In 2008, I moved from New Jersey to Minnesota. Folks in NJ were kind to say that I was irreplaceable, but later the college hired a Columbia University grad as my successor, who was probably a better scholar and teacher. My work was replaceable and replaced after all, but not my friendship with the wonderful people there. Even after sixteen years, I remain connected with many of them.
 
As I prepare to leave Minneapolis College next week, I have the same feeling about my transition. Someone equally or more competent will take my place, and the College will continue to thrive. My work here will soon be replaced, but I wish we'd cherish the friendship and memories we made together.

I won't see you for a while, friends! Until we meet again, you'll be in my fond memories. I wish you great success at work and much joy in life.

Sincerely,
​Ben Weng

Dear Colleagues of STEM,

My last day at Minneapolis College is Friday, 6/28. There are so many memories! I want to share one that's especially meaningful to me.

It was late February 2020. As COVID-19 started to unfold, you asked me what we should do. My response was that we should get ready to teach out the rest of the semester online, and probably for a longer time going forward. I posted this opinion on my blog, and a day later, the College asked me to take the message down because:

1. My personal opinion doesn't represent the College's stance, and
2. All of the faculty who read this blog would start to panic.

I took the blog down immediately, but I disagreed with 2). Not all faculty panicked. The STEM faculty, YOU, did not. That's how special you are and why our team accomplished so much despite COVID, enrollment decline, and many more challenges that sack the rest of the higher education world. We always work with what we have and we innovate to create successful outcomes despite many limitations. I appreciate that about our team.

Some say that the post-COVID world hasn't been kind to higher education, as crises continue to emerge, from student under-preparation to faculty burn-outs to the rise of AI. However, I am confident that you will overcome them and continue to excel. I know it whenever I recall the rally we made that spring. Changes will keep coming at us, many others will choose to bury themselves in denial, grief, anger or self-pity, but you are much better than that.

Thank you for being a great team in the past six years! This team is made for the Super Bowl, no matter who the general manager is. I look forward to hearing about more great work by you and your new leader.

Sincerely,
Ben

Someone asked me about suggestions for the next STEM dean at my college. I don't have any specific suggestion for any particular person, but these things seemed to work for me:

1. Innovate.
   
2. Lead, not govern or manage.
   
3. Boost team morale by celebrating progress and achievements.
   
4. Rally the team during both successful and challenging times.
   
5. Admit mistakes and correct them promptly instead of arguing.
   
6. Be nice to those who are nice to me. Be respectful and fair to those who are not.
   
7. Attribute success to the team. Take responsibility for setbacks.
   
8. Acknowledge other people’s experiences and feelings even if I disagree with their views.
   
9. Take every opportunity to recognize and highlight the success of each team member and department.
   
10. Avoid overwhelming others with excessive information, like this lengthy list.