Giving thanks by giving time

November 16, 2023

Holiday Break extended for faculty and staff

As we enter a week that culminates in the annual Thanksgiving celebration, it is timely to show our appreciation to the people who make a fundamental difference in our lives.

I am grateful to the faculty and staff who work hard each day to make sure Oakland maintains a dynamic learning, teaching, and working environment. And I am so proud of the diversity of our campus, and those committed to transforming Oakland into a preeminent 21st-century university.

As a gesture of gratitude to our faculty and staff, we have extended the Holiday Break to include an extra day, Thursday, December 21. The revised Holiday Break, now spans December 21-January 2. (The original break was Dec. 22-Jan2.) 

On December 21, Kresge Library and the Oakland Center will be closed, but the Recreation Center will remain open as scheduled. In recording “leave time,” employees should designate Dec. 21 as a “recess.”

Between eating turkey dinner, nibbling pumpkin pie and watching the Detroit Lions conquer the Chicago Bears (yes, even I’m becoming a Lions fan), I hope you can find time to reflect on all that fills you with gratitude.

While we gather in the comfort of our homes and “give thanks,” please take a moment to think of those who struggle for a daily meal, lack educational opportunities, and seek shelter from violence and poverty.

The foundations of a better world can be found around the table where we celebrate Thanksgiving – with family, friends, and where people from a range of backgrounds come together in a shared expression of gratitude.

Wherever and with whomever you celebrate the holiday, may you find hope, joy, and peace.

Ora

Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D., President
Oakland University