As we prepare to celebrate the holidays with family, friends, and loved ones, it is fitting to reflect on all we have accomplished together in 2014 and to look forward to the year ahead. Students have finished exams, faculty have finished grading, and we now wrap up the business of the college before a time of rest.
Many of the traditions we celebrate at this time of year draw upon the image of light. On our seal is a torch of learning. Today, we announced the inaugural class of a leadership honorary society that bears that name, which spans all of our schools and campuses.
A torch, by definition, is a portable means of illumination. That is precisely the business we are in—we illuminate a path to learning, enlighten our students to their God-given potential, and empower them to take that potential out into the world.
During our first full calendar year as Middle Georgia State College, we continued to grow in unity. Beyond one name and one mascot, we began to coalesce around one vision: we transform individuals and their communities through extraordinary higher learning.
Day in and day out, we forged new partnerships, drew three schools into one College of Arts and Sciences, ascended to four-year intercollegiate athletics, began our strategic planning process, prepared for SACSCOC reaffirmation, and opened doors of learning for students across the region and beyond. In so doing, we lived our core values of Stewardship, Engagement, Adaptability and Learning.
As individuals and as an institution, we have continued our transformation. We acquired new knowledge and applied skills to new challenges. We grew collectively from two state colleges into one united institution preparing to become a state university.
I am grateful to work with you on this noble endeavor. I wish each and every one of you peace and warm greetings this holiday season and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead for us all in 2015.
Chris