Hello and welcome to Academia Made Easier. I am so glad you are here.
Almost exactly four years ago, I hosted a career conversation for students to learn from a very senior civil servant. After I introduced him and before he began his presentation, the then-deputy minister turned to me and said, “Loleen, do you ever wake up and pinch yourself? You are the leader of one of the country’s top policy schools, and you work with amazing people every day. How wonderful is that?”
How wonderful indeed.
I appreciated his sentiments. At the time, like everyone else, we were struggling with pandemic logistics and the associated effects on pretty much everything. I often felt exhausted, stressed, and overwhelmed. I was thick ‘in the middle’, and as I have discussed before, middles are hard. I spoke about this with students last week, and here is the high-quality graphic I used to describe the middle:
I have thought about the deputy minister’s remarks often over the last four years. Yes, that middle work was challenging, stressful, and frustrating at times. And also, how incredibly wonderful.
In academia, we focus heavily on beginnings and middles. We finish things and push past to what’s next – the next research grant, book project, or semester. We often fail to pause to reflect, appreciate, and celebrate. These are lost opportunities to grow, show gratitude, and connect.
As I end my leadership term at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, I am grateful for the experiences and the opportunities it has afforded me to learn and grow. And before I move on to my next thing, I want to take a moment to enjoy the end. And if you are also concluding or soon-to-be concluding something, I invite you to take a similar moment yourself. Hence, today’s small thing to try immediately.
One Small Thing to Try Immediately: Acknowledge and celebrate endings
People who know me well likely anticipate that this newsletter is heading towards a recommendation to eat cake. And they are right! But first, a few other things.
1. Pause and reflect on what you have accomplished and experienced. As I previously wrote, “the middle is where shit gets done. The middle is the part that really matters, because it fulfils the promise of the beginning and creates the celebrations of the end.” Now that you are at the end, reflect on both what you achieved and the work that you put in to get to this point. What shit did you get done? What shit-tonne of work did you do to get it done? What shit did you endure along the way?
I have written about the importance of reflection before, so I won’t do so here. (See “How to end the season on a high note”, and“How to feel good about what you accomplished over the summer”, and “How to end the semester on a high note (or at least a neutral one)”, and “How to start putting 2023 behind you” – good lord, I can certainly belabour a point!). But I do urge you to take time to acknowledge your journey – the highs, the lows, the WTF moments.
2. Pause and reflect on what those working with you accomplished and experienced – and show gratitude. Chances are extremely good that most or all successes you achieved have involved the contributions of others. They too did a shit-tonne of work and endured their own share of shit. Think about who these people are – team members, family, leaders, students. Thank them. Show your appreciation and acknowledge their efforts.
This can feel very awkward. Some of us in academia (Exhibit A: me) are introverts who struggle to maintain eye contact while showing heartfelt emotion. Too bad. Do it anyway.
3. Eat the fucking cake. Endings require celebrations, and celebrations require cake. It is a simple fact. Don’t fight it.
To all of the JSGS faculty, staff, executives in residence, students, alumni, donors, and stakeholders with whom I have the pleasure of working over the past five years, thank you for being part of my life journey. I am profoundly grateful.
How wonderful indeed.
Until next time…
You may be wondering what is next for me. Well, I am glad you asked! On October 1, I start a new role as the acting deputy provost at my university. It is fun to be at a beginning again. I love to learn new things and serve as broadly as I can, and this role will certainly provide those opportunities. It will be a steep learning curve, and I feel ready for the challenge.
Stay well, my colleagues.
P.S. In a completely unrelated vein, I recently wrote a piece about helping students master the skills necessary for more challenging reading. For me, reading is a source of great joy in life, and it saddens me that so many students struggle with reading stamina. If this topic interests you as well, please check it out and let me know your own strategies and thoughts.
If you would like to show your appreciation for Academia Made Easier, please order a copy of my most recent book, For the Public Good: Reimagining Arts Graduate Programs in Canadian Universities, visit my buy me a coffee page, or share this post with a friend. Thanks – I appreciate your readership!