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Dr. Carmen Cid is retiring from Eastern in Spring 2021 after many years serving the University as a professor and Dean of Arts & Sciences. Stories about Dr. Cid's time at Eastern will be posted on this page as they are submitted.
From Dr. Cid:
"These are some things that have been meaningful to me at Eastern:
**Any time and effort you spend in helping students and faculty develop their career paths and meet their goals will have a positive impact on your life
**Mentors and wonderfully skilled people are all around you and we can learn from all of them if we just pay attention to their talents -- the best appetizers may be the creation of former biology professors, the best environmental educators and advocates for environmental justice may be former art professors and your current and past students may be the best examples of how to be effective change agents in any system. Let's model ourselves on mockingbirds and make our song repertoires even stronger, taking the best trills of the diverse songs around us.
As I tell all the students in the 20+ honor society ceremonies I get to speak at this time of year, we did not get here entirely on our own talents but due to the support of many -- family, friends, colleagues, students, secretaries, custodians, grounds keepers, campus police -- everyone who has put time into making us feel safe, cheering us up, appreciating the work we do and being there whenever we needed some thoughtful input.
At this time I remember most my parents who were an invincible team, passionate about improving their lives through education, who showed me the importance of combining complementary skillsets to solve any problem. They believed diverse perspectives and many types of skills were needed to move any agenda forward. As I mentioned last Friday, I am setting up two funds in their honor -- The Dr. Luciano Cid/Carmen Polo Fund to support Eastern's talented minority students in the biological sciences and the arts, and (for their focus on writing and storytelling skills), the Emerging Scholars in English Studies Fund to benefit Eastern's talented minority students in English.
Thank you for helping me grow as a person and in my career development -- I hope that I have helped you similarly along the way. I'll be on Eastern's email regularly -- so happy to converse any time - lots of papers and things to do till June 30, 2021.
Good luck with the rest of the semester and summer plans!"
"Carmen, Best wishes on your next phase. We think that the pond in the woods should be named Cid Pond and a sign should be posted. It would memorialize your years as a neighbor on Quarry and your interests in our neighborhood's woods and nature in our small town. Thanks for all you have done for the ecology of Willimantic and Eastern. To you and Aaron, many more healthy and happy years."
--Debbie and David Stoloff
"It is hard to choose one thing to highlight among the many ways that Dr. Cid encouraged, supported, and advocated for me and my students in the ten academic years that I've taught at Eastern. However, what I appreciated most about Dr. Cid was that she always made it a point to see every one of the Theatre main stage productions, and she always had some words of appreciation for our cast and creative teams. When I attended Music events and Art Gallery openings, I always saw her there as well. I understand that it's an effort to attend evening activities on campus, as many of us just want to head home after a long day, but Carmen is a true supporter of the arts, and never missed a thing! As a professor who prepares students for careers in theatre, film, and new media studies, I always knew that Carmen understood deeply that the arts are legitimate career path for many students. I think her perspective as an ecologist gives her a unique perspective of the interconnectedness of all things, especially Art and Science."
-- Kristen Morgan
"Dr. Cid, you were always so great to work with. You always would meet with any student that needed your help. No matter what role you had at Eastern you made time for everyone. Best of luck to you in retirement. You will be missed!"
-- Denise Bierly
"Dear Dr. Cid: Thank you for being a great facilitator of academic work and scholarship in the School of Arts and Sciences. Your leadership has contributed immensely to forging cutting edge academic research and scholarship. Thank you very much. The best of luck in your future endeavors."
-- Dennis C. Canterbury
"Carmen, Thank you for your long and productive service to Eastern, I know we have all collectively been better having you in a leadership role for Arts and Sciences! May you find warm winds and following seas on your next adventures!"
-- Bryan Oakley
