It’s time for that post again. Programs. . .check. Nametags. . .check. Twittercamp. . .check. Replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise. . .but of course!!
Faculty Academy 2008 takes off at 8:30 tomorrow morning, and everything seems to be in order. Last year at this time I was plagued with a splitting headache. This year’s it’s a chronic cough, moderate to severe laryngitis, and, oh, did I mention that someone keeps kicking me in the stomach? 🙂
It’s going to be a great conference.
As I stumble off to bed, a round of thanks to everyone who pitched in this year.
To Jerry for wearing the Logistics King crown so well, for talking me out of the crazy dilemmas I invent for myself, for pushing back sometimes but always pushing us forward.
To Andy for fighting the new media wars like a pro, even in the wake of a wet, muddy, sloppy Saturday graduation ceremony.
To Jim for his brand of fired-up, charged-up, go-get-em digital preaching. Folks, I heard the rehersal of his morning presentation and it’s going to be a classic.
To Patrick for, oh, in his spare time, working up a little custom FA Firefox sidebar. Wow. And that was after the Exhibit program and the blog Fishtank (link forthcoming, I promise).
To Lisa for helping us once again make the most of this new conference venue, and jumping back into the thick of things after a whirlwind week of conferences and travel.
To Michael for jumping into this crazy world of DTLT with an amazing sense of humor and patience. Just wait until next year! 😎
To Serena for her war wounds; to Shannon for her dedication even after long drive back from NJ; to Joe for worrying about how he could best help from his flooded Stafford neighborhood. Don’t we have the best student aides?
To Yvonne for patiently supporting us for the last few days — and she even acts like she enjoys it!
To Mary and Charity and Nancy for their amazing busines and administrative support.
To Chip for always figuring out a way to clear the way. Nuff said.
To Gardner for, once again, assisting us in putting together such an exciting program. How could we possibly do Faculty Academy without him?
Putting on Faculty Academy always seems like so much work; it is so tiring. But it is always, always, always worth it.
Good night. See you on the other side.
We do a similar event at Kansas State in January before the spring semester begins. I always look forward to this conference.
I’m also getting excited about The Wakonse Conference on College Teaching beginning in Michigan here in a week or so. It is an amazing week long retreat at a rustic summer camp complete with cabins and dining hall, full of college faculty from around the country interested in teaching and learning. It’s my second trip to Wakonse. I’m really looking forward to the renewal of spirit. Indoor conferences are nice, but there’s something special about being outdoors in nature at a teaching conference!
Let’s go get us some converts 🙂
Dear dear Martha,
Extraordinary Faculty Academy. Hearing you speak, even with the Lauren Bacall emulator device (where did you get that? what a cool gadget :)), was thrilling. The words you said were so very thoughtful and impassioned … and they framed and fed the event so very beautifully. Thank you for everything you do to keep this dream alive and growing. Magnificent!
Every time I see the title of this post, I think you mean you’re counting down to having the baby, although by now, you’re probably doing that too.