Last week, the President of the Union and I spent some quality time preparing our office for the leaders you will elect tomorrow. I had an opportunity to look back on this year—to the successes, the progress, and the bumps in the road. There are so many people to thank for making this happen.
First, thank you to last year’s voters. The privilege to serve you this year has been deeply fulfilling. Similarly, thank you to former Grand Marshal Chris Mather and my student government mentors over the past three years for your trust and support. I am pleased that we have lived up to your expectations.
A huge thank you to the PU and my awesome vice-chair, Max Yates. None of this would have been possible without your constant support and encouragement.
Thank you to the dedicated and tireless committee chairs and project leaders this year: Khaoula Benghanem, Matthew Ezovski, Mike Goldenberg, Gavin Gyle, Peter Naccarato, Cody Powers, and Jeanine Thompson. Your ability to manage yourselves, lead your senators, and stay focused are what made this possible. They join me in thanking Lisa Trahan, dean of the First Year Experience, for serving as the leadership mentor to this year’s Senate chairs.
In fact, the entire Senate deserves deep appreciation for its work this year. We had no slackers. Everyone took their work seriously, and showed amazing flexibility and tenacity as we made significant changes to how we operated over the term. I hope many of you will choose to return next year.
I have had the incredible fortune to benefit from the support of some awesome friends this year. Every GM will tell you there are times when the job is overwhelming, and without them I could not have stayed focused. I would have become that bitter old man barking at the Senate. Thank you Paul, Matt, Jen, the GM Week Committee (especially Arielle and Matt), Amy, Anton, and everyone who has been there when I really needed it. This year was dedicated to you.
And, of course, I would be remiss to forget the constant support of God and my odd, quirky family for never letting me give up, not during the campaign, and not when at the helm. Similarly, many thanks to my professors and my editor on The Polytechnic, Lindsey Bachman, for showing remarkable flexibility this year, allowing me to balance so much for so long.
We have some incredible professional staff at this university. I want to mention just a few of the most influential in supporting our efforts. First, someone who has become a good friend and colleague to me, our president, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. Above all else, she takes the role of student government very seriously, and always treats our interactions with respect and diligence. She is supported by an incredible staff. Suzanne and I had the privilege to work closely with Melissa Hogan, Pat DeCoster, and Diane Bamrick. Thank you all for keeping us in the loop.
The administrative cabinet has been remarkably open and responsive this year. In particular, I want to thank the cabinet members with whom we worked most closely, particularly Vice President for Student Life Eddie Knowles, Provost Bud Peterson, Vice President for Dean for Hartford Alan Eckbreth, Vice President for Institute Advancement David Haviland, and Vice President for Administration Claude Rounds, and their assistants, especially Barb Dean. Thank you for making the Senate’s work easier and more productive.
We have also had the privilege of working closely with Chairman Sam Heffner and the Board of Trustees, through their dedicated on-campus aide, Rose Sullivan. Thank you for making yourselves available and involved with the campus.
I am sure Suzanne will join me in thanking Rick Hartt, director of the Union, and his staff. They have truly served as “point guards” this year, keeping us on track.
Finally, I want to thank the Faculty Senate and their leader, Professor Geisler, for working openly with us to gather input and feedback on the grade modifiers proposal, even while we disagreed on the issue.
Again, thank you to the countless others who have enabled us to accomplish so much this year. Good luck to the new roster of student government officials who take office Friday night. Seek out and accept the support of the entire campus community, and work together to make this a better place for countless future generations of RPI students.
