One of the most frequent comments I hear about Vista when I’m in the community or talking with students is about the beauty of the campus. The trees, rocks, flowers, and the lake all make for an idyllic setting where our students and colleagues can work and learn. I couldn’t agree more that this IS a beautiful place. But what makes Vista especially wonderful has nothing to do with trees and water – it’s each and every one of you. We are blessed beyond measure to have such a talented, hardworking, and dedicated group of colleagues serving our students as they pursue their educational goals.
As usual, so much is happening in our small community. I’m excited to share several important updates:
-
The Veteran’s Center is scheduled to open sometime in the early spring semester. This facility is carefully designed to provide a place where our veteran students and their families can receive services, study, rest, and focus as they prepare for what’s next in their lives. On Veteran’s Day, we invited several student veterans and the local media to take a sneak peek, hard hat tour. Check out what our students had to say about the building. (See the news story).
-
We continue to seek improvements on campus to the services that were formerly provided in Cypress Campus Center. We invite you to visit the temporary bookstore and the new Wildcat Den Café, both in Huisache Hall. The bookstore even has Vista merchandise! We continue to pursue creative ideas for food service and are working aggressively with the construction team to get the Cypress renovation underway. I’ll update you more in January on the timeline.
-
Did you know that our students have a podcasting club and an AMAZING production called Wildcast? Check it out and learn what students are saying about their experiences here. I was a recent guest – you can find my conversation with students Andrea and Dale on Spotify – it’s episode 8.
You may recall our celebration earlier this semester that we reached a new enrollment milestone just shy of 19,000 students. It’s now time to make sure that each of those students is prepared for the spring semester. Almost 900 students are on track to complete their credential this fall! The remaining students need to hear from you that we want them back, that they belong here, and that we want to support them in becoming NVC Alumni!
What we hear from students is that your voice matters to them. They appreciate you asking them about their plans, encouraging them to register, and supporting their learning.
I remain so grateful for the opportunity to work with each of you and in service of our students. I hope you’ll feel free to respond, ask me questions, stop by the office and say hi, and engage in the important conversations happening on campus. We can’t do this work without you.
Save the Date: Thursday, Jan. 11 from 8:30 am to 1o am for Spring Convocation to go over the new Strategic Plan in the Palmetto Theater.