Roughly once a year, I find a book that is, for lack of a more descriptive term, me. In previous years, I've bestowed that ambiguous crown upon Henry Emmons' The Chemistry of Calm and Susan Cain's Quiet. The early favorite for 2014 is Scott Stossel's My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for … Continue reading Review and Ruminations: Scott Stossel’s “My Age of Anxiety”
“Way to Go, Slugger!” and Other Unhelpful Kudos
It's a fun time of year to work on an academic calendar. The end of the spring semester, awards and recognition season, and year-end performance reviews for students and staff alike brings a swirl of activity that leaves us evaluating one another. And, to quote Ben Stiller's character from his tour de force performance in Heavyweights, "the … Continue reading “Way to Go, Slugger!” and Other Unhelpful Kudos
Honor Your “Helen”s
Last night, I got a text that shook me in a way I never expected from my friend Ian. It said simply, "'Have an excellent' lady died :(" For those who went to the University of Rhode Island, news of the death of Helen "Nonni" Plummer probably felt like losing a member of our own … Continue reading Honor Your “Helen”s
Two Sides of the Mirror
As part of my continued education, I started a University Teaching 101 course via Johns Hopkins and Coursera a few weeks ago. It's an intimidating class, but I've really enjoyed the content thus far, and look forward to the topics we'll explore in the weeks ahead. I took this class with the hopes of preparing … Continue reading Two Sides of the Mirror
Summer Project: The Virtual Reciprocity Ring
I want to first give a serious shout-out to Kelley McCarthy, who has once again managed to inspire. Nearly three years after she blew me away with her dedication to her #52in52 project, she posted this quote this morning on Facebook to close out Women's History Month: Kelley's post got me thinking about a project … Continue reading Summer Project: The Virtual Reciprocity Ring
Time to Sweat the Small Stuff
Making a confession here: I'm getting ahead of myself. Guilty. As I head into the busiest month of the spring semester, and see the end of my second academic year at Emmanuel drawing to a close, I'll admit it: I'm getting antsy. I'm getting antsy because I see the end of the year report looming as … Continue reading Time to Sweat the Small Stuff
#NASPA14 Member’s Choice: Introversion in Student Affairs
Thanks in large part to faith in me from Chris Conzen and trust in me from Eric Grospitch, I had the opportunity to facilitate one of the inaugural Members' Choice sessions at the NASPA Annual Conference in Baltimore. I got to talk about what I know- introversion in student affairs 🙂 Members' Choice sessions are … Continue reading #NASPA14 Member’s Choice: Introversion in Student Affairs
Taming Fires
Okay, so here's what happened. This morning, knowing how many nervous grads and young professionals were getting on planes, I fired off the following tweets: Placement isn't for getting a job, and you shouldn't expect to leave with one. It's for meeting people, learning, and questioning! #sasearch — Amma Marfo (@ammamarfo) March 12, 2014 Would … Continue reading Taming Fires
The Wonder of It All, Pt. II
About a month ago, I wrote a short post about wonder in our work, and how Nathan Fielder and Neil DeGrasse Tyson explored the concept of wonder professionally (in very different ways). Last night, I watched Dr. Tyson ignite the passion of television viewers as he brought Carl Sagan's Cosmos back to life. Truthfully, science never caught … Continue reading The Wonder of It All, Pt. II
A New Take on Storms
I stopped by our Facilities office while on an errand this afternoon and ran into their coordinator Katy. We stopped to chat for a bit about upcoming events, how recent events- most notably Dancing with the EC Stars- had gone, and some changes that are going on in our office. As other staff members passed … Continue reading A New Take on Storms
Amma Marfo 