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Editor Millsaps College President |
The first half of
my career was spent at four institutions purposefully
working to create lasting and meaningful community
through student development. The degree of belonging,
togetherness, and healthy community spirit at a college
is readily apparent to anyone, even after a few hours of
visiting campus. Does Millsaps have a terrific community
spirit or not? I haven’t been at Millsaps long, but
I have been here long enough to know that Millsaps has
it. It was Millsaps’ vibrant community that led me to seek and ultimately accept the presidency. There are challenges before us, to be sure; we must increase enrollment and grow the endowment. But I know we can and will meet these challenges because of the talent and dedication of our people. My goal is to enhance our community in as many ways as possible. I want all of us in the Millsaps Community, including our alumni, to begin to vision together the ultimate college community. Our community does not consist of people who look alike, or talk alike, or think alike, or even vote alike. And for that diversity, I am grateful. So I affirm our differences; I welcome them. We want to hear every voice at Millsaps, except those of intolerance. At its best, our community does great things through the small steps of big thinkers. Think Big: that’s what our community challenges each and every one of us to do. Our small steps add up quickly. Take the stories in this issue of our magazine, for example: an alumna teaching English in Java as a volunteer; another writing best-selling novels from the Ozarks; a student winning a Gates Scholarship; a faculty member winning a state humanities award. Yes, they are their own people. But they are united too. And in their story is our story written. I love music, and in my youth Dr. Tim Coker was my beloved church choir director. So maybe that is why I naturally think of the Homecoming Concert as the best example of community during my first months at the College. It was stunning to hear such beautiful music from such young singers being sung to smiling, knowing alumni of all ages. It was stunning and humbling and, most of all, inspiring. Think Big, they sang. Think Big. At its best, our community makes a music all its own — a wondrous, joyous music. Our challenge is to sing so boldly that we will be heard in places we are not now heard. Our challenge is to sing so clearly that we will be heard in ways we are not now heard. Let us sing with many different voices the song of a glorious Millsaps Community. Frances Lucas-Tauchar President, Millsaps College PAGE 1 OF 1 | NEXT ARTICLE |