Pandemic Problem Solvers

By Grande Lum, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Faced with unprecedented challenges Ayanna Haysbert-Wright and Cindy McGrew kept (and still keep) Menlo running smoothly.

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.”