UI Foundation/UI Advancement Weekly Update 05.27.22

Dear Team:

Memorial Day is the unofficial kick off to summer which might mean some of you will be firing up the grill and enjoying time relaxing with friends and family.  I plan to enjoy a little one-on-one time with my 20-year-old son, and since he’s a better cook, I’ll let him man the grill.  However, I am looking forward to the long weekend and starting the summer off with what is predicted to be some hot summer temperatures.  I may even get on my bike (it’s been a while).

For those of us who work on the campus of one of our universities, graduation has come and gone, and summer school hasn’t fully kicked into gear which means student activity on campus has slowed.  But as you know, even though the students may take a short break, important business still happens in higher ed philanthropy.  And while the work continues, I encourage you to take your own break this summer — both by literally taking vacation time and by interrupting your “normal” work routine to make space for creative thinking.  Even if it is just 20 minutes per week, I hope you find time to imaginatively think about your work and how you can make it the best that it can be.

And speaking of creativity, this week’s Foundation-hosted workshops about our Development Program Culture Code featured some lively discussions that generated a number of wonderful ideas.  I know your time is valuable, so thank you for participating and thanks in advance for your continued engagement in this important work.  With your input and help, we can make our “we will” statements, “we are” or “we did” statements.

Lastly, as I’m sure you know, there have been spikes in COVID across the country so, enjoy your long weekend, but please do so safely.

Best regards,

Jim