Welcome to the Summer Edition of Scire!
 

Summertime,

summertime,

sum-sum summertime . . .

Yep, we really do work in the summertime!

This summer edition of Scire is dedicated to all those people who wonder if faculty and staff at ODU work in the summer. You might be surprised just how busy our summers are. For instance:

Summers are when faculty pour on the brain-and-pencil power and write, write, write those proposals that give them the external funding the College and University needs to pay graduate students, purchase specialized equipment and travel to international conferences to collaborate with other researchers in their own field.

Summers are when the University fiscal budget year ends and the new year begins. Headaches associated with zeroing out the budget without overspending is a game that changes each year. Deadlines and budget cuts challenge the overworked and underpaid fiscal manager throughout the year - and summers are no different!

Summers are when new publications are being fine-tuned for printing for distribution before the new academic year begins. Each publication not only must be approved by the editor(s) in the department publishing the piece, but it must be approved by University copy editors as well. Department and College jobs often get bumped in the priority chain when University publications are also needed.

Summers are when advisors of every sort (in departments, colleges and at university level) are busy with prospective students who are trying to transfer in or are helping students decide on a course of study before classes begin in August. Registering and admissions processes can become cumbersome and those not used to the system need lots of instruction and help as they become acclimated to life at ODU.

This is a scant view of what happens on campus in the summer. I haven’t even mentioned all the summer camps that ODU manages, elderhostel groups visiting, previews, campus tours, summer school and a myriad of other things taking place nonstop.

So…the next time you wonder if the University is operating during the summer, refer back to this edition of Scire.