Gratitude and Apologies

Stacy Oliver | January 23, 2012 | 8 comments

Each week I send emails to students both apologizing and thanking them. The number varies from week to week and is influenced by the time of year, but without fail, some number of students receive a personal email from me apologizing for a frustrating or negative experience they had with our office and thanking them for how they handled it. Even better is when I’m able to deliver the message in person.
What makes these messages special?
They are almost never in response to the student. They are initiated by me based on what I see happening across campus.
Every day I look critically at the work we are doing as an office. We are an office in transition and an office that is growing. As good as our intentions are, we aren’t perfect. When I anticipate our office’s relationship with a student may be damaged, I reach out. I thank them for their patience. I ask them for their feedback on how we can improve. I acknowledge how we could have done better and hope to demonstrate that to the student in the future. I end each email by asking students what else I can do to assist them or connect them. I invite them to come meet with me or simply send me any other feedback they have.
It’s a little thing, but requires taking a step back and looking more critically at how our students are served. It requires knowing what’s happening on the ground level and keeping a pulse on how things are working outside of my office. A room wasn’t ready for a student planning to move in? A process didn’t accommodate a student’s need? These are easily reparable situations with the right words. Rather than letting a student, who may or may not ever complain, feel unheard or discontent, I can easily extend my thanks and sincere apology to them in an effort to improve.
And, in turn, by improving potentially damaged relationships, we improve our reputation on campus. We begin to move away from being a nameless, faceless department of processes and become an office of individuals who care and recognize moments where we could have done better. We reestablish trust and foster a community that allows for fumbles from all parties.