Menlo Magazine Summer 2021

Page 13

Faced with unprecedented challenges Ayanna Haysbert-Wright and Cindy McGrew kept (and still keep) Menlo running smoothly. By Grande Lum, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs While the Distance Learning Committee has worked hard with faculty to implement online learning, Academic Affairs Director of Operations Cindy McGrew and Administrative Coordinator for Academic Affairs Ayanna Haysbert-Wright have played key roles in making sure the academic side of the college runs as smoothly as possible. Since March 2020, they have had to do all this remotely, whether it be scheduling classes and training, meeting semester deadlines of all sorts, coordinating the Honors Convocation, or managing whatever complications have arisen. Fixing large problems and small glitches, they have made sure the classroom experience was—and is—as excellent as possible. For example, McGrew and Haysbert-Wright have been the troubleshooters for MOLE and Zoom. If a worried student cannot find an online class session, they quickly provide the information. They have also worked with the IT team to provide support to faculty adjusting to new technological tools. Both when we first went online in March 2020 and in the beginning of the fall term 2020, Haysbert-Wright spent hours with individual faculty members—often in the evening or on weekends—to make sure they were competent and comfortable running their online classes. Likewise, I can always rely on Cindy McGrew to do whatever is needed, no matter the time or situation, especially when it comes to students. When we were unable to hold the 2020 Honors Convocation in-person, she quickly pivoted and helped manage the entire process, from improving the online nominations survey to creating a fabulous PowerPoint of all the winners to arranging a taping in full “Oscars Awards Ceremony” style. Through the pandemic, she made sure numerous students received equipment necessary for online classes, even though students were spread all over the world. Cindy McGrew and Ayanna Haysbert-Wright have supported the two new academic deans, Mouwafac Sidaoui and Melissa Michelson, in their transition for the 2020-21 academic year. While dealing with short term emergencies, the Academic Office is also strengthening the foundations of education at the College, improving general education, and strengthening current majors as well as expanding to minors and new majors. The administrative team has done critical work behind the scenes to help all these initiatives come into being. I wish to thank Cindy and Ayanna for bringing their hard work and commitment to serving Menlo students and faculty. As one faculty member has said, “They are Information Central. If you have a problem, they can fix it or find someone who will.” M E N L O C O L L E G E M A G AZI N E

10


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Articles inside

New Residence Hall

2min
pages 62-64

In Memoriam

4min
pages 60-61

Pandemic Play

0
pages 58-59

Lady Oaks

2min
pages 56-57

Athletes Shine Off-Field

2min
page 55

Charles Jordan ’70

3min
page 54

Recent Graduates

5min
pages 52-53

Ten Campus Secrets

3min
page 51

Lu -’au Online

1min
page 50

International Students

4min
page 49

Oral Communication

2min
page 48

Keeping Students Safe

1min
page 47

Cosette Fitzgerald Speaks

4min
page 45

Dean of Student Affairs Rease Miles

3min
page 46

Commencement 2021

8min
pages 38-42

Class of 2021 Valedictorian

2min
pages 43-44

Salary Negotiation Workshop

3min
page 37

Internship Search

2min
page 36

New Minor: Equity and Justice

4min
pages 32-33

The Menlo ROI

2min
page 35

Reading as Critical Thinking

5min
pages 24-25

Faculty News

8min
pages 28-31

E-Portfolios

2min
pages 22-23

Menlo Serves All

2min
pages 20-21

New Course Explores Racism

4min
pages 26-27

Executive Education

2min
page 34

Coping and Resilience

3min
pages 18-19

Distance Learning

2min
pages 14-15

Pandemic Problem Solvers

2min
page 13

Letters to the Editor

2min
pages 8-9

Welcome Back

1min
pages 4-5

The Learning Process Continues

3min
pages 6-7

The Future of Teaching

5min
pages 10-12

Individual Attention

5min
pages 16-17
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