PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Reflections on a Lake

Little things mean a lot! Once again this summer I have come to realize lakes inspire me. I grew up in Milltown, a village in northwestern Wisconsin. We could claim 13 lakes within eight miles. My father was an avid fisherman, and we spent many days at the lakes fishing and swimming, often picnicking, too. For many years we rented a cabin on Bone Lake near Luck, Wis. Anne and I bought a lot and cabin in the area 35 years ago.

My fondness for lakes was renewed this summer when we visited a good friend at Lake Miltona in Minnesota. It was a highlight of my summer not only because of the good time spent with our friend, but because I got to swim in a natural lake like those I remember from childhood.

I’ve often wondered what memories our graduates take with them from Dana. I believe it’s likely the people, special memories of those people, and how they were treated and stimulated that are remembered most. Every campus aims to create a somewhat distinctive community. The facilities help, but in the end it is the people who count the most. I hope what we offer expands one’s knowledge base and opens opportunities — as when one attends an opera or theater production for the first time, travels overseas or learns methods of discovery that can be applied throughout a lifetime. For many of us our faith is tested and matures, character lessons are learned, and we encounter diverse people we might not have come to know personally.

Each community gives off signals of what it values most. One Dana alumna put it this way: “Dana was like family. Many of my best friendships were formed there. My professors treated me like a family member; they seemed to really care about me and challenge me to perform up to my ability.”

Another said, “I grew in my Christian faith at Dana; not because chapel was required or courses in religion were required, but because my faith was nurtured and modeled by many in the community.”

After more than 43 years as a college professor and administrator, I think about the tremendous changes in higher education. Today some of the largest universities are privately owned for-profit and “online” institutions. Will the personalized experience we have long prized at Dana continue to be valued? I think the intimate residential experience will continue to be preferred. But will it continue to be prized by parents and students who look for the lowest sticker price and by a Congress that is once more deadlocked on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and hasn’t raised student loan limits for decades?

Colleges like Dana are residential communities with facilities that foster community interaction and participation. Many newer universities require only an Internet connection or rented classroom facility. Inasmuch as Dana is a residential learning community, facilities are very important. We remember how we were strapped for classrooms and offices when Old Main burned in August 1988. We were tested again this year on May 22, about seven hours after the Dana class of 2004 walked across the stage in the Gardner-Hawks Center. Baseball-size hail pummeled our campus, smashing more than 200 northern-exposure windows, and badly damaging campus lighting fixtures, outdoor bleachers, skylights, roofs and our college vehicles. Some students found windows in their vehicles smashed as they prepared to go home. Yet, the community pulled together once again as staff members gathered the next day to cover broken windows and clean up the mess.

The damage was extensive — more than $1 million. But the community remains unscathed. Students will continue to be nurtured by a caring, competent community of scholars, advisers and other staff. We continue our pledge to students, “We’re with you all the way!”

Diving into a cool Wisconsin or Minnesota lake brought joyous memories to me. It reminded me that small things mean a lot. It is my prayer for Dana College that the most important features of the college, our people and our mission, will not be lost or compromised. May education here always be rooted in and inspired by a loving, saving God, hearts and minds eager for learning and community, and a shared desire to create a better, more peaceful world community. I found that here when I first came as a student. I believe it is still a part of the fabric of life here. Those “little” things mean a lot.