Here are the rules of my tradition:

1.     Have a running list of people you need to thank. This is easy to accomplish through the “tasks” function of Outlook, GCal, or probably any other online calendar you’re using. If it helps, move these tasks onto the next Thursday on your calendar. But you may be asking yourself, who do I need to thank? Well, just ask yourself these questions:

·         Who has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and show me the ropes if I’m in a new job?

·         Who have I had to make a last-minute request of?

·         Who have I asked the impossible of?

·         Who have I learned an important lesson from?

·         Who do I see working really hard and may not be getting enough appreciation for it?

·         Who helps me do my job better?

2.     Do it first thing in the morning. Of course, you could sit down and write out thank you notes any time of day, but in the morning, there tend to be fewer distractions in my work environment. And this way, you know you won’t get to the end of the day and have to tell yourself, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” I believe in the power of doing the important tasks first and thanking people who need to be thanked is an important task.

3.     Be sincere. You don’t need to use overly flowery language or ask anyone if they ever knew that they were your hero, and, in fact, the wind beneath your wings. However, you should let people know the positive influence they’ve had on your life and your work. Don’t you like to know when you’ve made a difference?

4.     Be the one. I read somewhere that for every one piece of feedback that you get, there are 500 other people who feel the same way but said nothing. For instance, lots of people read blogs (like this one!), but most do not leave any comments. (I must confess; I am guilty of this myself.) However, that one person who does leave a comment is speaking for countless others who feel the same way, but don’t speak up. By sending someone a thank you note, you are that one person who is representing so many other people who appreciate someone, but are silent. Be the one.

As I scanned the status updates of Facebook friends on Inauguration
Day, I noticed a word appearing over and over again: history.

Yes, today was an historic day as our nation's first African American president
took office.

But what does it mean to those of us working student affairs?

Truth be told, it probably means something different to each and every one of
us, personally. All politics aside, there were probably moments of overwhelm
for many of us, just trying to grasp the meaning of this day for our country
and our world. For me, there were moments that I got choked up, trying to take
it all in.

But the moment that hit me the hardest was watching
President Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, entering the ceremony. And,
quite frankly, it surprised me, at first. Surely there were more important
moments of the day, right?

The more I thought about it, though, the more I thought it was appropriate that
this moment had the greatest meaning to me, as a student affairs professional. Malia and Sasha are our future college
students, and they are growing up in a world that is changing.

They are growing
up in a world where having a person of color in the highest office in the land
is no longer a distant dream, it is very much a reality. They are growing up in
a world where racial barriers certainly still exist, but are being shattered,
one by one. They are growing up in a world where they can hold up a digital camera
and videotape their father being sworn in as president.

In less than a decade, these will be our college students. But the historic
nature of their father's inauguration affects our universities now.

Some are
quick to say that Obama's presidency means we're living in a post-racial America, but this seems short-sighted. To me, it signals an era in which it is crucial to
celebrate the rich diversity that race and every kind of identity brings to our
nation. In turn, this signals an era in which institutions of higher education
must pay closer and closer attention to issues of diversity and ensure that
they put the resources and people in place to address these issues in positive
ways.

And, finally, it signals an era when students of all backgrounds can be inspired
to look at their dreams, no matter how lofty, and say to themselves, "Yes,
we can."