Colleagues,
Today, we start making music.
As I shared during our start-of-term gathering, musician biographies are among my favorite books to read. I talked about three of them and the different lessons we can take from the people behind the music. But one line from Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run captured something I believe deeply about the work we do:
“The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with.”
I believe EICC does exactly that.
And today, that idea becomes our work.
Our students are here. They are walking through our doors with hopes and dreams for what comes next. Some are beginning college for the first time. Others are continuing a journey already underway. Each is trusting us to help them gain something they can carry into the world—a new skill, greater confidence, a new opportunity or simply the belief that they can accomplish more than they thought possible.
Classrooms and labs are coming to life. Questions are being asked. Connections are forming. And across EICC, thousands of individual moments will start adding up to something much bigger: the experience our students have with this college.
We have spent months preparing for this semester. Now comes the part that matters most—what we create together.
There will be days when everything is in rhythm and days when we miss a beat. There will be moments when each of us needs to lead and others when we need to listen, adjust and support the people around us.
That's how great teams work. And it's how great colleges serve students.
As the pace picks up, stay connected to one another. Ask for help. Offer it before someone has to ask. Share what's working. Solve problems together. And never underestimate the impact of one good interaction with a student or a colleague.
We have an exciting semester ahead of us. New opportunities. New challenges. And most importantly, students with hopes and dreams who are counting on us to help them get where they want to go.
So, turn it up.
Bring your best.
Support your bandmates.
And let's make some great music together.
Because by the end of this semester, I hope we've done exactly what Springsteen described—not simply helped our students complete a course or earn credits but given them something to face the world with—and helped move their hopes and dreams a little closer to reality.
Have a great first day and a great semester.
Bryan Renfro, PhD
Chancellor
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
101 West Third Street, Davenport
563-336-3301