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In Clackamas Community College’s Home Alone parody, President Tim Cook celebrates after laying a trap to catch two intruders who sneaked onto campus with malicious intentions.
Clackamas Community College
it hasn’t been an easy year for higher ed; closures are up, confidence in colleges and universities is down, and it remains unclear whether 2024 will bring relief—or just increased campus tensions.
Nevertheless, leaders at institutions across the country managed to offer their campus communities some levity in the form of holiday video greetings, extending well wishes while celebrating their biggest accomplishments of the past year. Here are a few of the quirkiest, catchiest and most heartfelt videos from this December.
Oakland Community College, Oakland County, Mich.
In this riff on the Netflix baking competition show Nailed It! Oakland Community College chancellor Peter Provenzano pits students against faculty members to build and decorate gingerbread houses. The students, part of OCC’s International Club, deck their creation with dozens of countries’ flags while the faculty team, all librarians at the college, turns their gingerbread house into a bite-size library, complete with a book drop.
Wichita State University, Wichita, Kan.
Wichita State president Rick Muma and his husband, Rick Case, prove they have mastered the art of the dad joke in this video, which opens with the pair exchanging Christmas-themed puns, like “Why is the Grinch such a great gardener? He has a green thumb.”
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
UWM’s mascot, Pounce Panther, takes center stage in this video that parodies as many holiday movies and TV shows as can fit into two and a half minutes. The highlight is probably Pounce prancing in the street like Buddy the Elf (in full elf attire, too); the video also includes a shot of Pounce playing Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song” on guitar, a nod to the Jewish members of the UWM community.
Cochise College, Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Excellent comedic editing takes this sketch—about a student who forgets about his math final until minutes before it is due—to another level. So, too, does the stop motion–animated sequence in which a vision of a snowman encourages the protagonist to believe in himself and gives him the strength to solve the last problem.
Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J.
This video shows three SIT students using sounds found around the research university’s campus, such as the sound of ice being scooped into a glass, to create a completely original musical work. The piece then underscores the rest of the video, a compilation of clips and photos of the campus community celebrating the winter holidays.
Meredith College, Raleigh, N.C.
Meredith president Jo Allen and her dog, Quincy, star in this video, Allen’s final holiday greeting before she retires at the end of the academic year. In the video, Allen ruminates on what her time leading Meredith—her undergraduate alma mater—has meant to her, while Quincy dreams of the beachside vacation he hopes to take after they retire.
University of South Florida Muma College of Business, Tampa, Fla.
Deans and other faculty members from USF’s business school parody Hot Ones, a hit interview show in which celebrities must answer questions while eating increasingly spicy wings. Each hot sauce bottle is specially designed to fit a major topic or accomplishment from 2023; one bottle, instead of “A.1. Original Sauce,” reads “A.I. Artificial Sauce,” and the quantity listed is “GPT4 oz.”
Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, Calif.
This message from President Soraya Coley and her husband, Ron, takes a slightly more somber tone, acknowledging that ongoing stressors—including labor negotiations within the California State University system and international conflicts—may be worrisome for some. Coley asks the Cal Poly community to “show compassion for one another as we work towards a happier, healthier community and world.”
Berklee College of Music, Boston
It’s probably no surprise that Berklee’s musical greeting is impressive, but with nearly 100 students and faculty contributing to this multigenre cover of “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music, this video is a true joy—and quite possibly the most unique take on the classic song ever recorded.
Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, Ore.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a parody of Home Alone. This rendition, in which CCC president Tim Cook is left on campus while everyone else goes off to a board meeting, goes above and beyond with the inclusion of two antagonists: faculty members who have sneaked onto campus to “make changes to the grading system” so that they never have to grade again. You’ll have to watch the video to find out if Cook is able to defeat them.
SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, N.Y.
Holiday videos go meta in this simple but witty sketch in which two students brainstorm … what SUNY Geneseo should do for its 2023 holiday video. They decide to do a SUNY Geneseo–themed spin on the Elf on the Shelf meme, brainstorming words that rhyme with locations and buildings on campus; “tomatillo on Geneseo” and “sauropod on Sturges Quad” are two of the best.
University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, Va.
This is Lynchburg’s second year in a row releasing a video that toes the line between holiday greeting and short film. Clocking in at over 10 minutes, “The Grand Hopwood Hall” tells story of two Lynchburg students with a shared history who must come together to win a gingerbread house–making contest. The style of the film aims to pay homage to Wes Anderson, and, while I’m no film buff, I dare say it’s a perfect tribute.
