Scheduled months ago, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ talk at 乐播传媒 came just hours after Donald Trump’s victory speech and Hillary Clinton’s concession. Talk about timing.

Maine’s senior senator, Republican Collins spoke on Nov. 9 about post-election unity and gave advice to Clinton supporters who now feel isolated.

She spoke of the glass ceiling for women seeking executive office in politics. And she talked about a lesson in courage she learned from the Watergate era.

Collins was interviewed by Maine state Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, who is director of strategic and policy initiatives with the Harward Center for Community Partnerships at 乐播传媒. Held in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall, the talk was part of the Purposeful Work Unplugged speaker series.

Post-election unity

After listening to Trump’s and Clinton’s post-election speeches, Collins said, “What I was struck by is how each of them stressed the need to unify our country.”

Get involved

Getting involved is an antidote for anyone feeling isolated after their candidate lost the 2016 election. You should “not feel alienated from our country,” Collins said.

Debate without rancor

Students can help elevate the quality of political debate, said Collins.

Glass ceiling in politics

Recalling a story from her unsuccessful run for Maine governor in 1994, when a man told her he couldn’t imagine a woman as governor, Collins says there still is a glass ceiling in politics today.

Self-doubt among aspiring women politicians

In her experience recruiting women and men to run for elected office, Collins says that women invariably harbor doubts about their readiness. Men never do.

Overcoming setbacks defines who you are

How you deal with setbacks in life, Collins said, “shapes how people perceive you” and sets the stage for opportunities later.

Taking a risk means no regrets later

In deciding to run for U.S. Senate in 1996 after losing a three-way election for governor in 1994, Collins said she didn’t want to look back someday with regrets.

The last compromiser?

Collins, often rated , believes both parties “can have good ideas.”

Problem with primaries

Primaries tend to create polarizing candidates, Collins said, because many moderates aren’t enrolled in parties.

Women and collaboration

There are exceptions, but Collins believes that women in Congress tend to be more collaborative than men.

What unites women in the Senate

Collins offers an idea of what might unite the 22 women in the U.S. Senate. And it’s not ideology.

Lesson from Watergate

In college, Collins worked for then-U.S. Rep. Bill Cohen during the summer of the Watergate crisis. From Cohen, a Maine Republican who would go on to become senator and secretary of defense, Collins learned a valuable life lesson.

Picking potatoes

When she was growing up in Caribou, Maine, a defining moment of community-building came during the potato harvest.

Advising her past self

Collins offers advice that she would have given to her college-age self.

Public service

Lessons in public service came from her family, said Collins.

Director of 乐播传媒 Dining Services Cheryl Lacey (left) and Assistant Vice President for Dining, Conferences and Campus Events Christine Schwartz. Known for bringing a sense of fun to the nationally recognized 乐播传媒 dining operation, the duo donned lobster-claw boppers for a recent photo shoot. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Leading a team of more than 100 that serves more than a million meals a year, the two executives in charge of the 乐播传媒 College dining operation will share lessons from their lives and careers in a Q&A at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Fireplace Lounge in the 乐播传媒 Commons, 136 Central Ave.

In the hourlong Purposeful Work Unplugged discussion, titled Behind the Napkin Board: Big Business, Right Here on Campus, Darby Ray, director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships at 乐播传媒, will interview Christine Schwartz, assistant vice president for dining, conferences and events, and Cheryl Lacey, director of dining services.

The discussion will explore work, career paths and finding purpose at 乐播传媒.

The Purposeful Work Unplugged series is open to the public at no cost. Sponsored by the Purposeful Work initiative at 乐播传媒, the series presents notable alumni, staff, faculty and guests in reflection about careers and traits that support meaningful work. For more information, please call 207-786-6128.

A native of New York, Schwartz came to 乐播传媒 in 1997 as associate director of dining services, became dining director in 2002 and in 2012 took the helm of the Dining, Conferences and Campus Events office. Her 乐播传媒 achievements include overseeing the creation of the college’s dining Commons, which opened in 2008, and playing a central role in making 乐播传媒 a nationally recognized leader in sustainable food service practices.

Schwartz earned a bachelor’s degree in social science at Lynchburg College, in Virginia, where she started her food service career, first as a student worker and then as catering manager. She has also held collegiate dining positions at Sweet Briar College, in Virginia, and at St. Mary鈥檚 College in Maryland.

Lacey grew up in rural Maine. The first member of her immediate family to attend college, she graduated from Middlebury with a double major in psychology and literary studies. Though Lacey had intended to pursue a career in psychology, working in dining services as a student gave her a passion for collegiate dining.

After graduation, she worked in Middlebury Dining Services for 14 years before trading in the glorious Green Mountains for the dramatic coast of Maine. She joined 乐播传媒’ Dining Services in 1998 and became director in 2012.

With September considered an opportune time to consider a career or job change, and with the 2015鈥�16 edition of the college’s Purposeful Work Unplugged speaker series kicking off on Oct. 7, here are a dozen Unplugged pearls of job and career wisdom from last year’s speakers.聽(More clips are on the Purposeful Work Unplugged site.)

Purposeful Work is a college-wide initiative that helps students identify and cultivate their interests聽and strengths and acquire the knowledge, experiences and relationships necessary to pursue their aspirations with imagination and integrity.

1. “Don’t work with [fill in the blank]”

Great advice and and even better wit in this exchange between JP Maheu, Twitter’s head of global branding and agency strategy, and George Gallate, CEO of RKG, on Jan. 29, 2015.

2. Careers only look linear in retrospect

President Spencer states a key premise of Purposeful Work, that our career paths are haphazard in reality yet appear sensible and linear in retrospect. The liberal arts education gives students the tools and mindset to make the most of the zig-zag nature of careers.

3. Lighten up on yourself

Jean Thompson 鈥�82, CEO of Seattle Chocolates, interviewed on Nov. 10 by Steve Fuller 鈥�82, chief marketing officer for L.L.Bean, on Nov. 10, says that if she could go back in time she would “lightened up” on her younger self.

4. Leave doors open

Recalling a decision not to pursue medical school, Carol Gaffney ’67, a consulting psychologist who provides professional coaching, tells students not to be dissuaded by how long something might take.

5. Use social media to advance your brand

鈥淪ocial and digital allows you to create an awesome network,鈥� says George Gallate of RKG.

6. No experience is wasted

Spencer says that her prior job experiences, like litigating cases as a federal prosecutor, aren’t directly applicable to running a college but they certainly inform her work today.

7. Ask questions

鈥淚f you do not understand something, just ask. I tell that to everybody,鈥� says Maheu.

8. Add value by adding your perspective

鈥淚f you 诲辞苍鈥檛 know that it鈥檚 always been done one way, you can come up with a better idea,” says Thompson.

9. Have the humility to get better

鈥淭hey were always looking to improve,鈥� says Gaffney 鈥�67, describing what it was like to see world-class orthopedic surgeons rigorously question each other on their techniques and decisions.

10. Seek out truth-tellers

鈥淵ou need to find people in your network that will tell you the truth, even if it hurts,鈥� says Maheu.

11. Have a plan to evaluate opportunity

Because the pace of change is dizzying, students should “have a personal plan” against which to measure their opportunities, says Gallate.

12. Accentuate the difference

Asked if she had advice for women who might be in a male-dominated environment, Thompson advises students to “sing the praises of being a little bit different. Different is what we want.鈥�

Carol Gaffney ’67.

The Purposeful Work Unplugged series welcomes consulting psychologist Carol Gaffney to 乐播传媒 College for a question-and-answer session at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the Fireplace Lounge, Commons, 136 Central Ave.

Sponsored by the Purposeful Work initiative at 乐播传媒, the event is open to the public at no cost. For more information, please call 207-786-6128.

CEO and president of peopleSOLUTIONS and Six Dimensions Sports Consulting, Gaffney provides coaching for professionals seeking to improve personal and professional people skills. The Q&A session will focus on questions posed by members of the 乐播传媒 community concerning her career path. Geoffrey Swift, vice president for finance and treasure at 乐播传媒, will moderate the discussion.

Purposeful Work is a 乐播传媒-wide initiative built on the premise that preparing students for lives of meaningful work is central to the liberal arts mission. The initiative is designed to help students figure out what kinds of work interest them, and to connect students to experiences that allow them to test these interests in the workplace.

Geoffrey Swift, 乐播传媒 vice president for finance and administration and treasurer. (Sarah Crosby/乐播传媒 College)

The Purposeful Work Unplugged series presents question-and-answer sessions with notable alumni, faculty and guests about career trajectories and the traits that support meaningful work.

At peopleSOLUTIONS and Six Dimensions Sports Consulting, Gaffney works with the philosophy that self-knowledge and care are essential for maximizing one鈥檚 potential socially and professionally. Achieving goals in all realms of life rests on building communicative relationships of mutual understanding.

According to her website, Gaffney specializes in improving her clients鈥� skills in recruitment, leadership, performance and life management. Her inside-out approach offers insight into the basics of decision making across a broad range of interactions in the workplace and in daily life.

Previously, Gaffney worked as the director of family education at the CPC Millwood Hospital and as the owner and director at both the Mind/Body Center and Family Counseling Center in Arlington, Texas.

After graduating from 乐播传媒 in 1967 with a degree in psychology, Gaffney earned her doctorate in psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is the former Goddard Fellow in Psychology at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. In addition to being a licensed psychologist, Gaffney is certified as a behavior, values and attribute index analyst and a sports axiologist.

Based in Barrington, Rhode Island, she is the author of several books and articles on successful parenting and stress management. Her clients come from a broad range of industries from sports to business.

Geoffrey Swift is the former chief financial officer at Harvard Law School. He joined 乐播传媒 in November 2014 as a member of President Clayton Spencer鈥檚 senior staff.