Learning to Work at CTX from Home

[Written by Dr. Don Christian, President & CEO]

One of Concordia’s values is that we care for people, and while that may look different today than it did a month ago, it is still at the heart of what makes Concordia University Texas a special place to learn, live and work. Read how one of our employees is managing life at home and work in a unique setting.

[Written by KC Pospisil, VP of Academic Operations]

Memes regarding our new-found situation of working, while social distancing and quarantining, have flooded social media. Many of them are hilarious because they are so relatable. I’ve always known working from home was not the best option for me. It works for the occasional project, but I know I can't give my full attention to work when I'm at home.

Yet, working from home over the last couple of weeks, I have started to notice things are more alike than different.

1) At work, there is always that one coworker who talks way too loud on the phone. These two fit that bill. They make a noisy appearance at every meeting. Google a peacock call — it's crazy!

2) How about those coworkers? All you ever see them doing is walking around talking with each other. These three gossip ALL DAY LONG.

3) And finally, how about those coworkers who always seem to pop up when you are right in the middle of something? I AM BUSY!

But then, other similarities continue to pop up when I least expect them or greatly need them.

4) I've been invited into coworkers' homes via our virtual meetings, seeing their families and pets, and sharing mine. Yesterday, in a meeting with the Student Success Center team, someone burst out laughing because my four-year-old was making faces behind me, and I didn’t even notice. At another meeting with some professors, my son ran up to offer a baby chick to anyone who would like one, and the professors took the time to learn what is needed to take care of the chick at home.

5) I've received text messages from coworkers in the middle of a meeting because they are so impressed and excited about what the faculty are accomplishing online.

6) I've also had a Zoom party waiting for me after a big accomplishment, complete with homemade signs.

At the end of the day, my favorite part about working at CTX is the community. We take our core value of caring for people seriously. I certainly feel cared for during this time.

After figuring out how to share the internet and the front porch, resuming some resemblance of a routine, and reading the news reports around me, my situation looks pretty blessed. My next thought is to make sure that everyone else around me feels cared for as well.

Over the next four weeks, until the conclusion of the semester, I ask each of you to make someone else feel cared for. CTX faculty and staff, I ask that you especially reach out to our students; call them and text them to share words of encouragement. We can all make someone feel like they are part of a community — whether the CTX community or your own. In a time when we are encouraged to detach from the company of people, we can ensure that we all still feel that we belong.