Dear College of Science Faculty and Staff,
My favorite piece of philosophy is the short essay by Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus. Camus looks into the bleakest situations and comes out with a positive view. Sisyphus was condemned to roll a boulder uphill forever, a dismal existence, but Camus understands that the effort Sisyphus makes is the point of his life. At the end he concludes: ‘The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’ I have a printed stack of this essay ready to give to anyone whose confidence is down, who is in need of encouragement. It’s encouraging to understand that your effort to achieve is enough (and usually gets you somewhere).
At last weekend’s wonderful Fenway Park Commencement, achievement and encouragement were in abundance. Our graduates were celebrated, and the planning was impeccable. In her excellent address, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control described a plaque she keeps on her desk saying ‘HARD THINGS ARE HARD’. And she told our students that if they did not feel nervous about starting a new position, they were not aiming big enough.
Essentially every speaker said ‘Congratulations! You’ve done it!’. That got me thinking that you have done it also. You’ve each completed the academic year and made top quality contributions. I am therefore honored and delighted to present to every COS member, one or more College of Science ‘Congratulations! You’ve done it!’ Awards, as you feel appropriate.
Congratulations! These awards come with heartfelt gratitude and deepest respect.
Presenting the College of Science ‘Congratulations! You’ve done it!’ Award categories:
- Helped a student graduate!
- Made it through this COVID year+
- Got vaccinated
- Encouraged someone else to get vaccinated
- Looked after your mental health
- Survived online/hybrid k-12 school
- Learned CANVAS
- Got a good TRACE score
- Joined the College of Science
- Collaborated
- Achieved a Goal
- Promoted equity and respect
- Served on/Chaired a committee
- Discovered something
- Applied for/Received a Grant
- Was featured in News@Northeastern
- Received a CONNECTS Award!
- Received another Award
- Planned your summer vacation!
- ________build your own________
In the College of Science and at Northeastern University we are ambitious and bold. We have the opportunity to build ever greater excellence, working together with brilliance, respect, kindness and creativity. What we do is hard, but the confidence from knowing how much we achieved, even this difficult year, encourages us to embrace the struggle forward to the heights.
To our Muslim College members, at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Eid Mubarak.
Best regards,
Hazel Sive PhD
Dean, College of Science
Northeastern University