TO: Employee-News
FROM: Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
DATE: March 20, 2018
SUBJECT: Sky Lodge Planning and Partners
ATTACHMENTS: None
Unity Colleagues,
The response to our news about Sky Lodge has been both positive and generous, both internally and externally. Thank you all for sharing our good news with your networks.
As we discussed at the January professional development sessions and again at the community meeting a few weeks ago, we have a plan in place and are on pace for a seamless transition. Along with transitioning HR, facilities, IT, and other operational components, we are also working with the appropriate functions and chief officers on community relations, orientation trips, marketing, events, programming, student use, and academic planning.
In particular, I have asked CAO Latty, that after spring break, to begin engaging the academic team in identifying, prioritizing, and developing curricular and other academic opportunities related to Sky Lodge. Opportunities include Sky Lodge uses for existing programs and courses, designing new programs and courses to take advantage of the new facility, and identifying possible partnerships. Please work with CAO Latty, or your own chief officer, to ideate and propose uses for the amazing new facility generously gifted by the Couri Foundation.
How can you help?
- Please send external inquiries our way! If anyone external reaches out to you for a potential opportunity or partnership, or for information about our plans, please refer them to me or through our Chief of Staff Zavodny.
- Follow the lead of your chief officers in development and execution of Sky Lodge transitions plans, whether in facilities, academics, events, student success or any department.
- Take advantage of opportunities to visit Sky Lodge if you can – I have asked John to arrange as many orientation visits as we can fit in this spring for faculty, staff, and students and we will continue trips into summer. Talk to your chief officer about opportunities to visit. We are also working toward a bigger open house / grand re-opening kind of event once we take ownership this summer.
- Keep the ideas coming! Talk with your chief officers, talk with me, send ideas to our Chief of Staff. Let’s keep the conversation and energy going!
Judging by the overwhelmingly positive response so far, Sky Lodge has the potential to be a powerful component of our commitment to continuing commitment to realize Maine as our classroom, but only if we continue to work hard to integrate it into the fabric of our institution. I will share our rollout plan as soon as we have it developed over the next few months.
In Unity!
MPK
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
President
Unity College
