Throughout my academic journey, I’ve found that departments driven by acceptance, curiosity, and trust were more positive and productive than those characterized by competition, blame, and criticism. More than policies, structures, or even talent, culture shaped whether people felt safe to speak up, ask questions, and take intellectual risks. This intuition was recently confirmed by Google’s Re:Work project (n.d.), which found that the single most important ingredient for team effectiveness is psychological safety.
Not Just a No-Show: Understanding Faculty Absence at Graduation
Each spring, university campuses are spruced up: Lawns are mowed and stages assembled, and rows of chairs fill the arena. Graduation is a time-honored tradition, celebrating students’ hard work and
Heidi Hillman
July 21, 2025
