Welcome to December. This is a time when we begin planning celebrations and vacations, dreaming about seeing old friends and family and enjoying some time off.

It’s a little cooler each morning and a bit darker each evening. It’s also a time when we are faced with completing year-end tasks, finishing classes and preparing for exams. It often increases the intensity of our focus and lengthens the waking hours in our days.

Walking through the hallways next week, every emotion will be on full display as our students and faculty exit lecture halls following year-end examinations, but the sighs of relief make me smile the most. There are just a few short weeks left in the semester and all of us have learned new things, overcome new challenges and sometimes faced the reality of not fulfilling all of our expectations. I’m encouraged by the sighs of relief because it’s a breath of success, acknowledging that we’ve all “had what it takes” to complete what we’ve begun. 

What’s also encouraging is the collegiality on display before we all release those sighs of relief. I’ve seen upperclassmen passing along tips and knowledge to their junior classmates in labs and clinics; faculty staying late or partnering with students to host Jeopardy-themed study groups; and staff going the extra mile to ensure the school functions as it should in these final, sometimes stressful, days.

As we enter the weekend, take another breath, reach out to your friends and colleagues and prepare to take on the challenges of these remaining weeks. I can’t wait to see the smiles and hear the sighs of relief as we all head out for a much-deserved holiday break.