Dear Infrastructure and Sustainability team,
I hope this first week of March finds you well. It is incredible to think that we are nearly halfway through the spring semester already. At the same time, I know many of us are already looking forward and planning for how we support our university in augmenting the on-campus experience in the summer and the fall.
As we prepare for what is sure to be another busy few months, one priority I want to make sure remains for our organization is that we continue educating ourselves and having productive dialogues around diversity, equity and inclusion. So I am excited that Professor Donna Mejia has agreed to facilitate four more virtual sessions over the coming months. Turnout and feedback related to the three sessions with Professor Mejia in the fall was overwhelmingly positive, and we have a fresh set of topics lined up that I know will be engaging.
The first session, Negotiating Gender Constructs, is Thursday, March 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. The schedule for all four sessions is below, and full descriptions of each topic, along with links for joining, are on our Infrastructure and Sustainability website.
March 11, 1-3 p.m.: Negotiating Gender Constructs
April 8, 1-3 p.m.: Difficult/Painful Conversations
May 20, 1-3 p.m.: Personality/Cultural Differences
June 17, 1-3 p.m.: Networks of Care/Celebration of Us
I strongly encourage everyone to mark these dates on your calendars and make time if you can to join us, no matter where you are in your personal journey on these topics. Donna鈥檚 style is always welcoming and engaging.
As we look ahead to the second half of the spring semester, one other item of note that I want to highlight is the work of Planner Amy Kirtland and our Campus Master Plan team. I know many of you have been involved in discussions or presentations with that team, and I encourage anyone with questions or ideas to reach out to Amy and the team at mplan@colorado.edu. The Campus Master Plan is a major planning effort we conduct every 10 years, and will shape much of our own work in the coming years.
Finally, I cannot say enough how grateful I am to all of you for everything you have done to support our campus mission over the past year since this pandemic began. One of the latest examples came in mid-February as bitter cold temperatures caused frozen pipes to break in several of our buildings. I received letters of thanks from colleagues across campus for the selflessness and dedication members of our Facilities Operations and Services team displayed in responding quickly and effectively to each emergency call to minimize damage to buildings and impacts to research. The response also ensured that we were able to keep classrooms in service during the first week of in-person classes this semester for our students who were excited to get back on campus, even in a polar vortex.
You continue to prove, time and again, how invaluable you are to our campus community, and I am so proud to be a part of this resilient and cohesive team!
With gratitude,
David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability
