I can honestly say that I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of the WMU OIT ‘essential’ team. Throughout this whole ordeal, I haven’t once heard anyone say “That’s not my job.” We have pulled together and supported each other, faculty, staff, and most importantly, the students to best of our ability, doing whatever needs to be done.
I feel like I operate well under pressure but being fairly new to the department and my own worst critic, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be a huge asset in this crisis. They say that ‘Iron sharpens iron’. This statement has proven to be true. It didn’t matter if my colleagues had thirty years in or thirty days, the team spirit, willingness to assist, random words of encouragement to each other, and open communication eased the stress of the situation and reassured me that we were all in this together.
I can’t say enough about the leadership in this department. Watching how they roll up their sleeves and get in the thick of it with you incentivizes me to go above and beyond. While it’s great to be deemed ‘essential’ and able to be of assistance to the WMU community in dire times. It’s also great to work in an environment where we are respected an appreciated.