Within Culverhouse College of Business, our professors are here for you. Despite spatial distance, there are many ways to connect with our faculty and staff. Read some of their tips for finishing this semester strong academically, socially, and professionally.
Dr. Robert Brooks
Dr. Robert Brooks
“As you make your way thorough this pandemic, please consider journaling. The shortest pencil is better than the longest memory or the dullest ink last longer than the sharpest memory.”
“Never forget that those things that have never happened in history, do happen. Business leaders understand historical data often fools, it does not rule. Therefore, though often mocked during stable epochs, they are better prepared for stormy epochs.”
Quoc Hoang
Quoc Hoang
“Each day seems to bring new questions and potential scenarios that are generally worse than where we are today. Sharing what I’m doing to manage and cope during this time:
Start and end your day on your terms The current news cycle, while important to be informed, is really heavy. When I wake up, I don’t grab my phone to see if I missed anything. Instead I get ready for my day, eat breakfast and start on what I’ve prioritized for that day. I’m ending my day by putting my kid to bed, preparing a snack and watching a show with my wife. How do you want to start/end your day? Speak to a friend/loved one, pray, gratitude journal, other. Whatever it is, do it on your terms.
Get dressed in the morning Having work/home be the same place is particularly tough for me as I don’t like to work at home. I roll from bed to meals to work to kid-time throughout the day. I’ve found that getting up and getting ready/dressed like I’m leaving the house has helped my mindset. I change into work clothes (okay, fine, it’s mainly my top since that’s on the Zoom) and, at the end of the day, I change into home clothes. Even if you’re always wearing an XL t-shirt or collared polo, consider changing into a different one at the start and end of the day to shift your mind to/from work.
Reach out and connect You won’t see people and connect with them the way you have during your time at UA – that’s 4 years for some of you! You might be hesitant during this time to reach out since everything feels different and overwhelming.
“I think it’s important right now to be vulnerable together by sharing and connecting; no one has the answers but maybe we can figure them out together.”
Dr. Rich Houston
Dr. Rich Houston
“Everything is, among other things, so sad and scary right now. Sad in terms of how it has affected many things, of course, but I’ll narrow it down to just school. It’s sad that live classes have stopped so abruptly, it’s sad that the relationships we have been building have been interrupted, it’s sad that those of you graduating will not be in a classroom again and will not experience graduation, and it’s sad that we cannot experience just sitting together and talking to each other. Scary because of the uncertainty about the many impacts of the coronavirus, scary because we’re all wondering how we will cope with changing to an online learning environment, and scary because it creates all sorts of questions about when we will return to normalcy.Enough about sad and scary. Here are some positive thoughts…
“Think of all the things you miss most and make sure you double down on making them happen now and when you return. Think of all the people you want to talk to more or never talked to, and make that happen. If you want to talk to anyone (including me!), make it happen. There’s the phone and technology like Zoom. Let’s not act as if there are walls around us, figuratively speaking. I, for one, have been enjoying creating online materials for AC311, Intermediate Accounting II.”
“I’ve been meaning to for a while and what I’ve done so far makes me greatly respect those who have mastered delivering classes online. I think this may positively impact how many of us teach going forward, which means a better experience for you.”
“I’ll leave you with this. Think of how learning new ways to communicate can help you in your group projects and work settings in the future.”
Dr. Stacey Robinson
Dr. Stacey Robinson
“You’ll feel better if you focus on what you can control.
As you get in the groove of online classes and the stress of moving/adjusting is in your rearview mirror, you may find yourself with extra time (think silver lining). No doubt what’s happening in the world is going to change the job market in the coming months – now is a good time to take stock of your resume and think strategically – what can you do to be the best you (both on the job market and in a new job)?”
Professor Susan Fant
Susan Fant
“We’ll use our growth mindsets and adapt to change.”
“This is a good opportunity to continue to develop your own emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is part of growth mindset and this is part of emotional intelligence. Emotional Intelligence (or EQ) is an idea developed by Daniel Goleman. The idea is that we can harness our emotions and our understanding of our own emotions and other people’s emotions to be better leaders. There are several ways to do this. One way to develop EQ that I like the most is by using the app Headspace (by the way, there is a student discount for headspace).”
Professor Jennifer Nunnelley
“If you don’t already, use a planner or an online calendar to keep up with due dates for assignments.
Jennifer Nunnelley
Create a meaningful to-do list each day and mark things off of it as those tasks are completed!
Read all of your emails entirely! I know students are getting more emails than they are used to, but it is IMPERATIVE they read and understand the entire message.
“If students don’t understand a concept, reach out to the faculty member! We want to help during these times. We are still available and want students to succeed!”
Don’t wait until the last minute to do an assignment. If an assignment is due at midnight, and a student sends an email at 11pm, I will not be responding because I am asleep.
Keep talking to your professors! We want to hear from you. Ask your professors to set up a Zoom call, or schedule office hours, or send an email of goodwill. I miss talking to my students!”
