As I write this blog, we are experiencing a classic Oklahoma blustery day. As strong winds blew autumn leaves in seemingly all directions at once, I even experienced a few wobbly moments while riding an 800 lb motorcycle to work! Though the metaphor may be a bit strained, the truth is that the College of International Studies also has continued in recent months to experience a high degree of turbulence in our environment.
One such strong headwind is, of course, the continuing pandemic. The Omicron variant has injected renewed uncertainty, complexity and anxiety into international mobility and social life more generally. International travel restrictions have cropped up across the world, despite limited evidence of their effectiveness. These have complicated our ongoing efforts, quite successful to date (with fall 2021 study abroad numbers a full 85% of fall 2019 participants), to relaunch study abroad in pandemic circumstances. They have also already hit many international students hard. Many international students have not been able to travel back home to visit their families since before the pandemic struck nearly two years ago. They are once again facing separation over this holiday break. This is painful to see, and our hearts go out to those affected. We are stepping up support for the students over the break, as we did last year.
Another source of instability has been “the Great Resignation,” i.e. the significant uptick in U.S. workers voluntarily leaving their jobs roughly since the spring of 2021. It has certainly hit CIS, where over one-third of our Norman-based, non-teaching staff tendered their resignation since July 1 of this year. This is probably an unprecedented rate of turnover in the 10-year history of the college. It has affected every facet of our operations, causing disruptions to normal programming and increasing the stress on personnel throughout the college. We are not immune from the threat of professional fatigue — burnout — affecting everyone from study abroad advisers to faculty across the nation; and this high rate of turnover among staff is both a sign and a cause of this stress.
What lies behind this high turnover? I have looked into every case in the college carefully. There is no one reason underlying these personal decisions. At least half, including some retirements, would likely have occurred around this time in any case. There are also cases that were directly and indirectly affected by the pandemic, in the form of changing pressures relating to childcare, changing preferences with respect to working from home, or indeed other variations. The fact that many workplaces — including OU — have struggled to find the right HR policy framework for changing times has contributed to the churn. We are still far, far from being clear on and geared up for the future of the higher education workplace in (say) 10 years. As a university, we should encourage and welcome more experimentation in creative workforce management in the coming months and years.
We can’t avoid these winds of change, but we have some control over how we respond to them. A strong sense of direction is imperative in such times, even amid the uncertainties; and we at the college have emerged from a season of strategic planning with a strong commitment to innovation. We continue to build out several important initiatives expressed in our draft strategic plan in each area of the college’s mission. International and Area Studies is embarking on creative curriculum development and increasing support for research centers. The cross-university working groups that took root during the pandemic continue to be very functional and active in coordinating the university’s support for international students. Even with high levels of turnover in the unit, Education Abroad, together with our International Study Centers in Arezzo, Italy and Puebla, Mexico, has launched a number of energetic initiatives to improve the accessibility and affordability throughout the university, as well as some major internal restructuring.
It is equally important to celebrate and support our people — the staff, students and faculty who come together to deliver on our mission in these trying times. They are under strain from multiple sources, but they are also resourceful and resilient. I have been struck by both the spirit of community we see in the celebrations thrown for those staff leaving the college, and by the commitment, creativity and energy new arrivals and newly promoted staff (see our latest CIS Newsletter for a roundup) are bringing to the table.
Together, we have achieved much in difficult times. We are not out of it, but we are growing stronger through the challenges we face. I am proud of this community, and excited for what lies ahead of us in 2021.