Losing Forward

Four hundred and fifty five miles of road lines, trees, treetops, road signs and headlights provided me much time (approximately 7 hours) to be alone with my thoughts and my reactions following the convention and election results.   As I reflected on our amazing 64th Annual Convention, I continued to be proud to serve such a worthwhile organization that makes a difference in the lives of others each and every day.  Last week, I experienced one of my greatest victories in the midst of an awesome campaign loss.  I have reconnected with colleagues from across the state. I have established solid and strong relationships in all five regions.  I have seen firsthand the passion of our members and their dedication to higher education. I have gained a renewed appreciation for our member institutions that make up the Great 28!   You see, last week, AFC won in a big way!  Competition makes us all stronger and forces us to critically think about how we as an organization move forward to accomplish our goals.  Our students, our communities and our colleagues are depending on us to create pathways to their goals, and they expect nothing less than our very best!  And we shall continue to give them nothing less than our very best!

Thank you to everyone who worked on my campaign from the Panhandle to the Keys!  You helped run an amazing campaign and I am forever grateful for your efforts.  I also appreciate those individuals who worked on other campaigns.  Your efforts and voices actually made all of our campaigns stronger.  A warm thank you to our Pensacola State College students who worked on my campaign video under the leadership of  Dr.  App.  A genuine thank you to our very talented Communication and Marketing Department for the outstanding campaign materials.  A tremendous thank you to our Pensacola State College onsite convention campaign team led by Carol Quinn…thank you Dan Busse, John Warren, Sheila Nichols, Robin Mertins, Rob Gregg, Tammy Henderson, Ed Pate, Yalonda Tibbs, Debbie Douma, Diane Bracken and for his unwavering support, our President, Dr. Meadows!

I have no regrets moving forward into a new year!  We can choose to lose sorely or we can choose to “Lose Forward.”  I have chosen the latter and hope that you too see the many opportunities for growth and development revealed through the time we spent together last week.  Losing forward (inspired by John Maxwell’s Failing Forward) a term that entered my thoughts while driving home, is essentially about letting our common goals unite us, acknowledging personal and professional strengths, and persevering through obstacles that threaten our progress.

I have one final request for those who supported my campaign and voted for me…for those who stood with me and encouraged me…Now is the time for unity.  Please join me now in fully supporting our new President-Elect Dr. Dan Rodkin.  Dan is committed to the AFC mission (promoting a world class college system) and ensuring that the needs of our members are met, regardless of what HAT you wear J!  Our Association is strong and we are poised to be even stronger.   In this regard, I  lend my full support to Dan as he becomes an integral member of the AFC Executive Leadership team!  Congratulations Dan!  From one Gator to another…Go Gator!

As we move into the holiday season and reflect on our many experiences and great fortunes, let us remember… We are all in this together!

Juntos, llevaremos al AFC al siguiente nivel!  Juntos, somos fuertes AFC!

Together, we will take AFC to the next level! Together, we are AFC Strong!

 

Yours in service,

Juanita M. Scott  |  Pensacola State College

Director, Professional Development

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