The Quiet Before The Storm

As I sit in the beautiful Commerce Career Services suite in Rouss & Robertson halls in the early morning hours of this Friday, I am taking in how very, very quiet it is. With classes NOT in session, there is very little student activity except for those taking their last class of the J term today.

A lot has happened since the winter break began. I heard on our local TV station this morning that the snow that we received December 19 and 20 (2 feet in most places) still remains on the ground and this amount of time has broken a local record. It has been 28 days since that storm. That simply just does not happen in the Charlottesville area.

We have a new UVA President-Elect, Dr. Teresa Sullivan, who came on grounds this week! I had the sincere pleasure of being in the dome room of the Rotunda when this announcement was made. The following day, Dr. Sullivan met with the faculty senate, deans, sat in a classroom lecture, had lunch with the president's staff, met with Mr. Sandridge's Executive Communication Council (in which I am a member) and she ended her day in an engineering research lab. We are entering into some very challenging, but exciting times in the history of the University. And Dr. Sullivan is already embracing the tasks at hand.

On a more serious note, the news of Haiti's earthquake disaster affects us all and we have learned about a Batten School student who's life has perished. The stories of human tragedy and triumph will continue and this story keeps unfolding.

This is the time of year where 4th years are embarking on their last semester as an undergrad student. The reality of no longer being a student starts to set in and a life as a professional is in the horizon and, yes, you will soon have to get up with the rest of the working world and sleeping until whenever in the morning will soon be a distant memory. We will soon start the process of launching our Destination Database to the Class of 2010 where they will be able to input where they are in the job search process.

If you do not have a job or internship lined up, please be encouraged that CCS remains at your service and will gladly work with you as you explore options. It is not unusual to have placement just yet. We work hard to keep the opportunities coming your way.

Yes, it is a quiet morning here in CCS, but on Tuesday, January 19, we will no doubt see the effects of students back on grounds and in the Rouss & Robertson halls once again. And believe it or not, it will be music to my ears...

Peggy