This spring, members of the Gustavus Cabinet will write guest posts for Monday Moments. This week, I’m pleased to share thoughts from Curt Kowaleski, our Vice President for Finance and Treasurer. – Becky
After enjoying some eloquent comments from my colleagues, now you get to hear from the “finance guy” for this week’s Monday Moments. To set the tone, I encourage you to click this link and let the song play while you read: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggJI9dKBk48.
When it seems that so many negative things are going on in the world, it is sometimes hard to find the positives, but I truly believe you will find whatever you are looking for. Some of the many positives that I see on campus include the following:
- The completion of phase one of the Lund Center expansion and renovation project. By early May, construction will be completed on the expansion and the furnishings will be in place for us to start enjoying that state-of-the-art space. Stay tuned for an announcement about when the building will be open to our community!
- The impacts we have made in environmental sustainability over the past year warm a person’s heart. It is inspiring to see our community’s increase in recycling and composting and the actions we are taking to reduce energy usage across campus. There is more to come as we upgrade energy controls in our buildings, improve our monitoring of building usage to reduce the energy used in “off times,” and continue to educate our community on compostable items to further increase that initiative.
- My daughter visited here as a prospective student around 10 years ago. When I stepped on campus, I immediately recognized that there was something special going on here. As an employee today, I still get that special Gustie feeling every morning when I come to campus. A mix of community, passion, and can-do spirit, it’s a feeling that is hard to describe but always present.
I am excited to partner with each of you as we work together to make this gem of a college financially, environmentally, and institutionally secure. We need to do this so our current and future generations of students continue to get an excellent education, have a wonderful experience, and leave the hill knowing that the Gustie feeling and the relationships they built here will be something they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
I got into higher education later in my career because it provided me with the opportunity to marry my profession (accounting) with my passion (helping young people). When I am having a bad day or struggling to find the positives, I just look out my window or walk across campus to see the wonderful young people we are helping by making Gustavus as great as it can be every day. The energy and desire of all of these students never fails to be rejuvenating.
In closing, I’d like to take just a moment to pay tribute to what I consider the greatest rock band in history. You have been listening to “Jump” by Van Halen. As you get the week started, please join me by doing the following in your little corner of this wonderful community:
“Might as well jump (jump!)”
“Go ahead and jump (jump!)”
GO GUSTIES!
Curt Kowaleski