A Letter from Dr. Jake Bucher
“Making Sense of the Data”
Closing out the calendar year is the perfect opportunity to wrap-up my coverage of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) with the element of “reflection”. The IPP calls us to consider how learning is dependent and deepened by reflection, particularly the reflection of meaning for self and others. As I am finishing up a course I am teaching, this approach to reflection reminds me of what I’ve been telling students about taking the next step in their research after data collection – “now you have to make sense of the data”.
Making sense of the data from 2024 is not something I can do justice here; the sheer volume of data points, the constant shifting of research scope, questions, parameters, and controls, and any number of extraneous but impactful variables create reflections that my nightly dog-walk examens may have settled, but that I can’t articulate in a 500-word monthly letter. What I hope is worth sharing is that as we reflect on the year, in the reality that exists independently of our perceptions and attributions, and in what our perceptions and attributions are reflecting, I find confidence, hope, and beauty in the moments where they provide the same conclusion.
As one example, we can look at the messaging of the Townhall I hosted last month and of the recent communication from the President about the state of Higher Education and Regis’ place in it. I would like to reiterate that the messaging is describing the real data and its real impacts on Regis, as well as highlighting the confidence and care to navigate those impacts. The data clearly show an unavoidable change to the nature of our work, and what should be evident is a plan and an invitation for making sense of that data.
What the data also show, and has shown me time and time again since joining Regis, is the dedication, resilience, and caring spirit of our community. In making sense of these truths that define our community, they are evidence supporting the calm and confidence in where we are, and informing the faith and fortitude for where we are going.
As we prepare for a well-deserved gift of time, and a new year with waiting joys and challenges, I encourage you to take time for rest and reflection. Celebrate the successes of this year, cherish the care and connections we have shared, and recharge for the opportunities ahead. Thank you for all that you do to make Regis a truly exceptional place, one where our collective researcher context not only helps us make sense of the data we’re facing, but will help us respond to it with effective action. I am proud to serve as your Provost and look forward to continuing this journey together in the new year.