Caring Culture Takes Center Stage at College of Education and Health Professions Celebration

Elegant strands of WE CARE snowflakes adorned the large photo backdrop at a recent College of Education and Health Professions celebration, each representing a faculty or staff member who was "caught caring."

The 246 individual snowflakes at the Caring Culture Celebration featured stories of how a person or team went above and beyond their job requirements to care for colleagues, students or community members in a big way. Just like real snowflakes, no two stories were alike, and each act of extraordinary kindness accumulated, adding up to the unique culture of care that Dean Kate Mamiseishvili envisioned when she initiated the Rounds of Applause awards as part of the WE CARE strategic plan two and a half years ago.

That's when the college embraced "CARE" as a blueprint for its Commitment to ARkansas Excellence and a key value central to its identity, representing the caring professions.

The faculty and staff members recognized on the snowflakes all received Rounds of Applause from the college as part of its Caring Culture priority, which focuses on empowering all students, faculty, staff and external stakeholders to thrive.

At the event, Dean Mamiseisvhili encouraged guests to read the snowflake messages, then addressed the recipients: "Whether you were nominated because you helped with a complex purchase order, solved a technical issue, responded with empathy and urgency when a student was in crisis or hosted a research convening, these gestures of kindness, care and generosity are far-reaching."

It has become a tradition in the college to celebrate a WE CARE priority at the end of each calendar year. In 2023, the focus was on its commitment to serving Arkansas, and the 2024 event showcased a wide range of impactful research occurring in each of the college's six departments and its many outreach units across the state.

This year's celebration was bustling and included several special guests, including Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Indrajeet Chaubey; members of the Dean's Executive Advisory Board; emeriti faculty and campus partners; and leaders from several of the college's outreach units — such as Partners, Early Care and Education Projects, IMPACT Arkansas Principal Fellows Program, Arkansas Teacher Corps and Arkansas A+ — some of whom traveled from Little Rock to attend.

Mamiseishvili pointed out little silver buckets that had been placed on each table and shared about a children's picture book titled "Have you filled a bucket today?" by Carol McCloud.

"The book talks about how everyone walks around carrying an invisible bucket. We can't see it, but it's there," she told guests. "This bucket has one purpose only: 'Its purpose is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings.' We feel happy when the bucket is full and sad when the bucket is empty. So, we need to keep our buckets full. But how do we fill our buckets?"

People become bucket fillers when they show love and care for someone, treat them with kindness, go above and beyond, compliment them, recognize a good deed or smile at them, she noted.

"But as a bucket filler, we don't just fill others' buckets," she added. "The acts of kindness and care make us feel good, and we also fill our own bucket. Like the book says, 'Bucket filling makes everyone feel good.' Today, we are celebrating our bucket fillers."

Faculty and staff can nominate colleagues for Round of Applause awards at any time of the year to celebrate their generosity of time, effort and care. This semester saw the highest number of awardees so far. Recipients receive a letter from the dean, a round WE CARE keepsake award and a spotlight in the dean's monthly round-up email.

Mamiseishvili noted that, behind each snowflake, there were colleagues whose names were not displayed but who are also bucket fillers. "Because they went out of their way to notice, recognize, praise, compliment, fill out a nomination form - yes, filled a bucket," she said. "You may never know exactly how much your words 'you've been caught caring' matter to people, but I know for sure that these recognitions inspire more good things, and it keeps going."

Mamiseishvili said she's proud of the culture of care the college is creating. She said the word choice "creating" is intentional, because "the culture of caring" is not the state of being. It's the state of becoming.

"We are not a perfect organization, but we have found a winning strategy, and we will continue striving to cultivate a culture of recognition, engagement and wellbeing, while strengthening caring connections with alumni, partners and stakeholders," she said. "It's our superpower to engage in work that, at its core, makes people's lives better."

Mamiseishvili requested that guests take a moment and fill the buckets displayed across the room with positive thoughts and kind words of encouragement. "Be a bucket filler. Fill at least one bucket today," she said.