A Letter from Dr. Jake Bucher
“A Hippopotamus for Christmas”
I need to offer a disclaimer, or mere fair warning, that I may exhaust holiday (admittedly Christian-centric) references in this month’s letter. I set out to frame my comments in the spirit of reflecting on the past year and hope-setting for the upcoming one, and ended up with a title that is a deep dive reference to an obscure holiday song, and a Dickensian effort to encourage gratitude through appreciation of what we have, who we are, and who we can be – as opposed to focusing on who we think we were, or who we think we want to be.
To the latter, I’ll call on my social scientist roots and apply self-discrepancy theory, or the notion that we often lose/obstruct our “real” selves with standards of an ideal/ought self that may or may not be realistic (a “self on the shelf” if you will). Engaging in the development of the Academic Plan these last few months has uncovered a tendency at Regis to refer to what was, and to what others are doing.
The Ghost of Regis Past presents a selected/edited history that leads to a fallacious appeal to tradition; and raises good memories of resources, and bad memories of failed efforts and unfulfilled promises, both of which bully our capacity for gratitude for the present and hinder our ability to hope for the future.
The Ghost of Others’ Present shows us the hippopotami that other institutions have, creating an unwarranted envy and limiting our ability to effectively plan. There has not been a week in my tenure at Regis where someone in a meeting hasn’t referenced what the University of Denver or those in the AJCU are doing. I think we too often confuse “practices” with “best practices”, citing things from other places that may not be proven, may not even be effective, and certainly may not be suited for our realities. While I have come to really appreciate the AJCU network, and love the community of shared values, we are peers in values but we are not peers in operations. Candidly, or Scroogely, I do not want a hippopotamus for Christmas just because Creighton, SLU, and Boston College have one. Those schools all have the money to risk on hippopotami, the infrastructure and willingness to manage the 8000 pounds of waste per year a single hippopotamus produces (I looked it up, it can suffocate fish if there isn’t sufficient space – which lends itself to other analogies that decorum dictate I avoid), and never mind that hippos don’t do well in the mountains.
What I want to see from the Ghost of Regis Future is a self-awareness of, and self-confidence in, our work and our outcomes. Pulling St. Ignatius and the Two Standards into my Christmas Carol, doing things not because they are good or right for Regis, but because we want to be like others or because of some superficial value, shows a desire for hollow honors, and highlights a hubris that leads to a grim end. Perhaps that is hyperbolic, but returning to a past phrase I’m fond of, “place matters”, we come to and stay at Regis for a reason, and that reason has more to do with our distinctiveness than with our potential to be similar. If we lose that distinctiveness – being with and for each other, and the ability to pioneer and lead rather than follow, then we’re replacing our special sauce with over-priced (but still basic) ketchup.
Ultimately, after my tri-paranormal visits, what I want to convey first is my own gratitude, I am so proud of what Regis is and am so excited for where we are going. Second, I hope to encourage gratitude in you all, for what we have and who we are. Regis is indeed a special place, we are doing work we (hopefully) love at a place that impacts people and communities. Maybe we’re the Island of Misfit Toys (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), not as shiny as others but finding value and purpose in our impact on those who really need us. If that reference crosses from humility to martyrdom, then maybe we’re a sister community of Whoville (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) finding comfort and purpose in our values and in each other, with or without material things. Regardless, let others tend to their hippos (and the 8000 pounds of waste) – all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth (i.e. steady enrollment and a balanced budget – both of which are in the mail, pending shipping delays), as at Regis I have everything else that matters.
Thank you all for what part of 2023 I got to share with you, I am grateful to be here and am excited for and very confident in what our 2024 will be. Happy Holidays if and however you celebrate, and here is to a great 2024!
