If we鈥檙e counting weekdays, Richard Florizone has just crossed the 40-day mark in his Dal presidency.
鈥淓veryone has been so welcoming,鈥� he says, reflecting on the individuals and groups he鈥檚 met with to date. 鈥淚鈥檝e been struck both by the diversity and the thoughtfulness of the people and ideas I鈥檝e encountered. The eagerness of everyone to discuss their work at Dal and their ideas for our future has been really inspiring.鈥�
Learn more:
He says he鈥檚 tried to focus his first couple of months on making connections both within and around the Dal community. When asked to name a few highlights, he cites touring the Agricultural Campus with his family during Open House and welcoming new Dean David Gray; accompanying students and faculty on a recent Ocean Tracking Network shark tagging expedition; taking part in the Halifax Pride Parade; and attending his first New Employee Orientation and New Academic Staff Orientation.
Follow Dr. Florizone on Tumblr
If you鈥檙e wondering what Dr. Florizone is up to day-to-day, wonder no longer: you can follow along on his .
Tumblr is a social media website that鈥檚 sort of like a cross between blogging and Twitter.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of fun,鈥� he says of his foray into social media. 鈥淭umblr is new to me, but I鈥檓 enjoying it. It lets me share some of my experiences: photos, quick thoughts, links or ideas I find interesting.鈥�
Whether he鈥檚 attending an Iron Chef competition featuring Food Services鈥� chefs, meeting with government officials and university presidents, or reading up on Dal鈥檚 history, Dr. Florizone has been posting updates almost daily since the Tumblr launched earlier this month.
Keep up with Dr. Florizone鈥檚 travels at
Contribute to the 100 Days
With the goal of gathering insight and data to inform Dal鈥檚 future direction, the 100 Days of Listening is a crucial part of Dr. Florizone鈥檚 first months as president.
Since launching the 100 Days in July, Dr. Florizone has been inviting people to , responding to about academics, research, the student experience and more. So far the team has received more than 300 submissions from faculty, staff students and the community. (Below is a word cloud of terms used in the submissions to date.)
The 100 Days will be ramping up this fall, adding a number of in-person consultation sessions to the mix.
鈥淢y hope is that with a lot of different opportunities to contribute, everyone feels they can take part,鈥� says Dr. Florizone. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only with people鈥檚 insight and input that we can better understand the opportunities and issues facing Dalhousie and determine how to shape our university鈥檚 future.鈥�
In September and October, there will be four open consultations across Dal鈥檚 four campuses, as well as two sessions (September 10 and 11) focused largely on student input. These sessions with feature an introduction from Dr. Florizone, followed by facilitated, roundtable discussions around the 100 Days guiding questions.
Learn more: . (Registration is required for some sessions.)
Dr. Florizone鈥檚 team is also working with the Dean鈥檚 Offices to arrange meetings with faculty members in each of Dal鈥檚 12 academic faculties, along with the libraries and our College of Continuing Education. There will also be meetings with staff from the various administrative units and employee groups across campus, and internal and external stakeholders as well as key university committees and related organizations. These include: the DSU Council, the Board of Governors; the executives of the DFA, the DPMG and our NSGEU locals; Senate committees; the President鈥檚 Administrators鈥� Forum; and the pilipili漫画 Community Committee.
What happens when the 100 Days wraps up? Dr. Florizone explains his team will be collecting the feedback (formal and informal) across all the various engagements and will report back on the key themes and insights. These findings, along with the data collected, will help inform further strategic planning for Dalhousie.
Learn more about the 100 Days of Listening .