.

Thanks to everyone whose path forward during this storm was to dig out their car, put on their sleet gear, brave the unplowed streets, clock in at work, and grab a spatula, snow shovel, grain scoop or bowling ball. Thanks for raising your hand to do the hard work – it takes all of us.

Friday Focus is written by a different member of UAF’s leadership team every week.