Another deadline will always be around the corner, but Janet Coon, associate director of government and external affairs, wanted to pause after meeting an important one. Her idea was to thank the team working with her on Criterion 1 of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Assurance Agreement—the accreditation document occupying the attention of employees across the University.
Different teams are taking responsibility for each of the five criteria. It’s a massive undertaking that will culminate in an HLC site visit next fall.
This former teacher knows how to encourage a team! Coon invited her small group to join Samantha Bliss, strategic initiatives manager, and her for coffee, donut holes and a few minutes to chat and open the goody bags that Coon had filled with a bag of microwave popcorn (to substitute for the pop of a Champagne cork), a hand-clapper, a shiny gold medal and a personal thank-you note.