The crisp air nipped at Tasha’s cheeks as she stepped out of her car on Thursday morning. It was after eight. The familiar scent of fallen leaves and damp earth filling her lungs. She had to go to the bank to have a meeting with her bank officer after she dropped Tyson off at school.
Now she was almost getting late for the weekly staff meeting. She readjusted her scarf, as she watched for the traffic before she crossed the road.
“Good morning, Professor!” a voice called out, and Tasha responded with a warm wave, her smile widening as she recognized the eager face of a student from her Introduction to Business Management class.
Tasha crossed the road and started walking towards the departmental building. The corridor buzzed with the energy of a thousand conversations, a symphony of laughter and hurried footsteps. Tasha navigated the throng, her heels clicking rhythmically against the polished floor.
She stopped to exchange greetings with Florence, a non-academic staff, sharing a quick joke as they walked down the hallway. As she reached the conference room, she said to her companion, “see you later Florence.”
“Later, doc,” Florence said, and she went her way as Tasha pushed open the conference room door. The familiar scent of coffee and stale pastries greeted her. She pushed open the door, the sound of hushed voices and the clatter of coffee cups filling the room. Tasha took a deep breath, the familiar warmth of the space settling around her.
“Good morning, everyone!” she called out a general greeting to her colleagues, who welcomed her, smiling at her. Looking around, she realized she wasn’t the only one that was late. Two other staff members were not there yet.
Tasha navigated the room with ease, her smile a beacon of warmth. Reaching the coffee station, she poured herself a steaming cup; the aroma filling her senses. She took her first sip and sighed with satisfaction. She noticed the Dean of the Faculty, Evelyn, at the far end of the room with three other ladies.
There was Prof. Allison Knight, the charismatic and innovative thinker, who had revolutionized the way business ethics were taught. Dr. Whitney Edmond, the analytics guru, whose research on data-driven decision-making had earned him accolades across the globe. And then there was Prof. Sanky, the dynamic leader, who had successfully steered the department through challenging times with her strategic vision.
Tasha moved closer to them, “hi ladies,” she grinned at them. The women hugged her one after the other.
“How is that little football star of yours?” Evelyn asked with a fond smile.
“He’s well,” Tasha said with pride. Tyson was quite popular with all her colleagues at work.
The conference door pushed open at that moment and the Head of the department, Prof. Jason Douglas, walked in with his infectious smile and a laptop in hand.
“Good morning, everyone,” his baritone voice boomed round the room. “My apologies for coming late. I was on the phone with the Vice-Chancellor.”
They all murmured their acceptance of his apology.
“Dr. Amos and Dr. Aisha won’t be joining us for this meeting.” He set his laptop on the table. “So please, let’s settle down and start the meeting.”
The chatter died down to a murmur. The departmental members took their seats around the long mahogany table. And Jason called the meeting to order by saying, I won’t take much of your time. We just have to discuss the entrepreneurial lecture for this semester.”
The department had started a day workshop for the students two sessions ago. On the day, a guest lecturer, who is usually a business man or woman, would talk to students about invaluable insights on bridging the gap between academia and the real business world.
They all discussed and set up a planning committee.
“I’m glad we are settled with that,” Jason looked at the faces around the table. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to announce that the school Senate has promoted our esteemed colleagues, Dr. Tasha Harrison and Dr. Jay Davis, to the rank of full professorship. Effective from the fifteenth of March.”
The room erupted in applause and cheers as the faculty members congratulated their colleagues on this outstanding achievement. Tasha and Jay stood up, their faces beaming with joy and gratitude. They had worked tirelessly for years, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and making significant contributions to their respective fields.
Tasha could not hold back her tears of joy, finally what she had been waiting for, pushing for since the day she became a lecturer had finally happened.
“I think we should adjourn the meeting on that joyful note,” Prof. Douglas said with a smile.
“I second the motion,” Dr. Gilbert said. And they brought the meeting to an end.
After the meeting, colleagues congratulated Tasha and Jay on their well-deserved promotions. The two new full professors beamed with pride, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
Evelyn was the last to shake Tasha’s hand. “congratulations my darling,” she pulled her into a bear hug after the meeting. She was so happy that one of her professional babies was winning again.
“Thank you ma’am,” Tasha hugged her back. “Thank you so much.” She smiled, seeing how genuinely happy the older woman was for her. “You have been an invaluable supporter over the years, Evelyn. Thank you for leading me right.”
Everyone clapped again.
Evelyn surprised her by saying, “listen everyone, lunch on me at the common room today. I am celebrating my baby, Professor Harrison, and, of course, Professor Dave.”
“Wow, thank you,” Tasha smiled broadly.
“Thank you so much Prof.” Jay said too. They all troopered out of the conference room to start their day.
Tash quickly went to drop her bag in her office and rushed down to the lecture theater where her final year students were already waiting for her.
It surprised her completely when the students started clapping, congratulating her when she walked in.
“Congratulations Professor Harrison!”
“You deserved it so well!”
She giggled, joy radiating in her heart.
She couldn’t hold back her tears of joy when the students started singing, “for she’s a jolly good fellow, for she’s a jolly good fellow…”
It was such a beautiful moment for her.