Open Letter the Columbia High School Class of 1993 on our 20 Year Reunion

Dear CHS Class of ’93,

Can you believe it’s been 20 years? I can’t. But I also can’t tell if it seems like it’s been longer than that, or if the time has flown… I guess it’s been just about right.

Do you all remember how crazy graduation was? Remember the crazy outfit I wore under my robe? Remember what craziness I was up to during Senior cut day?

You shouldn't.

I wasn't at any of those things because I ended up not graduating from Columbia. In my junior year, my mother moved from South Orange to Trenton. I was living with my Dad at the time in Hillside, NJ anyway, so her move didn't affect me much since my Pops took me to school every day anyway.

Well, this happened during the heyday of kids from Newark, Irvington, etc… somehow attending CHS and the “crackdown” that was happening to prevent that.In the middle of that junior year, I was notified that I had to leave Columbia and go to school in Hillside (or pay $10K/year to attend). I don’t think I was one of those kids that was trying to beat the system… I've never felt like I wasn't a Cougar. This was my town and these were all of the kids I knew growing up.

I was devastated.

I didn't want to go to a new High School in the middle of “the most important year of school” to go somewhere where I knew nobody and nothing about the place really. I had grown up in South Orange and went through all of my schooling there since the 2^nd grade. Marshall School. Jefferson. SOMS. Columbia.

Obviously, everything turned out OK. I graduated and went to college (twice). I went 7-1-1 in my only season playing football for Hillside and got to play a significant role on the baseball team there my two seasons playing.

Upon leaving Columbia, there was no assembly to tell everyone I had left. No “Donna Martin Graduates!” rally for me to stay. Monday came around, and I just wasn't there anymore. Aside for a handful of my bestest friends, I’m not even sure anyone knew what happened, where I was, or that I was even gone.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not going in the “whoa is me! Nobody in high school loved me” route. Quite the opposite actually.

Thinking back on that has made me reflect on what time of kid I was in high school. Who was my group? Who did I hang out with? How would I classify the “group” that I was with? Jocks? Cool kids? Burnouts? Stoners? Nerds?

I finally found a term for my group. They are called, “My friends”

Now… that doesn't mean I ate at their house every weekend growing up, or even keep in touch much now outside of facebook. There are people that made in impact on me that don’t even know that they did. They may never know.

For the better part of my time in South Orange and our school system, I felt “Unclaimed”, or maybe more appropriate, “Unclassified”. That was by my own doing. Not really a choice, but just kind of the kid I was.

I wasn’t rich. I wasn’t cool. I got by athletically. I liked Rock music. I liked Rap music. I LOVED Baseball. I didn’t care about clothes or labels. My parents were divorced and un-engaged from the greater community.

20 years later. Everything from that paragraph above is still 100% true about me. I guess I’m still the same kid I was in 1993. I’d like to think I’m more cultured, emotionally mature (I had A LOT of fights growing up!), funnier, and smarter. But at my core, I think I still am who I am.

I digress… This wasn't supposed to be about me. It was about US.

Since I won’t be there this weekend… partially out of being busy and just being in the Northeast last weekend and partially, quite honestly, out of fear (What if I travel all that way and after 45 minutes we all run out of things to say..?). I wanted to let you all know that I love you.

Whether you were my best friends or whether we got in fist fights growing up… and there are plenty of you out there that that is the case. Whether we only said a few words to each other in the hall or at a party, or if I screwed up our sludge test in Mr. Schneider’s class (I see you Jill!).

I was not involved in anything but myself at CHS, but going to Hillside gave me a fresh start. I went to Stockton College and by the grace of God, ran into former classmate at CHS Kamau Butler on our first day and it changed the course of my life forever, for the better.

While the core things I enjoy are the same… I am who I am today because of all of you that I grew up with. Being a CHS grad is something to be proud of and that is inside you forever (even if you didn't graduate from there technically J).

I’m a South Orange kid, man. We graduated with one of the greatest R&B/Rap crossover stars of our generation. We got to feel the excitement of knowing you were heading to Flood’s Hill on a snowing morning is school was cancelled. Our local college (Seton Hall) should have won the NCAA Title when we were 8^th graders (I still hate Michigan for this…). We appreciate good pizza. We like “Scrubs” so much more than your average American.  The former host of “106 & Park” was once a place kicker on our HS football team. We attended a school where kids of different races, ethnicities, religious beliefs, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds were all able to celebrate those freely while enjoying each other’s friendships and company. I've always loved that about our school and our town(s).

There are some of you that are super special to me and I hope I've already let you know that. I may just shoot you a FB message this week while I’m thinking about it. There are many of you who taught me life lessons that I still carry with me and passed down to the student I've worked with here at Florida. You should know that you all made a difference in my life… directly, or indirectly.

You, and that school, from which I will never hang a diploma (or stick one in a drawer at this point, right?), mean the world to me and you have my unconditional love and appreciation.

I wish I had the opportunity to look you all in the eye and wish this for you. To shake your hand, or more likely, give you a giant hug. I wish you all the best on this 25 year reunion. For me… none of what I’m doing now was even a consideration then. And it’s turned out just the way I wanted… even if I’m not playing CF for the Yankees.

I hope your lives and your families are everything we dreamed they would be in 1993. I keep up on Facebook, so keep posting. You and your families look amazing and my heart is so full for you all.

Thank you friends.  Have a great night and weekend and be safe. Talk to each other… even the peeps you may not have talked to in 1993, you never know what you might mean to them.

All Love and my best to you all,

scott!

Rings of Honor

This Friday, the Olympic Opening Ceremonies occur in London, England.

This is a special time for everyone, everywhere. It is often lauded as, the "one time where all the nations get together in peace and harmony". It's extra special for us here at the University of Florida because the Gators have 38 Gators, past, present, and future, representing 17 different countries in 5 sports in the 2012 Olympics. The Gators also have 2 coaches (Mike Holloway, Track & Field, and Gregg Troy, Swimming and Diving) coaching for the US.

As if that weren't enough, the "Pride of the Sunshine", the Gators Marching Band is in London playing and representing UF and the State of Florida.

This is all great news for the University and a huge source of pride to see our alumni, current students, commits, and coaches representing the best that their country has to offer. It was great to hear Bob Costas mention the University of Florida during the ceremony.

The problem is...

I had almost zero motivation or desire to watch the opening ceremonies.

None.

I would hope not to come off as a curmudgeoun, or unpatriotic, but I couldn't imagine myself sitting there watching 3 hours worth of people walking in a circle with flags and funny outfits. Especially when I knew that when the US team showed up, we'd get copious amounts of footage of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant. (Like we don't see them on TV enough...).

I'm sure there are millions and millions of people out there who were excited about the spectacle, but not me. I could think of about 756 other things I'd rather be doing... even though I love sport and competition, the USA, and the 38 Gators that were going to be there. There are so many options on cable, in the community, and in my house... I just couldn't do it. I would have rather been at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium watching the group of high school football recruits run drills and scrimmage that the opening ceremonies.

Then it got me thinking...

Is this the same battle that we are fighting in Alumni Relations?

There are so many options available to everyone and while people love tradition, there is an ever increasing population of folks who are not in love with these traditions. For instance, I'm sure my Dad watched the opening ceremonies and enjoyed most of it. Concurrently, my 23 year old brother, probably had no idea they were on.

But imagine the outrage if the International Olympic Committee cancelled the Opening Ceremonies? What if they said, we're not doing it... nobody wants to watch people in funny outfits walk in a circle. It would be a mess. Maybe just short of the recent Chik-Fil-A sandwich crisis.

What we're hearing from our alumni is that they want events and services, but then turnout is dicey when we have the events that they asked for. The opening ceremony, while watched by millioins and millions... was widely critiqued and ridiculed on social media.

So there is the challenge. How do we move forward and stay relevant, while still honoring the past and our rich traditions? How do we balance fresh and new with tried and true?

I don't have an answer. Just a question that looms as we do our work in alumni affairs. Especially the notion that the affinity for your country or a sport or your school, not translating to you watching or becoming a member. It's a challenge across several lines of business and industry... the quest to remain relevant.

I keep this in mind as we go forward, but it remains at the core of why listening to feedback from our constituency remains so important.

Anyhow, back to the olympics. If you are interested in knowing when your favorite Gators compete you can check out the schedule here. Have a great weekend.

Go Gators!

Day 14: Back to the Future

Monday-Monday-Monday!

So I almost consider this my first full "regular" week in the new job. It's my first Monday that isn't following the Florida Forward event, so i'm not totally exhausted. My supervisor is out of the office for the better part of the week... perfect time to cause some havoc... hahaha.

Penn State went and owned my morning.

As the news broke about the sanctions that their football program will be facing, I thought I'd share some of the stuff that came to mind. I won't go too in depth with this... that's what my other blog is for.
- While I have little sympathy for those at Penn State who didn't say anything, I'm not totally sure how comfortable I am with the NCAA facilitating this. I get the tie in with the football program, even though it had nothing to do with player recruitment, active players, or anything of that sort. Just very different.
- This deduction of 40 scholarships over 4 years and 4 year bowl ban is probably just as bad as a full suspension of the football program, except that by continuing football, all of the people who make their liveliehood from football and the football extracurriculars can still work.
- If we want to start treating football just as sport, and real life like real life... we should probably stop calling the suspension of a football program for a year or two, "the death penalty". Not having football for a year, while terribly disappointing and soul crushing... is not death.
- The $60 million fine, payable over five years really isn't much. It's big numbers, but college football is big business. They probably won't even have to dip a toe in the water of the endowment to cover $12M a year. Especially when some Big Ten schools make some BCS bowl games and share that money.

Anyhow, once I got past Penn State, I got back to getting my week ready. I'm at the stage where people have "heard of me" or "heard that I was coming". Several people have mentioned that they had friends in Student Affairs who said that I was great. I really appreciate that, and hope that I haven't been oversold :)

I ended my day working Preview.

Along with another staff member and our Student Alumni Association members, we had tables at Jennings Hall for preview check-in.

How odd that 2 weeks after I've left housing, I'm in Jennings Hall. It's like attending a party in a house you used to live in (which I also did earlier this year as well). I was struck by how automatic it was for me to try and park somewhere near a side door somewhere that I now, no longer had access too. I reached for my swipe/proximity card at least 10 times in 3 hours.

It was fun. As usual, it was great to be around the students. Both incoming students and the SAA members. The parents are also alot of fun at this stage. Coming to UF with big dreams of what will be.

I beat the buzzer today. The SAA member I was working with had a routine with me. She would explain the student membership and benefits to the student and the parent, and right after, I would ask the parent if they were getting one for themselves as well. Sometimes I'd explain that I didn't got to UF either, and I joined when I lived in the DC Area, etc... After striking from 5:00pm through 7:25pm, I finally got a bite.

I had a couple from Tampa come and say, they wanted to "jump head first into the Gator Nation" and they bought a membership! My first one (unless any of my friends out there have gotten one as a result of me working here now... if so, thank you and let me know if you've done that!!). He filled out his form, paid and we gave him his swag. As he left, i told him, "Welcome to the Tampa Gator Club!". He was too excited.

He was the last one out and we cleaned up. I went back to my Res Life roots and helped take down tables, pop-up tens and boxes. It's in my blood at this point.

Big meeting later this week. Thanks for following.

Go Gators.

Day 9-13: Lost Days and Lost friends

Zombieland is the best way to describe our office from Monday - Wednesday.

After the 16* hour days in Miami from Thursday - Saturday, sandwiched inbetween Wednesday and Sundays travel days, our entire office was on fumes. People were walking by each other just kind of grinning and barely standing upright and hardly making complete sentences. Even the light in the hallway by where several of our offices are was out... and nobody felt the need to turn it back on.

*This is a generous estimate

I feel bad for anyone who is an introvert at these events. I'm a WOO as my #1 strength, so I got energy from these things... but it took it's toll on me. Anyone who knows me well, or has worked with me probably needs to make sure you're sitting down when you read this:

I took a sick day Wednesday.

Let that soak in.

I never... and I mean, NEVER get sick or take sick days. I scoff at people who do. I openly brag about how I don't get sick and tempt fate in the most "in your face" way possible. I had a nasty throat thing going on Tuesday... it got worse Tuesday night and I decided to rest on Wednesday and not come to work... to the amazement of my wife. It took alot for me to do that. Brett Favre is my favorite football player of all time, and so I value that "showing up every day" mentality, even if you're not at your best, it's better than not being there at all. I took the day of rest because I knew in the long run I was better off... and that if I didn't rest I would prolong it and thus, have to keep my distance from my infant son. So i took the day. #newdadproblems

Anyhow, much of the week was a blur... mostly follow up from Florida Forward and helping prepare for the Black Alumni Weekend in October.

The week was surreal because a good friend and a great Gator passed away on Monday night.

My friend Rob Holland died suddenly at 44 years old.
His obituary is here:http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gainesville/obituary.aspx?n=robert-holland&pid=158628568#fbLoggedOut

Rob is a two time alumnus of the University of Florida, but most importantly... Rob is the type of guy that I got into both professions that I've been in for.

If Rob were a professional athlete, he would be a "cult hero" type of player. If he were a baseball player, he'd be the guy who knocks down a ball going into right field to hold the runner that was on 2nd at 3rd, giving the pitcher a chance to get out of the inning without that run scoring. If he were a football player, he'd be a fullback. If he were a basketball player, Rob would be the dude setting screens for shooters, boxing out other rebounders so the big leaper could get theirs, staying where he's suppossed to in the zone defense, and making both his free throws late in the game.

Rob did all of the little things in life that don't show up in a "box score". He had such a good sense for people and not a single mean spirited bone in his body. Rob's artful subtleness is what made him the special person that he will always be.

I came to the University of Florida for my first job and started on June 12, 2000. Rob and his wife Angie invited me to the Purple Porpoise my first night in town for all you can eat wings and beer on Monday night. I had an awful time in my first meeting that Tuesday morning, but the sentiment was what mattered and that I instantly felt connected to this Gainesville staple and I felt more at home instantly.

Fast forward to November of 2008. I had left UF for three years and was returning for another job in Housing. My wife and I drove in from Virginia on Thanksgiving day. Upon arrival, Rob got me my keys to my temporary housing situation and then had us share Thanksgiving dinner with him, Angie and some other folks. He didn't make a big deal out of it... it's just what he did. It's just who he was. He looked at you and said, "C'mon in... you're family"

THAT, is what I've always envisioned the Gator Nation to be. Rob personified the Gator Nation.

He'll never get the true recognition for how much he meant to so many people. He didn't have a building named after him. No streets or statues baring his likeness. Just scores and scores of students and professional staff who's lives he touched. Just the freedoms he protected while serving in the Navy. Much like the guy who sets the screen for the guy who hits the game winning shot... only those who knew the play and knew him best will know what he meant to the team. And I think Rob would be perfectly OK with that.

Thank you Rob Holland for being a damn good Gator, a damn good friend, and an even better man.

You will be missed.

As always... thanks for reading.

Go Gators.

Florida Forward

For those of you who had "Day 4" in your office pool for when I'd stop blogging daily, you are the big winner :)

In this particular instance, my family and I left for Miami for Florida Forward on Wednesday and returned Sunday evening. 4 straight 16 hour workdays, 300+ particiapants at various levels, and a priceless experience later, I 'm back in the office and taking a moment to record it.

This was a huge weekend for our Association and for the University of Florida, as well as for me in my new role personally. I was able to meet our Alumni Association's Board of Directors that include alumni like Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, and business school namesake Al Warrington.

It was a great weekend and as former Association President Al Warrington said at the Board meeting on Saturday morning:

"I thought last night was one of the best nights in the University of Florida’s history.  It was exciting, captivating and will be the Launchpad for the future"

While I've only been on the job for a little over a week, this was great to hear.

What most people won't see, or ever know occurred was from the ground up here at Emerson Alumni Hall. Every participant received a binder for this conference... Board Members had different things in theirs than regular participants. The Executive Committee had a different binder than the rest of the board... and Returning members who already had a binder. A tireless group of individuals had to make the copies of the items for those binders and put them together. I don't think any of the attendees and participants will ever know or appreciate what went into putting this event together, but I saw the Cicerones, student employees and interns, and staff work on the binders, bag stuffing, gifts, booklets, etc... and I am blown away by it.

I've been to a ton of conferences and stayed up late and woke up early for a good number of them. However, being one of the staff responsible for making this event a success, and having the emotional investment of time and energy in it explains why I feel like a Zombie today.

I can't imagine how tired the staff that were in place and working on this all year are. Kudos to them.

I am excited about the future of the University of Florida and am inspired to grow our membership in the upcoming years. Our credo leaving the conference has been: Grow Membership. Grow Opportunity. Grow Value. I look forward to doing that and after this weekend of seeing the Gator Nation at it's best, I'm confident that there are no limits to what we can do.

Until next time... Go Gators!

3 and Out

"3 and Out" is the least pleasant phrase for us offensive minded football fans, but most appropriately describes my situation. Upon completion of my 3rd day, I'll be heading down to Miami Beach on Wednesday for the Florida Forward event. I'm very excited about the opportunity... less excited about packing :)

I'm going to pause for the cause in the blog today and dedicate the rest of it to a dear colleauge of all of us Student Affairs folks at UF. Wayne Wallace passed away on Tuesday at 66 years old. Wayne served as the Director of the Career Resource Center at UF for over 20 years.

Wayne literally took the University of Florida's Career Resource Center from the basement to the Penthouse in his time as Director. The CRC used to reside in a basement room in the Reitz Union, and now is a model of Career Centers on campus. UF's Career Services was nationally ranked #1 in 2009 and 2011, just prior to his retirement.

I didn't know Wayne well, but I knew of the work he was doing and advocating for, and I knew some of the incredible staff that he recruited and worked with over the years.

Most of all though, I admire and am thankful for Wayne's work in helping Gators navigate the internship and job search process. Countless Alumni of the University of Florida have been able to find jobs and perform effectively in their interviews because of what Wayne Wallace built here at UF.

For that, I will always treasure the quiet man and thank him for the gift that will continue to give that he's given our University.

You can see the Gainesville Sun story by Nathan Crabbe here: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120710/ARTICLES/120719943?tc=cr

2nd and 6

My 2nd day is now in the books.

So far, so good. But I'm having to be extremely fogiving of myself to think of it that way.
As someone who is uber vigilant about competency and feeling like I'm doing my part for the team, these early days are difficult for me.

Our team is in the midst of putting together and preparing for this HUGE undertaking with Florida Forward and I'm jumping in, not even a week before the event to start a new profession. For a visual representation of what this feels like: Imagine a relay race in Track and Field. You know how the runner who is about to receive the baton gets a running start and the "stick" is passed just at the right time? Well imagine standing at a dead stop at the line while someone running full speed then hands you a baton.

That's what this is like.

When getting into this, I wondered what "busy season" would be like in place of my housing days of: Jul-August-tember (July-August-September). I think I've found it... and I'm starting in the middle of it.

Anyway, enough violin playing...

Day 2 was good. I got my professional photo taken for the directory/website. Those are always terribly awkward for me, but this was was pretty fun. There is no camera on earth that can produce a photo of me that I say, "YES! I like that one!".

Met with some folks from Hillel in the afternoon to discuss some Fall activities and getting their newly formed JAA group a good start in the upcoming year. The Hillel organization is one of the largest (if not THE largest) in the country at a University. They have been an active group on the University of Florida campus since 1937, but then had a temporary break in service due to the war. The group returned in 1947 and has been in continuous action since then. The new Hillel building (pictured) is about 8 years old. This building has a pretty rich history and some fun stories about how it all came to be. If you're ever in Gainesville and on campus and have a chance to stop by Hillel, you should do so. Very nice people and they have snacks!

Off to Day 3! We're leaving for Miami and Florida Forward on Wednesday night, so there may be a break in the blog during that time... I know... you're so disappointed. I'll be wall to wall running around from Thursday to Sunday, so we'll see.

Thanks for following and as always...

Go Gators!