Message from the Chair
Managing faculty members has been compared to “herding cats,” and the rare individual who is a successful “cat-wrangler” is to be cherished. For this reason, we are exceedingly grateful to Linda Halisky, our college dean of the past eight years. We are similarly dismayed at the thought of her impending retirement, so we would like to acknowledge our deep appreciation for her achievements. As former U.S. President Harry Truman said, “Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” Dean Linda has definitely made the College of Liberal Arts better; we are healthier and stronger, and the stature of our comprehensive polytechnic university has been enhanced, thanks to her patient, persistent efforts.
Dean Linda has been very loyal to our music program; our faculty, students and staff appreciate and return this loyalty. She has been an effective advocate for us in the upper levels of administration and has always helped distribute and manage resources to support our department as generously as she can. Despite the incredible demands of being a dean, she still attends many concerts and makes the effort to get to know a number of our students (both majors and non-majors). It is no accident that she “gets” what we do in the Music Department — she is a Cal Poly Distinguished Teacher, after all.
I am grateful to Dean Linda for many things, but I am especially appreciative that she understands what drives us, and that she shares our hopes for the future. This support is no surprise, because, truly, she is a friend. As Henry David Thoreau observed: “Friends … cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.” Here’s to the hopes and dreams of your retirement, Linda. Many thanks!
W. Terrence Spiller, Chair