Changes and Transitions...

Things that are hard:
- packing up my life
- moving to a sublet to share a living space with roommates for the first time since my third year in college
- leaving one job and not yet having another
- planning what I need to live temporarily for a month
- purging what I can
- trying not get distracted by memories, songs, photos, books...
- all of this while preparing for a campus interview and presentation
- remaining positive
- keeping hydrated, nourished, energized through it all

Things that are exciting (when I am in a hopeful mood):
- see all of the above

At least I got to co-write and edit the final farewell announcement for myself. And I can leave my place of employment these last 10 years with a sense of pride and accomplishment and move on without having burned any major bridges (at least that I know of):

* * * Announcement that went out to the campus community * * *

Please join us on Friday, July 30, 2010 in University Center room 503 for a farewell dessert reception for Ray Quirolgico from 2:30pm-3:30pm. After ten years of dedicated service to the University of San Francisco, Ray Quirolgico is leaving USF for new professional opportunities.

Many of our community members know Ray best from his various leadership roles within Residence Life from 2000-2007. During his tenure as Associate Director and then as Director, Ray accomplished many achievements such as the implementation of the campus judicial system and student code of conduct and the holistic health model in conflict mediation, and further developments in leadership training, assessment, alcohol/drug intervention, staff development, and multicultural education. During his time in Residence Life, Ray worked with the group that successfully advocated for the establishment of benefits for legally domiciled adults at USF, he co-created the campus Allies program, and he was also the only administrative staff professional to receive two consecutive faculty development grant awards from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which were used to host two regional conferences at USF on teaching about HIV/AIDS across the curriculum in 2001 and 2002.

In 2007, Ray transitioned to the role of Assistant to the Vice President of University Life.

Among numerous responsibilities, in this most recent position at USF, Ray served as secretary to the University Life Committee of the Board of Trustees, coordinated and implemented professional development programs and divisional events, worked with the Division’s strategic plan, and co-created a proposal for a new graduate degree program in the Department of Leadership Studies of the School of Education.

Throughout Ray’s tenure at USF, he remained very active with the national associations for student affairs practitioners. In addition to providing educational presentations (including over 35 programs and workshops at international conferences over the last 10 years) and published articles to the higher education community, Ray most recently served on the ACPA & NASPA Task Force on the Future of Student Affairs and is currently the associate editor for the “Innovations in Practice” features in the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. Ray received his Doctor of Education degree in Organization and Leadership from USF in May 2010.

The Division of University Life will miss Ray tremendously. If you can not join us on Friday, feel free to send a note of “bon voyage” to Ray at quirolgico@dons.usfca.edu.

Questions about the reception can be addressed to Rachel Garcia-Cary at 415-422-6251.



* * *

So I hope to post some kind of announcement soon about where I end up, and I doubt i will be blogging much in the interim (but who knows).

My favorite line from the amazing documentary, "Show Business: The Road To Broadway" from Tony Award winner, Tonya Pinkins:
"Everything works out in the end.
And if it doesn't...then it's not the end."

Until next post...