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Director's Corner - 24 MONTHS LATER !

Hello O-PALs,
It is with great joy that I write what I hope is the first of many "Director's Corner" memos to you all. Each memo will highlight small and big wins in OPAL as well as share moments of reflection of the work we do for the Dartmouth community. As is my style, you might laugh and/or you might cry but you will always learn.
 

This memo focuses on a few things, a celebration of reaching a 2 year milestone at Dartmouth and the many new and evolving opportunities that OPAL has experienced to grow our work for our students. 


So, let's go!..

It all happened really fast and yet, I would not change a thing. I started just two weeks after accepting the job offer and moved here during -20 degree weather. It was NOT a warm welcome. I met the team many of you know and love: Meghan Paulette, Jazmine Gittens-Roberts, Zantasia Johnson, Angelique Bouthot, and Amanda Wong. And for the next 24 months, they helped me transform OPAL into what you are experiencing today.
The deck was stacked against OPAL from day one of my arrival. We were extremely short staffed (we should be a staff of 12) in the middle of winter term and Black Legacy Month programming. As I reflect on that time, I am still always amazed by how much heart and energy this team of primarily program coordinators, gave to the student community and to each other even though at the time all but one assistant dean role (now renamed to assistant director) had been vacant. They were always eager to help one another, while also making time to listen to students in their time of need, provide leadership training, and show up for student events, often outside of their regular work hours.  

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First ever Xpressions of Dartmouth event, shirts, bucket hats, and fun!

Watching these brilliant individuals do the work of educating community, providing support emotional and sometimes physical support, planning and executing programming all while essentially onboarding me as their new Director was quite incredible and I will forever be grateful.
As I mentioned earlier in the memo, OPAL had the privilege to undergo an external review. An external review is when an outside consultant(s) meets with various stakeholders to understand the operations and performance of an office and provide an independent perspective on its strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, often with the goal of assessing efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with relevant standards or best practice.

 

 

Upon my arrival to OPAL, I received a copy of the external review and the recommended changes and adjustments that could be made to make OPAL more effective and efficient. And thus, while honoring the past, the journey who OPAL is today began. I created a 3-year strategic plan or phases for OPAL with the support of the current team and framed them in the following categories: structure, programming, and student services/leadership.
Below is a bulleted outline of Phase 1, year 1 which was successfully completed.

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Alumni Relations and OPAL collab on the 3rd floor of Collis during Alumni Council Weekend

PHASE 1, 2023-2024 focused on developing structural, programmatic, and leadership based shifts and changes. We analyzed an external review and completed a staffing restructure growing and elevating roles and positions. We planned to grow our cross campus collabs and even grew collaboration within our advising areas. OPAL Education began its revamp process introducing leadership workshops and offerings connected to PPSJ. 

PHASE 2, 2024-2025 consisted of hiring and filling our vacant staff positions and creating our official definition of social justice, all of our advising areas are now fully staffed and supported with hopes to grow our programming within OPAL Education to include service and civic engagement opportunities while growing mental health and wellness partnerships

 

If you made it this far, YAY!! The OPAL team has done A LOT in a very short amount of time, and I could not be prouder. All these accomplished happened while participating in sometimes weekly candidate interviews, committee responsibilities, managing large scale campus events, attending sporting events, and being a human who lives in Hanover, NH with a personal life of their own and so much more.

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OPAL Full Staffed in All Advising Areas, Team of 12

 
The team before was built from a labor of love with thought, time, and energy that has been unmatched from any previous professional experience I have ever had. I would not have been able to recruit Connor, Lucrecia, Connor, Ashley, Arrow or Dr. Fo without the help of Meg. And I remain in awe of my returners, Jaz, Zan, Amanda, and Ange (who have all been promoted) and their commitment to ensure that OPAL stands on its mission to foster a Dartmouth where all students can thrive, value difference, and contribute to the creation of a socially just world.
 
Phase 3, year 3 is loading….watch us work!