Ray Blakeney: Alright, so we're going to go ahead and get started because we're very fortunate to have Eric Spina and Jen Howe with us today.
Ray Blakeney: For those of you that don't know me, I'm Ray Blakeney, and I'm president of the Alumni Association and I'm thrilled to have our guest today to have a conversation from our porch.
Ray Blakeney: You will notice that I am not on a porch. I am inside. I live just outside of Seattle and true to form, it is raining in Seattle. So I've moved inside
Ray Blakeney: But as you can see both Jen and Eric are on their porches. I'll be back in a bit. But I thought perhaps we'd start with some opening remarks and hellos from Jen and Eric. So Jen, you're on your porch somewhere in the East Coast. So I'll let you jump in and go first.
Jennifer Howe: Yeah, thanks. Ray Hey I'm Jen house vice president for university advancement and really thrilled to join. So many alumni, parents, friends.
Jennifer Howe: And even students tonight. I know we have registered to participate. It's a really great opportunity.
Jennifer Howe: To connect with you guys personally when we can't do so in person and just share some of the excitement. We have about the fall semester.
Jennifer Howe: That is upon us, not, not too long from now and just grateful for all of you that have decided to join us tonight and the time and the interest that you have and how the university is moving forward. So welcome, and look forward to the conversation.
Ray Blakeney: Thanks, Jen, Eric.
Eric Spina: Good evening, everyone. Eric's been here entering my actually I'm now in my fifth year as president, hard, hard to believe. Time flies.
Eric Spina: But one of the joys. I know Jen Jen and I have had over four years that UD is meeting so many of you here in Dayton across, across the country.
Eric Spina: And especially in this time of pandemic when we're not able to get on the road really wonderful to be able to engage with you in this way, look forward to taking this conversation tonight, where you would like to
Ray Blakeney: That's great. Thanks, Eric. And so we should have a fun for today, we're gonna, I have a couple of questions to get started.
Ray Blakeney: This conversation is only going to be as fun as meaningful as the questions that we get from all of you.
Ray Blakeney: Eric just mentioned that pandemic and I was reflecting upon what the past few months have been on February 29 I got a note from
Ray Blakeney: One of our senior leaders that Microsoft that we had in King County where Microsoft is based, the first coded death and the US.
Ray Blakeney: March 1 I left Dayton, Ohio to fly back to Seattle. And by the time I got back to Seattle. There was another message from
Ray Blakeney: Our senior leadership team that we're now reassessing and by March 3 we decided to close the Microsoft campuses.
Ray Blakeney: What's interesting is I lead a recruiting function and by March 4 we had transitioned all of our interviews to virtual interviews. So in a single day.
Ray Blakeney: We went from having in person interviews people flying to Seattle or to any of our locations to for us a team's interview and we did that for thousands of
Ray Blakeney: Interviews thousands of candidates within a couple of days. And what was interesting.
Ray Blakeney: We had the greatest productivity in interviews that we'd ever have. We moved all of our energies virtually and so we're learning how to deal in this new coven environment.
Ray Blakeney: And one of the things that UD is doing is the same thinking about how its operations will work. And I know
Ray Blakeney: Top of Mind for many of you out there is, you've seen UDS reopening plan. So the first question is Eric tell us about the fall and what you expect as the fall and the school year begins.
Eric Spina: Thanks. Thanks for me the first thing I'd say about the pandemic is when the next pandemic comes along, we're going to be so well prepared.
Eric Spina: Or learning in this pendant of another one comes along. I didn't even town. Seriously. I mean, the first thing that I really should say is
Eric Spina: Really the whole flyer community is really banded together during this time it's been been wonderful to see supporting each other.
Eric Spina: You know, people have been very patient very understanding given leadership, you know, the kind of grace. I think we need to try to just figure out
Eric Spina: Our bearings in a very uncertain world. And that's been the most difficult thing. And I'm sure in everyone's life. There's just so much that's not, not, no.
Eric Spina: I won't give you the full three hours in terms of what the reopening plan is, but just indicate that we've been working really since probably April on what reopening campus would look like we've been working with a terrific panel of doctors locally with all the right right specialties.
Eric Spina: Who were advising us in terms of what we need to do to open. There'll be advising us through through the semester as we monitor the situation working very closely with
Eric Spina: Folks in Columbus, but also right here in Montgomery County working the public health commissioner. We just did a very high level touch on a few things.
Eric Spina: We're going to move students in over a period of two weeks they'll start on August 8 through August 22
Eric Spina: Bringing a certain number each day we feel that's the best way to get people in safely without cross contamination and classes will begin on August 24 is has long, long been in plan. We have a very comprehensive testing and contact racing plan.
Eric Spina: In case anyone does does get sick. We do obviously expect some some some infections. Hopefully, hopefully. No one. No one to two sec
Eric Spina: We are setting expectations. And I think people expect the kinds of things we're setting in terms of mask wearing certainly an indoor environments.
Eric Spina: Certainly outdoors if you can't socially distance. But, you know, social distancing were ever possible
Eric Spina: Many parts of the campus certainly classrooms, but also dining halls. I've been reconfigured to support social social distancing right now in Ohio, people aren't allowed to gathering more than groups of 10 so so that, that'll be another important point cornerstone.
Eric Spina: And we have a group of students, faculty and staff working together in terms of how we communicate to the whole campus community about our commitment to the community.
Eric Spina: And our commitment to each other to keep each other safe, the things that we have to do not only for ourselves but but for others as well.
Eric Spina: Classrooms, as I mentioned, have been been thinned out and they'll really be three kinds of classrooms, those that are fully in person.
Eric Spina: Those that are fully online and those that are that are hybrid, our goal. And I think we'll be able to achieve that is is to have at least 75% of our classes with some in person component
Eric Spina: And really the challenge here is primarily size of classrooms and number of classrooms that we have have to work with.
Eric Spina: We will end on campus instruction, just before thank Thanksgiving students will go home and what will have the last couple weeks of the semester students at home. We simply don't want to reassemble everyone back on campus as they go across, across the country.
Eric Spina: So that's no I mean that that's. Those are the headlines, as I said,
Eric Spina: Now, are the key here is flexibility for everyone. We've had to pivot in several areas already
Eric Spina: And we know between now when students arriving there'll be things that are changing. We're gonna have to respond to
Eric Spina: And through the semester really agility flexibility patience understanding and ultimately grace are key.
Eric Spina: But we think it's so important to have our students back on campus where they definitely want to be our faculty and staff have been working so hard and students on on these these plans and I'm really looking forward to seeing how we execute. I have a lot of confidence in our community.
Ray Blakeney: thinks they're Chen any, anything from your perspective on the phone. What you're looking forward to and challenges you will be facing
Jennifer Howe: Sir, I mean it is going to be different on campus. I mean, let's face it, you know, what makes us great is the people
Jennifer Howe: Whether it's the people who, you know, are there every day or alumni, parents and friends who have that wonderful sense to gravitate back to campus and
Jennifer Howe: teaching classes and mentor students and get with one another and celebrate and you know honestly to keep our faculty and our staff and our students successful
Jennifer Howe: Healthy and to get through to that Thanksgiving point that are talked about, you know, I think, you know, many people won't be surprised to know that you know advancements doing their part where you're either canceling or postponing
Jennifer Howe: Most of our if not all of our alumni parent and donor events on campus, and that includes big things. I mean, we had to walk away from doing reunion earlier this year.
Jennifer Howe: Parents weekend black alumni weekend will move virtually for not only the Board of Trustees, but our alumni leadership conference, our school and unit advisory councils this fall.
Jennifer Howe: All with the idea that there are some elements of this that we can build out virtually it with key stakeholders, but recognizing that you know this is going to be a big change for everyone.
Jennifer Howe: You know, but it does make sense in terms of what will make the UT community thrive and what is a really challenging time
Jennifer Howe: I guess I kind of equated I was talking with someone earlier today, I'll put it in flyer terms, it's like a closed practice right if we could just
Jennifer Howe: Be okay with a few close practices over the fall, maybe we get to the other side of this thing and we get to see some wins again.
Jennifer Howe: In person. So anyways, I just, I think it's important for us to understand, we really need to have campus in those spaces that are set for classroom instruction.
Jennifer Howe: And that personal experience that every alarm and parent wishes for our current student population that's going to mean that some of us can't be physically present at least for the short term.
Ray Blakeney: Things and and both Eric and john thank you for your spots. But what I'm blown away with this, the thoughtfulness of the plan.
Ray Blakeney: How you're taking advice from experts and then really being thoughtful about keeping our students, our staff or faculty safe. It's no
Ray Blakeney: Short undertaking. And so just again, love the thoughtfulness of it in and Jen, one of the things that I'd just like to comment from an alumni association point of view.
Ray Blakeney: Is how closely, we've been able to partner and talking through these issues of how much visibility you've given us in terms of what the university is thinking. And so, in times like these, really appreciate our great partnership that we've had.
Jennifer Howe: So,
Ray Blakeney: Thank you both for those responses, Eric. One of the things that I think many people you know you and I and Jen and I'll probably on this.
Ray Blakeney: Call care a lot about is athletics and we're starting to hear from different conferences in different schools about what's going to happen in for fall sports and maybe impacting winter sports. So can you give us an update on how you'd use thinking about sports for the fall and beyond.
Eric Spina: Sure. So let me just talk about beyond first. So to this point.
Eric Spina: The Atlantic 10 really all conferences have not made any decisions about winter sports. So here we can think about men's and women's basketball and obviously not spring yet either. So those
Eric Spina: Note. No, no changes yet. I mean, obviously there's going to be some challenges we expect in November when when basketball season starts. But, you know, certainly to us and so many schools.
Eric Spina: You know, there's a lot of work to be done as we think about basketball but for the fall, obviously we have some incredible student athletes who've been preparing
Eric Spina: For their, their season coaches preparing as well. And it's been really, really tough Neil Solomon has been keeping a great touch with the coaches.
Eric Spina: And the student athletes keeping them informed as there's been a lot of conversations in both the Atlantic 10 as well as our Football Conference, the pioneer Football League.
Eric Spina: And just this past week. The Atlantic 10 made the decision to suspend across all of their sports competition for this fall.
Eric Spina: Now we have created a what we're calling a look in window on September 15 will take a look at the situation pandemic.
Eric Spina: Across the country and in our region. On September 15. And something has changed going to say pretty dramatically.
Eric Spina: The athletic directors will work with the coaches to see if a meaningful seasons could be put together for some or all the sports and in the fall.
Eric Spina: And if not, then we're going to pivot all those sports to the spring. So it's going to be a little, little bit different, having those sports compete in the spring.
Eric Spina: But we think that's, you know, just in terms of ensuring safety for the student athletes just following the protocols with the student athletes is is so, so important and
Eric Spina: You know, as we're just learning to live on campus and probably is going to be enough just to figure out how to go to class and live living in community.
Eric Spina: Pinter Football League is a little bit hot behind in terms of its considerations I expect we'll be having some decisions in the next week or so.
Eric Spina: But, but we've already set aside three not three non conference games. So we want to make certain that if we do play football this fall to be a meaningful season for our football players are student athletes, it's, it's possible that that also will will pivot to the spring.
Eric Spina: Got it.
Ray Blakeney: Thanks, Eric. And, and so, just a reminder to everyone on the call the quality of this conversation is up to you and the great questions that that you send, and I see a few questions already.
Ray Blakeney: Coming in and so I'm to either Eric or Jen know one of the things and Jen, you touched on this. One of the things that makes you the UD it's just enter the ability to interact with one another and the community and their lungs.
Ray Blakeney: A couple of questions have come in one was around
Ray Blakeney: Hey, I'm in the area. I'm in the area. I'd love to help move students in. And the other is, how will students interact with the
Ray Blakeney: Dayton community at large, which is some of the great work that our student clubs do and interacting with city of Dayton schools in Dayton. So as we think about all the folks that want to interact with the UD community. How are we thinking about that interaction for the school year.
Eric Spina: Yeah, it's a great question. And, and, frankly, it's a difficult answer. It's an answer that. I don't like giving and I think people are gonna like to hear
Eric Spina: And, you know, let's just first of all hope that by the time we get to spring or certainly next year we have either greatly enhanced therapeutics or vaccine to allow us to really change things.
Eric Spina: But to Jen's earlier point, we really need to keep campus for our students, faculty and staff. So we're going to, we're going to be doing very little.
Eric Spina: In terms of on and off campus in terms of having people come from off campus into an environment that we hope is going to be as free as possible. Cold coven 19 so even something like, you know,
Eric Spina: Aunt and Uncle living locally. Want to help their nephew move in, that's something we'd love to have happen but you know those two additional people or three additional people on campus.
Eric Spina: You know, is going to be something that potentially disrupts the opportunity to social distance potentially brings in folks who have have coven 19 exposure, even if asymptomatic. So we are asking families to really just bring in
Eric Spina: You know, whoever is necessary for the move. So if it's mom and dad or her dad in junior whoever
Eric Spina: And then as soon as materials are moved into the room where we're asking parents to leave so very different from what we're used to.
Eric Spina: But again, you know, it's all about trying to limit exposure on on campus enables students, faculty and staff, you know, to be as healthy as possible. We start the semester. And then this notion of, you know, experiential learning off campus.
Eric Spina: This is something we're doing very carefully. Any faculty member any club any organization that wants to go off campus, we're asking them to really kind of present
Eric Spina: The situation to a committee that will look carefully at it. And frankly, early in the semester. We're going to do little of that.
Eric Spina: Makes certainly we have the protocols on campus first and then, you know, hopefully, we'll find some things that we can test, off, off campus.
Eric Spina: But we're going to do those very, very judiciously. Again, just because we want to minimize you know the the introduction of
Eric Spina: Potential introduction coven to campus. So again, I don't like those answers, but as we focus on health and safety of on campus and prioritize learning
Eric Spina: On campus that that's really key. And I think, important just for me to say up front.
Eric Spina: You know, will be monitoring with our medical panel. The state of infection someone there could come a circumstance in which we say
Eric Spina: You know, we need to pivot to some other kind of learning, including possibly distance learning from home.
Eric Spina: But the end of the day, we're only going to be open, as long as the public health commissioner Montgomery County's says
Eric Spina: You know, we appreciate the way you're doing it. We appreciate the students, the way they're behaving. We appreciate the protocols that fact and staff are following stay open. If we don't do what's expected were at risk. Yeah, that's great.
Ray Blakeney: Jen, anything you would like to add to that.
Jennifer Howe: Well, I think Eric covered it. I will tell you this summer. One of my friends leads the fifth center for leadership and I know we had a
Jennifer Howe: Eric, I think it was maybe 10 or 15 already established fellows over the summer and a lot of them were position to help with different nonprofits and
Jennifer Howe: Outreach in the date and community. And if I'm recalling correct almost all of them were able to fulfill their summer.
Jennifer Howe: Piece by actually thinking about how they turn their engagement, whether it was with young children or a volunteer leadership group in the community into a more digital
Jennifer Howe: Remote setting. So, you know, I do think people are getting really creative about it. So I think while preferable to be able to get in there and kind of roll your sleeves up together and have those shared experiences.
Jennifer Howe: Let's give our students a really big shout out for figuring out how to do this.
Jennifer Howe: In a way that was meaningful to them. And I think over the summer has offered some really important outcomes for a lot of very needy organizations in our local region. So yeah, I think we'll continue to see that kind of creativity.
Ray Blakeney: Thanks Jen and gentlemen, come back to you for this next question or next set of questions you
Ray Blakeney: Know, one of the things that I'm impressed with is how well all the university leaders work together and a question that that often comes up.
Ray Blakeney: When we're together meetings is enrollment. And so as we think about. And so I'm giving you the softball. Tell us about the trends.
Ray Blakeney: For the fall. And what you're seeing and and and and we'll just start there and then Eric if you have anything to add to that, but what's enrollment like given lot of this uncertainty that UD is facing as well as higher ed.
Jennifer Howe: Sorry. Thanks. Well thanks for the softball Erica grade me on my response probably here.
Jennifer Howe: So I'll tell you what my good buddy and Jason Ryan Hall and Enrollment Management really has shared with with our president's cabinet leadership team and and that is, you know, we had a very successful.
Jennifer Howe: Enrollment season and you know if there's one silver lining for us. Maybe in some of this is that we did not see a significant what we term summer mouth right students who may be made a deposit or an initial commitment to us.
Jennifer Howe: But then, you know, in the end, did not depart. It didn't actually fulfill on that and become
Jennifer Howe: Fully registered, you know, and ready to take classes, but we are seeing that trend significantly
Jennifer Howe: And as Jason has said, the quality of the class, you know, we've been very fortunate. Now, you know, for the four years I have been you know here as well to
Jennifer Howe: See the wonderful quality of students, whether it's the leadership roles, they've held the GPA is the diversity, you know, of socio economic backgrounds.
Jennifer Howe: That we've been able to tap and even geographically, you know, while we have seen a little more trends towards
Jennifer Howe: Your people maybe wanting their family member, their student to stay a little closer to home. So maybe we've got a little bit
Jennifer Howe: Larger mix in terms of Ohio in the Midwest, then we might have, you know, just two years ago we continue to see you do brand, you know, really be strong and we had a lot of inquiries.
Jennifer Howe: Let's be frank, but successful basketball team. A lot of prominent you know visibility doesn't hurt.
Jennifer Howe: particularly at a time when there's a lot of applications coming in, but at the same time, I think the quality of the institution certainly speaks for itself.
Jennifer Howe: And we've been very fortunate in that regard. And then on Twitter. And so the returning students. We have a very good percentage of those that are extremely eager to get back
Jennifer Howe: And you know there have been highly responsive as we've surveyed them about the restart as Eric indicated earlier,
Jennifer Howe: You know, indicating you know their level of enthusiasm for doing this well doing this right and being a part of being in person. So
Jennifer Howe: I'm really excited. I mean, if you had to ask me, you know, I'm probably got three things. I'm really excited about that. But that's one of them is we're looking at a really, really vibrant set of young individuals becoming part of the fire family permanently. So how to do, Eric.
Eric Spina: I give that a plus in
Eric Spina: I'm afraid.
Eric Spina: That there's a lot of demand for, for you, for you, the education.
Ray Blakeney: Gentlemen, come back to you because you said enrollment was one of the things were the other two things that you're excited about.
Jennifer Howe: Oh, good. Now another softball. I'm so I'm really actually excited about the level of
Jennifer Howe: Alumni and parent engagement that we've seen. Don't get me wrong. It was already really strong before this happen.
Jennifer Howe: But, you know, think about all the uncertainty and what was amazing was with what kind of speed and frequency my team and other parts of campus heard from alumni, parents, friends in the university saying
Jennifer Howe: What can I do help me understand what your biggest challenges. How do I make sure that the students finish out the spring semester successful and now they're question is
Jennifer Howe: What do you need me to do to make sure that their fall is remarkable. Despite all the changes are the challenges or what have you.
Jennifer Howe: So I get really energized by that, you know, I mean, I think these times are really tough. And then if you watch the news and you
Jennifer Howe: Take in too much of the bad stuff you can really get yourself hung up on it. What I'm really enthusiastic about is this is a community that leads
Jennifer Howe: And lives, what it talks about. It's not one that just says something about it. But then when it comes to actually needing to do something stands on the sidelines. So that's one of the things I'm really excited about.
Jennifer Howe: And then, you know, I just, I got to give a shout out to my team and to the wonderful volunteer leaders that they work with. And I'm not just saying that because raised on the screen or I know a few other board members are on that on this.
Jennifer Howe: You know, my, my team has been undeterred. You know, they knew it would be a challenging finish to our fiscal year.
Jennifer Howe: In terms of keeping people engaged and feeling confident about the the plans they had set forward with us, whether it was volunteering time resources or what have you.
Jennifer Howe: And I'm just really proud of them. I'm very fortunate to be surrounded with teammates who really care about the university one another in the people they serve every day. So that's my, my, that's my excitement list for the night. Awesome.
Ray Blakeney: Thanks Jen and Eric, I respect you so much. I promised you a softball as well. So tell us about the financial forecast and the challenges you may have or how you're managing through this this covert situation and the impact it's having to you these finances.
Eric Spina: Yeah. So I mean, the good news is we finished last year. So we have a fiscal year that ends on June 30 and in really good shape, you know, obviously, the last three months of the year where we're really, really challenging from a revenue perspective.
Eric Spina: We send students home and we either credited them for room and board or refunded if they weren't coming back to campus. So that was a hit, but but still we wound up in the black where we've been for for many, many years.
Eric Spina: for the coming year. I mean, really, the expenses are are extraordinary in terms of pee pee testing and so on. I mean well into the eight figures.
Eric Spina: Just, just for our campus like gives you a sense of, really, there is a lot of money, we're going to be spending. Try to keep our, our students and faculty as safe as possible.
Eric Spina: We're taking some hit on revenue as well. So really new international students. We've pretty much zeroed out that that number.
Eric Spina: And then we're aware you many of our families have been affected by by employment action for layoffs, or furloughs
Eric Spina: So we've been want to make certain all of our students can get back and all of our freshmen who want to come here are able to do so, we've we've
Eric Spina: Provided a lot of financial aid and make certain that's that's possible. So you know we have a great CFO and nanny Horner and a great, great Board of Trustees, as you know, Ray.
Eric Spina: So we're keeping them up to up to date. Now this university is in very good shape to survive this however long and it goes are making good good decisions. Making certain that we have the cash on hand that we need to
Eric Spina: Do at the end of the day, really, the year will be determined by whether or not we're able to keep students on campus for the whole semester, if, if, if we can't
Eric Spina: It'll be more of a challenge will still get get through it. But you know, I would just say that, you know, our alumni don't have to worry about the university going belly up
Eric Spina: This is a period for me. I'm very frankly, where many institutions. This is an existential moment for them it's not for you, D.
Eric Spina: We can't be silly about what we're doing. We have to be serious, we have to be focused. We have to be smart.
Eric Spina: But, but you these finances are strong, no matter what happens, this semester, even if we were to run into the red that would likely just be because of some of the extraordinary expenses that we have
Ray Blakeney: Thanks, Eric, can and I will concur I amazed by the quality of leaders that we have on campus both and in their vocation of what they do. You mentioned Andy and others.
Ray Blakeney: But their love for you, D and their desire to keep everyone safe and to steer the university through this crisis. I feel incredibly fortunate and have tremendous amounts of gratitude for the leader set that we have leading the university through this time.
Ray Blakeney: I'll pivot slightly too community you know so much of what makes UD a great place. And what people remember all the experiences they had on campus, whether it's in your miracles, or being part of a club.
Ray Blakeney: And we're just hanging out and you talked about limits on gatherings and. So talk a bit about what you envision in the fall for what community would will look like what our students will experience outside of the classroom. Yeah.
Eric Spina: Well, we're going to encourage students to continue to think about ways to interact with each other.
Eric Spina: And certainly faculty and staff are thinking about ways that they're going to interact with students, so
Eric Spina: You know, I think the the right thing to do is not compare it to the past, but let's just recognize the limitations that we have, we're going to be wearing masks.
Eric Spina: We're going to need to socially distance. We're going to limit the size of the groups that we're in.
Eric Spina: But, you know, as you were talking to some students, the other day, it doesn't mean that the student neighborhood can have multiple groups of 10 people
Eric Spina: Socially distance all throughout the neighborhood. It's just, you know, the kind of the mass gatherings and someone we need to just be
Eric Spina: We need to be careful about and that's in part for health, but also in part. So the Public Health Commissioner knows we're doing what we have to do in order to stay stay safe.
Eric Spina: So, you know, from that perspective. I know the faculty and the staff, you know, certainly, and Student Development, but also in other parts of the university or thinking about
Eric Spina: You know, given the constraints, what are some new things that we can do or some things we've long too long. Done.
Eric Spina: How do we change them. So, you know, one great example. You know, it's the Catholic Methodist University our faith, life is really important to us.
Eric Spina: So the, you know, campus ministry staff are really thinking about how do we continue to provide lots of opportunities for students to live their faith when we know
Eric Spina: You know that we aren't going to have a 10 o'clock and at 12 o'clock and six o'clock, nine o'clock mass that are packed like they usually are.
Eric Spina: So is it more masses is a massive through video, is it outdoor masses.
Eric Spina: So, you know, I think, you know, to your earlier point ray that we have a lot of good people working hard on these these problems and these opportunities.
Eric Spina: We have a lot of good people working hard on exactly this. How do we support students and make certain that even though it's different.
Eric Spina: The community, they can build still is a UD community, a Catholic Methodist University, where no personal connections are really important. So I'm I'm optimistic and
Eric Spina: You know, one of the groups, that's really going to lead us here is students. We've had a lot of students are various path forward working groups.
Eric Spina: And they're there, they're brilliant. I mean, they're coming up with great ideas, they're working on marketing campaigns for students and so on. So I'm you know i'm i'm an optimistic person. But you know, I think there's a lot of reason for optimism here.
Ray Blakeney: Awesome.
Ray Blakeney: Jan anything from your perspective.
Jennifer Howe: I mean, you know, I, I echo what Eric saying. And I think when I take, you know, the idea of community and
Jennifer Howe: Apply it and think about our alumni communities. And I know right. We'll talk a lot about this at alumni leadership conference in the coming weeks.
Jennifer Howe: You know, we're really going to be careful about assessing our programming for the fall, as I mentioned before, even in local communities will have to abide by what's happening in that terms of public health standards. I mean, obviously.
Jennifer Howe: In Seattle, you might face different challenges that we do at Dayton, Ohio. Right. It's already done that's one piece. The other two is
Jennifer Howe: Here we're going to try to continue to have robust programming together around career development, what even though digitally.
Jennifer Howe: You'll probably see a step away from a little bit of the social, but one of the things I want to put on people's radar tonight is think about this. The students are going to come home and thanksgiving.
Jennifer Howe: They're going to be back in these great, wonderful, vibrant UT communities. And as you know, we talked about earlier, you know, we hope that, as things transition forward.
Jennifer Howe: And we and we get a sense of how to kind of do some of the things we're used to.
Jennifer Howe: Maybe within some of the communities we may be able to define service opportunities that would be affiliated with maybe Christmas off campus that would allow alumni.
Jennifer Howe: Again, you know, to make students feel very connected and to understand what it means to have a relationship with the university and to experience that community even once you graduate. So I would just take it, maybe that one step further.
Ray Blakeney: Awesome. And so one of the things that, again, it's going back to the community. We have a pretty broad and diverse state and community that
Ray Blakeney: That borders the campus. So whether that's restaurants or other establishments and we have some housing that's not owned by the university. So how have you been proactive and talking to those partners about how you will work together this fall on campus and around campus.
Eric Spina: Yes, our folks, especially in Student Development have been have been really proactive those conversations have been going on since again since April April, May.
Eric Spina: You know, so the the expectations that have been said in the city of Dayton and my curry County and now now in Ohio.
Eric Spina: Really kind of lean into where we need to be as a campus as well in terms of social distancing mask wearing and so on.
Eric Spina: So you know we have long relationships with these these businesses. We want them to thrive. So we certainly want students to continue to
Eric Spina: To utilize their, their services and you know i'm prepared for us to, you know, continue to have strong partnerships there.
Eric Spina: And we want these businesses stay open and our students will understand that, you know, expectations off campus really are very similar to the on campus in terms of
Eric Spina: You know the protocols and need to be followed to make certain that that that they stay safe and healthy and that that's one of the things that maybe I should have mentioned when we talked about
Eric Spina: You know how campus was going to look much like my, my wife and myself and my kids at home. We're not wearing masks. We're not socially distancing
Eric Spina: When we go out, out of the house. We are. This is our household. So we're setting up household that the university students will understand that.
Eric Spina: You know, if you're in a in founders Hall your roommate is your household, so no mass no social distancing
Eric Spina: Your apartment mates. Those are. That's your household your house in the student Amber Heard that that's your that's your household
Eric Spina: And. And I think part of commitment to community commitment to each other is understanding, you know, when I go off campus.
Eric Spina: When I go down to Panera on on Marshall Street. I'm going to make certain that I'm social distancing wearing a mask not putting myself in a difficult position because
Eric Spina: My household my roommate my roommates their health depends upon what I'm doing. When I'm off campus. So we really hope to have these things really reinforce each other. So, so again, even if students are off campus.
Eric Spina: We hope they're thinking about their roommates their friends, their classmates their favorite professor their favorite
Eric Spina: Person in America is dying home so
Ray Blakeney: Thanks, Eric. And just a slight pivot and you know something that's important to me. I lead a recruiting function for Microsoft and we've
Ray Blakeney: UD and many other universities have graduated students into a global pandemic and an economic slowdown. So what's been the impact on job searches job placement, both for full time and for interns that are graduating from UT or or students at Ed co ops as well.
Eric Spina: And genuine take that you want me to. I'm happy to
Jennifer Howe: Well, I should talk a little bit about the cursor and then I can talk a little bit about, you know, some of the response we've gotten from alarms. You know, when things shifted so quickly.
Eric Spina: Yeah, so the Career Center, you know, as always has been really terrific working with students understanding the different environment.
Eric Spina: helping students understand how to navigate, you know, a full set of interviews that are that are just going to be via via zoom or other internet technologies.
Eric Spina: Now, what I would say the outcome has been is you know UD has, you know, a lot of companies, a lot of employers know the quality of our students, the quality of our lumps.
Eric Spina: So we really haven't seen much of a fall off. Now some of the job starts for our graduating students have been pushed off.
Eric Spina: Some of the internships have been a month, rather than three months now, but an awful lot have pivoted to on online experiences that the student is interacting with people, via the, you know, fellow employees via via zoom
Eric Spina: Or, you know, some certainly are working in person. But again, we seen this demand for you, D. STUDENTS.
Eric Spina: In terms of internships for you for you being graduates. That's, that's really gratifying. There's no doubt there's been some impact and especially in some disciplines. But yeah, most of the students who were hired before the pandemic had followed through with those internships and jobs.
Jennifer Howe: Great. Yeah, right. I mentioned earlier, you know, the response that we had seen from alumni and parents who kind of
Jennifer Howe: You know, wanted to know what they could do. And this was one of the areas of course that they kind of immediately went to right you know that are graduating seniors what was happening with their career placement
Jennifer Howe: You know, with our returning students what what was going on with internships and, you know, I think that was one of the areas that we saw some immediate early
Jennifer Howe: Impact where people were able to whether it was with their own company or things they were seeing in their own community.
Jennifer Howe: That had moved into more of a digital piece. They were quickly identifying those for us so that we could feed them.
Jennifer Howe: To the Career Center to different departments and schools and so forth. So I really appreciate that. We had some of our schooling unit advisory councils.
Jennifer Howe: Who kind of personally took it as a mandate to, you know, to kind of look after their particular school students and to to find new opportunities for that handful, who were displaced.
Jennifer Howe: You know, so I think that was really bad. And then the other thing they stepped forward to do was
Jennifer Howe: Really to mentor. So we've launched flower connect, which is a big mentor and platform which allows you to really kind of define your level of engagement. You want to have in the student to do their same and
Jennifer Howe: I think one of the things we have to understand this. This is an unprecedented time, you know, and I think there's some curiosity about what we're going to learn from it, how we're going to
Jennifer Howe: You know, as Eric said, when the next pandemic comes along, how do we
Jennifer Howe: You know, take what we've learned, whether that's two years 10 years or 20 years from now, let's make it 20 I'm retired. At that point, but you get my duty. You get what I'm saying, in the sense that
Jennifer Howe: We've seen questions and and and we've seen students seek help from mentors on that alumni platform. And I think we'll see more of them to say
Jennifer Howe: How are you dealing with this. I mean, I, you talked about what happened to you at Microsoft, and how you guys flip things around in less than 72 hours.
Jennifer Howe: It's a remarkable story. And I think they're going to be student takeaways for understanding how they can process this and you know and think about their own resiliency and their own adaptability.
Jennifer Howe: You know, in this process. So I hope we capture some of those some of those stories and some of those interactions, but that's that's really how long step step forward.
Ray Blakeney: Thanks to both it's it's remarkable how companies, universities and students of all
Ray Blakeney: Reacted to what's going on. We have thousands of interns who had planned to come to Redmond for the summer, who are now working at home and having a great experience. We will have what we call our
Ray Blakeney: Intern signature event on Friday. And we've, you know, in the past, had bands like Foo Fighters, and Dave Matthews, and we'll have a big lineup.
Ray Blakeney: On Friday, but we'll all be done in the comfort of their home using teams to watch. And so it's amazing that everyone's been able to pivot so quickly.
Ray Blakeney: And one of the questions. There's a couple of questions that talk about testing and how will keep our students safe.
Ray Blakeney: In. So Eric, if you wouldn't mind talking about you talked about households and how you define household
Ray Blakeney: What will happen if a student test positive and how confident are you that you'll have the right surveillance, so that when a student gets sick, will be able to quickly identify and react to it.
Eric Spina: Yeah. So when a student is sick, whether it's symptomatic or asymptomatic.
Eric Spina: Though really have a choice to work with the families work with the health center. Maybe the student
Eric Spina: Wants to go home. If a parent wants the student home. We can certainly arrange that. But what we'll have we'll have isolation housing on campus.
Eric Spina: Where students will will be supported in terms of their, their health needs, but also in terms of, you know, bringing meals and so on. So that's I'm
Eric Spina: Talking about you're both kind of quarantine, housing, which can be done in some spaces, but also isolation housing and then really making certain that we we support those students.
Ray Blakeney: Thank you.
Ray Blakeney: I'm reading through questions. And while I'm scrolling through I'd love to ask both of you, both of you.
Ray Blakeney: Came elsewhere to UD so what excited you about UD and what surprised you about you do once you got here.
Eric Spina: You want to go first gen
Jennifer Howe: Oh no, I'm gonna let you take that one course.
Eric Spina: I mean, the reason I came here, very simply because of the people I mean really, beginning with my first interview.
Eric Spina: The kinds of interactions that I had with the search committee, which was a very large search committee, faculty, staff, students trustees alumni.
Eric Spina: I could tell it was a different place. The question they asked the way the interacting with me the way they interact with each other, you know, so that that's really been the really the most
Eric Spina: most exciting thing that really drives me on a day to day basis, my interaction with you d people my interaction with flyers.
Eric Spina: The biggest surprise for me. I mean, university Dayton was a secret to me. I spent you know an awful long time at Syracuse. I didn't understand.
Eric Spina: The exceptional quality, not only of the people, but of the academic programs, the experiential learning the research on campus.
Eric Spina: And I've been here now for years. So I've seen an awful lot. But for the first couple years, literally, every day I would see something new that would impress me in terms of
Eric Spina: Know it's overwhelming quality and I hadn't known that that is one of the things we're trying to do is make certain that word of our quality word of our excellence really is out there a little bit more
Ray Blakeney: Jen.
Jennifer Howe: Hi, it's not. It's mine. So, um, I would say, you know what excited me was the opportunity, you know, I could say the same thing of people, but I'll take it a little
Jennifer Howe: Broader to say, you know, I felt like as I engage with the people from UD about what they wanted to see happen with
Jennifer Howe: Our alumni relations or parent programming. Our around engagement strategy and yes our fundraising.
Jennifer Howe: You know, I felt like there was a real untapped opportunity and that there was a real energy around that and so that excited me the idea that together we could
Jennifer Howe: Figure out a way to cap that excitement and actually turn it into something extremely impactful for the for those individuals and for the institution.
Jennifer Howe: And that definitely has been the case so that that was really big. I think, you know, beyond is Eric said, the excellence of the institution or whatever is a surprise, maybe of the depth of the relationship that
Jennifer Howe: The graduates and the students and the faculty and staff feel for this institution.
Jennifer Howe: When you have been part of different universities you experienced that at different levels. And I came from to that had a great connection with their population for sure, but at the same time, you know, I, I've said this before, and some other leadership settings.
Jennifer Howe: Ut Alumni don't treat it just like their graduate, they really treat it like they're a citizen of the university like they're part of making
Jennifer Howe: Something happen and they want to be a part of the conversation when something's going well, as well as when something's going wrong. And I think of that as more a citizenship versus a sense of graduate and entitlement. Right. You know, and
Jennifer Howe: That's been a wonderful, wonderful surprise. Some days it makes the conversation a little more interactive, shall we say, but at the same time, it certainly makes our winds that much richer, you know, so that would probably be my big surprise.
Ray Blakeney: Awesome.
Ray Blakeney: So,
Ray Blakeney: What are. What's your favorite spot on UDS campus.
Ray Blakeney: Jen go
Jennifer Howe: I'm going to ask them either favorite. My favorite spot.
Jennifer Howe: Honestly, it's sitting over there near on pan and listening to the students come in and talk about their days and watching them, you know, testing quiz each other. I love the sense of energy and buzz. So for me, that's my favorite space on campus because it's just constant motion.
Ray Blakeney: One one clarifying question because we may have some alumni who have not been on campus for a while.
Jennifer Howe: Oh, fair enough. K you hey
Jennifer Howe: Thank you.
Jennifer Howe: Hey you near food that's where you're going to find the students. And that's where you're going to find the action.
Eric Spina: So, so for me, I'm going to give two answers. So if there's one single stationary spot serenity pines. I love serenity pines over by
Eric Spina: Over by Mary. Mary crest. The other thing is, is a movable spot. So Karen and I in a typical semester will be in my wife Karen and I will be invited to a number of different houses student student house in this neighborhood for for dinner.
Eric Spina: Oftentimes, four or five times a semester sitting around the kitchen table with a group of five or six students hearing their stories hearing about their journey to and through you day
Eric Spina: Hearing about the way they're living intentionally so that kitchen table is actually my favorite spot and it moves.
Ray Blakeney: That's great. That's great. Jen, I'm reminded that you know as I looked at the folks that are on the call. We have a range of decades represented
Ray Blakeney: I'm not going to ask you who your second favorite graduating classes because we all know 1993 is an all time favorite class I see my classmate Ramona, Kristen.
Ray Blakeney: On on on this call, but when you talk to the lungs. What are some of the themes that you hear in terms of like what they feel has changed, or what's different. And how do you spend some time helping them understand kind of what you d is and what hasn't changed.
Jennifer Howe: Yeah, no, I mean that's that's really a great question. I think, you know, the thing that I hear people resonate with is some of the core values that they learned
Jennifer Howe: Through kind of the magic Marianas educational framework, right, you know. And what's amazing to me is, you know, to sit there and you can be talking to an alarm that's 30 or 40 years out, who is
Jennifer Howe: Lead a major international corporation and they talk about how their own leadership style, even though they didn't realize it right away.
Jennifer Howe: Was informed by how they learned how to treat people when they were back on duties campus right
Jennifer Howe: And I, and then you hear a 2015 grad who just got their first supervisory job talk about the same thing, right, you know, and how working in teams and living a community and dealing with conflict when you didn't agree with your
Jennifer Howe: Your housemates about something or what have you, how they've deployed that as they've led their first team project or what have you.
Jennifer Howe: And so I think those are some things that you know I hear with some consistency that you know the values, the fact that there was always someone there to help. Whether it was
Jennifer Howe: Someone that was, you know, helping serve them at lunchtime. That just happened to ask how their day was
Jennifer Howe: You know, to a favorite professor that took extra time to mentor them personally.
Jennifer Howe: That that level of personal care and touch seems to permeate class here. So those will be some of the things I think that are resonating and I would say to you that I think those are some of the things that are evergreen for us right you know and they should be
Jennifer Howe: I think some of the things that have changed or is let's face it, the students who come to our campus.
Jennifer Howe: Face a myriad of pressures and challenges and I'm not even talking about code at this point around their physical, mental,
Jennifer Howe: You know, and social health that, um, you know, quite frankly, the thinking back to when I went to school and now age myself here. I'm about to do my 30th reunion. You know, we
Jennifer Howe: We didn't face. It just wasn't part of our reality, day in and day out. And, and so the university does have to adapt, whether it's the resources we put behind them. The structures we build with alumni.
Jennifer Howe: You know, to provide them network so support i think that's that's radically different. I think the other thing is we understand a lot more about how people learn effectively.
Jennifer Howe: And some of the traditional ways in which we teach and some of the experiences we might have offered 10 2030 years ago were wonderful in those time periods.
Jennifer Howe: But they're not possible. And they're not how our current population learns best. And so I do think it's hard, right, I mean, anything that we all hold dear.
Jennifer Howe: I don't care if it's a you know if there's a shared experience in particular right for a class, you mentioned class. And I'm not going to go to favorite class years. You're right.
Jennifer Howe: But you know, I think it's important to understand just how deeply rooted. Those are and I never want to tell somebody that those traditions and those things that they love
Jennifer Howe: Are necessarily not part of what makes us a very rich tapestry, and stars are very rich history. We can take some of those pieces forward with us. But we really, you know, we have to be able to flex and respond
Jennifer Howe: To what our students need today and you know and that's it's a challenge. I mean, you know, I'm not going to kid you and and
Jennifer Howe: I think, again, that care for individuals where that comes out, right, because if we're all committed to making sure every UT student has the best possible and fullest experience then
Jennifer Howe: It's pretty easy right to do the right thing, you know, whether it's in a classroom or in a social setting or what have you. So
Jennifer Howe: Hopefully that came close to answering what you want.
Ray Blakeney: That was great. And it's a great reminder of a discussion that we had in January around our students mental well being and I wish that every alum could hear the energy passion.
Ray Blakeney: That every leader every faculty has on this topic. So, and, and I walked away. Eric, when we talked about this that your deep affinity for ensuring that the students well mental well being.
Ray Blakeney: Is something that the university supports and provides resources. Can you just tell us a bit about, you know, what you see, relative to the challenges that students see on campus today and what the university is doing to respond to it.
Eric Spina: So, I mean, there's no doubt that that is a big challenge for every university for every high school for every grade school these days.
Eric Spina: And, you know, one of the, you know, beyond the caring faculty and staff beyond the holistic environment on campus. I think one of our biggest advantages are our students. So our students are very in tune with students.
Eric Spina: I can't even count how many different groups. There are on campus that are focused on
Eric Spina: Advocating for supporting students and their and their mental mental health and helping them get through.
Eric Spina: A stress stressful time in their, their lives so you know that interaction with students, the advocates and others, I think, has helped us over time.
Eric Spina: Can continue to adapt. Right. There's no doubt the kinds of programs that we offer.
Eric Spina: The kinds of group sessions that we offer for students are different today than they were two years ago.
Eric Spina: Different two years ago and they were four years ago in large part because you know folks and Student Development and others are listening carefully to students understanding what the needs are.
Eric Spina: And how how best to support them. So, you know, this is something that's going to get continue to evolve and we've learned as other universities have. It's not something you can just throw money at
Eric Spina: Right, you really need to be thoughtful strategic last year year about a little bit of more than a year ago.
Eric Spina: We did something called the Healthy Mind survey that participation rate of students was very high. But in large part to try to get a sense of
Eric Spina: Kind of where students saw themselves in terms of their mental health what while they're on campus as college students. And that hasn't really been useful and helping to tune and and will continue to be to help me to tune our, our support for students. That's great.
Ray Blakeney: Thanks, both for that and Eric. One of the things that you mentioned was the getting more familiar with you, D and the things that surprised you in one of your points of emphasis was
Ray Blakeney: On helping the broader world know about you, these academic string. So talk a bit about like how you and the rest of the leadership team, the academic leaders get that message out there about the overall quality of the education.
Eric Spina: I mean, the best way is the folks who are on this zoom call right so are our alumni.
Eric Spina: Our young alumni as they they go out there and they are representatives right so that that's how people know
Eric Spina: That UD graduates. Can you work for a large company like Microsoft and make it better can work for a small start up and make it, make it, make it better. So
Eric Spina: I think that's most most important but but also you're making certain that we have the best faculty that we're retaining those faculty that we're recruiting the best faculty
Eric Spina: And. And when I say best faculty. I don't mean the biggest names. I mean, the folks who, you know, really, who understand what it means to be at UD who are looking for the opportunity to work closely with students.
Eric Spina: Or engaged with them, not just in the classroom, but also through experiential learning
Eric Spina: And it is through that experiential learning that I think that's one of our biggest advantages compared to a lot of schools.
Eric Spina: It's very deep. It's very broad at so many students they deep advantage of it. And that really gives our students, you know, extraordinary opportunities that they can
Eric Spina: Whether it's applying to graduate school, applying to med school or applying to accompany they can say, Look, I work for flyer enterprise I I ran a division.
Eric Spina: I worked for flyer consulting I developed the business plan or marketing plan for not for profit.
Eric Spina: So, you know, students who come to you do generally really get involved in things that are outside the classroom.
Eric Spina: You think is one of the ways that we really get the word out that our students can do it our students, our leaders. Our students really are able to be agile and help both small and large employers.
Eric Spina: Make the progress they need to in a complex world. Thanks.
Ray Blakeney: I was reflecting this morning about
Ray Blakeney: This this panel this this discussion and was thinking about what I enjoyed most about UD and what was most meaningful to me and it was really the points that you just made. Eric
Ray Blakeney: And I thought about sitting and father put because classes and political science and the way that he taught it was less about
Ray Blakeney: What you could memorize, but more about critical thinking and and there is a tremendous amount of pressure that he put on all the students in the class. And it was hard.
Ray Blakeney: It enabled us to rise that level. He had really high expectations of what we would that classroom.
Ray Blakeney: That I think about what I do every day at work and it's really. I didn't realize it then.
Ray Blakeney: What he was preparing us for now the pressure that we have your critical thinking skills, how do you approach a problem. How do you use your teammates or classmates.
Ray Blakeney: To excel and I'm so appreciative of that education that I get. It's not a particular class or particular tester moment, but it was the faculty and staff really pushing us
Ray Blakeney: To think differently and think hard and that's something I that I value so much about UD
Ray Blakeney: We're coming close to time. So I'm just going to ask a couple questions in a group and either one of you could take them and it's really about as the fall goes on. If you, how would you transition from
Ray Blakeney: Class model to online or hybrid. And then what would happen if you, you know, send students home would there be some tuition reimbursement and those things. And so a couple, a couple of those together, they'll come back and close
Eric Spina: Yeah, so, you know, as we have been
Eric Spina: Really as the faculty in particular have been working on preparing for this coming semester, from the beginning, it's been
Eric Spina: I'm going to prepare as if we're going to be on campus whole time, but I'm also going to prepare if we need to, we need to pivot quickly.
Eric Spina: Let's face it, this past spring. It was very quick pivot on online learning. So, you know, there's no doubt our faculty are much more prepared.
Eric Spina: today than they were on March, March 9 last year. So it'll be it'll be difficult in terms of us coming to terms with it. But I think in terms of the quality of the education in terms of the
Eric Spina: Plans that faculty have for how to engage students
Eric Spina: Will will be quite quite seamless if if we need need to make that move and we send students home you know at some point in the semester, certainly, they're not using dying. If they're not using housing.
Eric Spina: Well, we'll take them into consideration. Now we do think from a tuition perspective, you know, sedate and degree, their date and credits. We have faculty working hard and we have
Eric Spina: A lot of infrastructure behind strong, strong education for our students that you know we think our tuition shouldn't should be where it is.
Eric Spina: You know, we provide an awful lot of financial aid to students, especially this year, but certainly as we think about housing and dying and something that we'd have to take into consideration. Awesome.
Ray Blakeney: Jim, what's your favorite UD memory, thus far.
Jennifer Howe: My favorite UT memory, thus far.
Jennifer Howe: All right, I'm gonna go for non sports. I'm gonna have to say our first commencement. It was pretty I'ma tell story on air. It really cleric
Jennifer Howe: I'm you know my last job, I was, I was the number two, not the number one, so I didn't sit up on the stage right I didn't get to
Jennifer Howe: Hug anybody are shaking hands. And so, you know, my first year or what have you, you know, here I am, I'm looking out of it. See have wonderful glowing faces.
Jennifer Howe: And thinking about everything they've accomplished and you know and hoping that you know we played a small role in something, you know, that made that all happen.
Jennifer Howe: But as we're exiting the building, you know, Eric. High five me and said, all right, we took care of them, why they're here. They're all years now. And I thought, this is
Jennifer Howe: Awesome.
Jennifer Howe: I mean you know and and and i think you know I could name others, and most of them have some sports to associate with i think i think that
Jennifer Howe: You know, just really sums it up right because I looked at all of that fake all these faces and there was such hope.
Jennifer Howe: There was such a huge plans are such accomplishment and to think that these were amazing young people who are going to overtime. Hopefully we did our job right.
Jennifer Howe: There. We're going to have a great relationship with this university long after I'm gone. And, you know, it just, it's still and thinking about it. It just gives me a rush of their mind your mind.
Ray Blakeney: Eric your favorite UD memory.
Eric Spina: That's unfair. I'm going to give you
Three.
Eric Spina: It's hard. It's hard to top the
Eric Spina: Feeling in the arena. After that George Washington gang. Well, when the men basketball team clenched, I mean, that was the roof was coming off the place I'm those three OB topping dunks bang bang bang it was just really a special moment. That was a very special team. So that's, that's one
Eric Spina: Every commencement, I would say, and then really interacting with with new students as they arrive kind of breath, and my father would say bright eyed and bushy tail right that they're ready. They're ready to go. They're excited to be at UD
Eric Spina: And just knowing what's in front of them in terms of this Dayton flyer community faculty and staff who are dedicated who are here because they want to help them find their vocation find their path in the world. So that kind of first day that last day and then then 111 sporting event.
Ray Blakeney: Awesome. One. One last question before we close because everyone's picked up, I think, a new hobby or skill during Kobe. So what's the new thing that you've picked up. Is it making sourdough bread is it you've started hiking. What's your thing that you've picked up.
Eric Spina: So I'll, I'll go first. Let Jen. Thanks. So there's two things. So my, I have a son who just graduated from college, so he's been home with us since mid, mid March.
Eric Spina: And then our daughter been locked out of her job that Chicago and she's been been working here since since about the same, same time
Eric Spina: You know, usually spring for me is the time when Karen and I are out at one event or another literally every night. So we never eat at home.
Eric Spina: But we're in home every night and you know, oftentimes after after dinner, we go watch on Netflix, the great British baking show
Eric Spina: So we have now watched every single season on sad we finished the last one the other day and I'm sad that it's over. And then the other thing is, Karen, I have taken a lot more walks around the neighborhood.
Eric Spina: In the last three months, probably cumulatively that then we have in the previous four years.
Ray Blakeney: That's great. Yeah.
Jennifer Howe: OK, so my success unsuccessful foray into paddleboarding and if anyone knows my lack of balance and coordination skills. They can only imagine what the videos might look like. So I'm working on it, but it's not pretty. So paddleboarding
Ray Blakeney: Awesome. And I, for those of you that that are on social media, know that I've just really focused on cooking and and making lots of great barbecue.
Eric Spina: And I said, So I followed his
Eric Spina: What he's making. We all want to have he's has a smoker and he's he's cooking.
Eric Spina: Well,
Ray Blakeney: This has been a lot of fun. And I'll come back to you both for some closing remarks, but just a couple things. One,
Ray Blakeney: Thanks to all the lungs that that joined joined and hopefully you found it as enjoyable as informative as I did.
Ray Blakeney: There are lots of different ways for you to get involved the Alumni Association encourage you to go out and check out the Alumni Association page.
Ray Blakeney: On the date and.edu site this series. This you digital series has been amazing. And what a great way to connect. And we have a couple sessions coming up. We have a
Ray Blakeney: Cooking on Instagram Live that's coming up on 729 and then a conversation with Dayton mayor and and Wally, who many of you have seen
Ray Blakeney: Is Ed alum and that's coming up on August 26 so encourage you to join in for those. And there's also a lot of great recorded content already
Ray Blakeney: On ranges like professional development. So go check out that great content. But once again, Eric and Jen. Thank you so much.
Ray Blakeney: For doing this. I think it's just yet another example of how well the Alumni Association and our current UD Administration is working hand in hand on so I really love the time that you find it.
Ray Blakeney: So leave closing comments to the two of you Jana, I'll start with you, and then Eric asked you to close us out. Yeah, I
Jennifer Howe: Just want to express gratitude again for folks who are involved, whether you're listening to this live or and submitted questions or you're listening to the recording and just encourage you to stay engaged, you know,
Jennifer Howe: What you can do, whether it's with your time, your expertise or resources, no matter how little or how big you know you being involved makes an enormous difference
Jennifer Howe: So in the lives of the university and lives or students. And so just stay there and you know be be active and know that the flyer family is as strong as ever.
Eric Spina: So just a couple things for me. One is, you know, if you enjoy this. If you think this is a good good format, let us know.
Eric Spina: Certainly we can we can do this again or do it on some some frequency say say thank you for staying engaged with the university. There's nothing
Eric Spina: More important, it's a difference between a great university and a good university is the engagement of alarms with with the university holding us accountable supporting us in multiple ways. Beat being involved. And the last thing I'll say is
Eric Spina: You know, run a difficult situation right now as a, as a, as a country, as a as a world community in terms of the pandemic.
Eric Spina: disproportionate impact in certain areas that are really important to the institution. We're going to have a really challenging semester, even if things go really well, and people are people are going to get get sick.
Eric Spina: There's going to be challenges. I'm sure around every, every corner. I would just ask alumni to keep us in your prayers, as an institution, we're going to every day work really hard.
Eric Spina: And abide by our values as University focus on our guiding principles, but you know we are a faith based institution or Catholic Methodist University. We take that seriously if you'll keep us as a community and your prayers will certainly appreciate that. No, no, it'll make a difference.
Ray Blakeney: Awesome. Well, once again, on behalf of all the alarms. Thank you.
Ray Blakeney: If you didn't know. Now, I think we are so fortunate to have both Jan and Eric
Ray Blakeney: As leaders of this institution, you should walk away with from this conversation. Having that most confidence that we have tremendous leadership that will guide us through
Ray Blakeney: Not only these times at any challenges that are forthcoming. So on behalf of all the alumni, Eric, Jen. Thank you so much, and to everyone go flyers.
Jennifer Howe: At the fire.
Wires
Jennifer Howe: Night.
Good night.
