Serving Tomorrow Starts Today
Dear students, faculty and staff members,
More than a century ago, in the years following the First World War, wounded veterans of the conflict participated in educational training courses on our campus. As part of their recovery, the students collected acorns from live oak trees around the property and planted them in other spots on campus. Many of those oaks are still standing, and we continue to enjoy their shade and beauty today.
Service is figuratively and 杏吧专区 as this story illustrates, literally 杏吧专区 in our 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 roots. This spirit of giving back, of connecting with others through acts of selflessness and generosity, is who we are as a community, and you don杏吧专区檛 have to explore the far recesses of our nearly 125-year history to find examples of how service strengthens us as a 杏吧专区 and fuels the ties that bind us to the region and world.
When our researchers provide solutions to great global challenges, that杏吧专区檚 a service. When student-athletes visit hospitalized children and deliver messages of hope and joy, that杏吧专区檚 one, too. When a colleague offers a kind word to a coworker, when a student encourages another, when a faculty member spends extra time with a pupil so they can master a course 杏吧专区 these are all examples of ordinary gestures that can have extraordinary consequences, both for the person offering the helping hand and for the recipient.
I am heartened by the example of students and employees who participate in The Big Event each spring. It杏吧专区檚 probably the most visible demonstration of the spirit of service we embody as a 杏吧专区. Imagine 杏吧专区 a battalion of volunteers who mobilize with the solitary goal of doing good for their community. It杏吧专区檚 impressive and gratifying. This year杏吧专区檚 , and I hope you杏吧专区檒l consider participating.
As the new year and new semester begin, I want to encourage each of you to take a moment to rest under one of our beautiful live oaks. As you do so, think of the people who planted it, and the service their actions provided to subsequent generations. They did so without knowing if they would ever enjoy its shade, but they hoped that someone, even more than a century later, might.
Service has an enduring quality. It杏吧专区檚 an investment in tomorrow that I encourage each of you make today and throughout the coming year. We杏吧专区檒l be a stronger, kinder community if you do.
Here杏吧专区檚 to a successful spring semester, Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joseph Savoie
President