Friday, April 10, 2020
UNT World Faculty & Staff:
Of all the many challenges we’re facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the one constant
has been change. We’ve been forced to live differently, work differently, meet differently
and socialize differently. In our lifetime, the world has never looked like this.
Higher education has never looked like this.
What we’re going through can be frustrating and scary, but it also presents us with
an opportunity. It would be naïve to think that everything will magically return to
“how it was” when we finally defeat COVID-19. The future is going to be very different
and the sooner we accept and embrace that, the better we can plan for it.
During our COVID-19 Town Hall a few weeks ago, President Smatresk marveled at the
tireless efforts of his team to convert nearly 8,000 classes to alternative delivery
and spoke about disruption in a positive light, saying: “I believe that this disruption
signals a true change in the American higher education front. Given the severity of
the circumstances we have, that’s the silver lining that we’re looking for.”
Indeed, this disruption presents us all with an opportunity to do things differently,
to be more nimble and responsive, to find new and innovative ways to conduct research
and serve students. We can all find opportunities to become better, both today and
after the pandemic is behind us. We are entering a new era for higher education and
can emerge as leaders by embracing change and using it as a catalyst for ideas that
will shape the future.
Last week our Human Resources team launched “In the Green: UNT World Well-Being” – an exciting, system-wide well-being initiative that was created to help faculty
and staff from UNT, UNT Health Science Center, UNT Dallas and UNT System Administration
live their best lives. Whether navigating day-to-day challenges in “normal” times,
or working through the ever-changing circumstances that the COVID-19 pandemic has
produced, we believe the health and wellness of our employees is critical to their
success – both personally and professionally.
During this unique time we will ramp up our efforts to provide virtual workshops to
support employees – particularly in interpersonal well-being – through In the Green. Additionally, the program offers health-related benefits, learning opportunities and
even discount and rewards programs. Please take a moment to visit the program’s dedicated
web site at wellbeing.untsystem.edu and review the many resources and opportunities to address your physical, financial
and interpersonal well-being.
Thank you for your continued support of efforts to navigate the many challenges during this unique time – remember that with change, comes opportunity.
Be safe,
Lesa B. Roe
Chancellor