On Thursday I attended a workshop hosted by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education entitled Advancement for Academics. This was a wonderful day-long forum highlighting the benefits of advancement staff working alongside faculty to leverage understanding about the impact a potential gift can make to the realization of a schoolâs dream or vision.
During a session on alumnae engagement, Jeff Todd, Executive Director, Alumni UBC and Associate Vice President, Alumni, spoke about the importance of nourishing pride and I immediately thought of St. Clementâs and our Schoolâs strong sense of spirit and pride.
When I returned to School on Friday and spoke at our Open House, I finished up by showing our new Strategic Vision Video. The video was showcased at our Strategic Plan launch three weeks ago, and despite watching many times, I still get goosebumps each time I see it. While I feel a tremendous sense of pride both in our School and in our vision for the future, what warms my heart even more is the pride articulated by all other members of our community. Near the end of the day, a staff member relayed a comment from one of our Grade 12s who said, âThe best part about the video is that it really is âusâ.â And from alumnae posts after seeing our video, âProud and grateful for my experiences there,â and âI love university and where I am in life, but every once in a while, I catch myself wishing that I could go back to SCSâŠ.for twelve years they taught me how to be a good persons and to question everything!â
I smiled at the end of the day on Friday as I considered this wonderful video that captures us authentically and anticipates our bright future. I smiled at the way it has nourished pride.
