What It Means to be a University Family November 7, 2018, at 9:51 a.m.
To our 探花族 Community:
In this season of reflection and thanks, we as a University have experienced a great deal that should inspire in all of us a deep sense of gratitude. Our recent progress is energizing鈥攖he result of hard work and a common sense of purpose. Students are excelling in class and beyond, our graduates are achieving their dreams, faculty and staff are collaborating and thriving, buildings are rising, and the community is rallying.
We decided years ago that this educational community would operate as a family, supported by our spirit and the combined talent of faculty, administration, staff, and students. Our family is diverse, creative and thoughtful, and there are so many examples of our collective soul playing out daily across our campus.
I was struck by this once again a few weeks ago when Dr. Tim Snyder, Dean of our College of Fine Arts, led our University Singers in a powerful 30-minute 鈥減op-up鈥� concert. This creative performance took place, not in a theatre or concert hall, but in the Davis College of Business atrium, as part of a new series called 鈥淎 Little Lunch Music.鈥�
, so moved by the moment. This first-class experience included music of the Italian Renaissance from the late 1500鈥檚. Think Sistine Chapel and angelic voices. It inspired me personally 鈥� talented student performers in an unexpected location, in the middle of our daily lives, sharing their prodigious gifts for a unique and memorable experience.
Let me encourage you to attend the next performance in the series tomorrow, November 8, in the Howard Administration Building. Come and experience the family spirit for yourself. You鈥檒l be better for it.
Lastly, as we prepare to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, join me in reflecting on this: like any loving and supportive family, we can choose to act from a place of positive intent. Let us encourage each other, push each other, lend a hand, agree and disagree, laugh, challenge, and forgive each other.
This is what makes 探花族 a family, and what makes me so thankful to be a part of it.
With gratitude,
Tim Cost
President
探花族
Class of 1981