DIFFICULTIES MASTERED THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK SHATTERED OUR SENSE OF NORMAL. BUT IN WORKING THROUGH THE CRISIS, WE BUILT STRENGTHS THAT WILL CARRY THE COMMUNITY FORWARD.
Yet nothing could have prepared us for the events that unfolded in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the United States. Within the span of a few weeks, Tri-C went from business as usual to a complete shutdown of all in-person classes. Instruction moved online and students, faculty and staff worked from home to help halt the spread of the coronavirus. Since that time, the community has begun to re-emerge. But it’s still difficult to know when life in general — let alone the business of running our college — will fully return to normal. But I believe it will. I believe we will build a better “new normal” and emerge from this crisis stronger, smarter and more compassionate than ever before. The challenge to get there, though, brings to mind a quote from Winston Churchill: “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”
That simple yet powerful phrase captures our shared coronavirus experience. The past few months have been difficult and even overwhelming at times, but the results show what we all know to be true — that overcoming challenges is what we do best. At Tri-C, the response to the coronavirus forced us to quickly make changes and establish processes to serve our students in different ways as they continued working toward degrees and certificates. These innovations — and the speed with which we implemented them — set new standards of service and excellence in our academic and workforce programs. Difficulties were mastered. Opportunities were won.
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Cuyahoga Community College prides itself on being forwardthinking and prepared. As an institution integral to thousands of lives and livelihoods within our community, we spend countless hours scenario planning and asking, “What if?”
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Alex Johnson
