As I retire from Framingham State University, I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation to all of you that have made these past five years enjoyable. For many of you, I treasure the friendships we have created and expect those to continue into the future.
In particular, though, I want to express my overwhelming gratitude to the hard-working men and women in Facilities and Campus Events. I’m so proud to have had the opportunity to lead these two amazing departments and I am humbled by the support you have shown me. Together we have accomplished so much, but it would not have happened without your collective hard work.
“One is too small a number to achieve greatness. No accomplishment of real value has ever been achieved by a human being working alone.” -John Maxwell
So much of the work that you do is invisible to the faculty, staff and students…until, of course, an issue arises. But then you shine your brightest! When others are snuggled warm in their beds, our team is on campus clearing snow or restoring electricity after a power outage. When others are at family gatherings or worshiping on a Sunday morning, our team members are on campus cleaning or supporting the churches and other events happening on campus. When COVID-19 shut down much of the campus, Facilities personnel still came to work every day, ensuring that the buildings were clean, keeping the heat on, refilling hand sanitizers, delivering mail, and doing the many things required to ensure that the campus facilities were ready to support the work of the University.
While I know that the campus appreciates what you do, people often are focused on the other important work being done for Framingham State. You do not always get the recognition you deserve. So before I retire, I want to make sure I say this, one more time, to the teams in Facilities and Campus Events - THANK YOU for all that you do and for making my job so rewarding!
With great appreciation,
Patricia Whitney, assistant vice president of facilities and capital planning