Somehow the first four months of 2021 have managed to sneak in and out without my having consciously noticed them. To be totally honest, so far this year has sucked BIG TIME. But a couple of things have gone right…

1. My wife and I are fully vaccinated. Doesn’t mean we’re “out and about” like in olden times. But at least we’re starting to entertain positive thoughts about a vacation…in mid-2022.
2. An interview that I conducted with Craig Newmark, Founder of CraigsList and Craig Newmark Philanthropies,” was published by the Global Listening Centre for whom I serve as Director and Ethics Committee Chair.
3. I got a very cool award from The University of Tampa College of Arts and Letters recognizing me as “Outstanding Part-Time Faculty.” Totally unexpected and immensely appreciated!

Classes are finished for Spring 2021 semester at UT, so my brain is on autopilot for a month or so. I’ve got a Summer II class starting in late July, but that’s it for the year. The university is going back to fully in-person classes in the Fall, and I have opted (reluctantly but realistically) not to be a part of the experiment. I’m not convinced that we (Florida/America) will be out of the woods by then. I hope, hope, hope I’m wrong. Time will tell.

That being said, I have absolutely NO intention of slowing down. Planning for various PRSA and PRSA Tampa Bay, as well as UT PRSSA and UT Ad Club, activities is already underway. PRSA and PRSA Tampa Bay will have special “Ethics Month” programming in September which, “coincidentally,” is also the kick-off month for student-focused initiatives. Summer promises to be “interesting.”

But the year’s not even halfway finished, and things in the national/global arenas seem to be falling apart at an increasing speed. The pandemic has definitely brought us a new set of challenges.

So there you have it. Let’s just keep our respective chins up as confidently as possible and hope that, by year’s end, there will, in fact, be a positive light shining at the end of this dark tunnel.

Until then, my friends.