Academic summers

I’m slowly returning to the office after parental leave (yay, and more on that later!). A couple of days ago, a colleague found me in my office to catch up. They beamed in their excitement for summer. They proceeded to share a long list of goals from the semester—summer would allow them time to accomplish them all. The story felt all too familiar.

Previously, I’ve written about the promise and disappointment of academic breaks. I also feel the temptation with my own long list of goals only to be disappointed when the next semester arrives.

Last summer, I wrote about stepping back and being more realistic with my summer. I also reflected on my progress that summer and shared the joy I found in adventure working.

In the months to come, I’ll write about academic breaks, returning to work after an extended leave, and wrestling with a new identity as both a father and soon-to-be tenured academic.

The goal of this blog is to create a space for academics to engage with solution-minded ideas, with a sprinkle of optimism that we can build better institutions. If that excites you, please get in touch. Higher Ed, Higher Hopes will be changing formats later this year and I’ll need your help.