Like many others during the fall months, I look forward to cooler weather, sweatshirts, beautiful foliage and returning to Colgate University for the first meeting of the year with the Alumni Council. This year was extra special since we planned the meeting to coincide with Homecoming and Colgate Day. Expectations were high for a productive and fun weekend advancing our goals of the Alumni Council and being together in a place that we all love.
As I reflect upon the weekend, the prevailing emotion I feel is not what I expected. I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude for the connection I felt throughout the weekend, especially after the horror we all have been experiencing since the conflict started in Israel and Gaza. I felt a somber tone upon arrival and kicking off the Alumni Council meeting. While we were all very excited to be together once again, we all had an ache in our hearts for the Colgate students, for the entire Colgate community, for each other and for friends impacted by this horror.
What struck me was how this campus comes together during the wonderful moments as well as the sad ones. I am a member of the Class of ’77 and have many memories of lovely times at Colgate as a student and as an alumnus. I have a proud heart for our college, and I have never been more proud as I am now due to the vision for the future which will propel Colgate forward to a place that is sorely needed in our world. I also, however, remember the sad times that I experienced as a student and an alumnus – times filled with great sorrow. What is so wonderful about our Colgate community is that we pull together in both scenarios.
It was good that the 56 members of the Colgate Alumni Council were on campus during this weekend. It was good that we were able to hug current students; it was good that we were able to hug each other, particularly those with great sadness and heavy hearts filled with concern. It was good to spend time with President Casey, Provost Cushing and other members of President Casey’s cabinet because they provided clarity about Colgate’s future and a road map for the alumni on how to make Colgate the strongest residential liberal arts institution in this country. And that is what eases my heart – to be able to do my small part in making the world better than it is today. Rather than standing by watching these atrocities, I can do something and feel empowered to be a part of the solution.
I firmly believe that an education that encompasses learning how to live with each other and how to respectfully discuss tough issues with each other is a key to peace. I am proud of Colgate and, along with others members of the Alumni Council, will work hard at doing our share to make Colgate’s vision for the next century a reality.
