Opening Day Remarks

Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, Kansas

Aug. 22, 2003
President Tom Bryant

Remarks to faculty and staff, opening faculty meeting

In the classic movie, "It's a Wonderful Life," Harry Bailey learns what the world would have been like had he not been part of the life of the little town of Bedford Falls. Harry discovered, with some divine assistance, that he had made a difference in ways he had not imagined. Harry made a mistake we all make sometimes -- he had taken himself and his influence on others for granted.

The Morning Sun posed a similar question about Pittsburg State students, faculty and staff in an editorial in July. "Do students, faculty and staff make a difference in Pittsburg?" the editorial asked. You bet they do! You need only to drive down Broadway in July to see just how much of a difference you make in the life of this city.

The newspaper encouraged its readers to have a greater appreciation for what PSU students and staff bring to the community. The newspaper noted not only the economic impact of students, faculty and staff, but also the ways that each of you enrich and add to the life of the community Taking time to appreciate each other is good advice for all of us, especially as we struggle to find seats for students in sections that are already full and deal with the inevitable problems and glitches that accompany the start of every new academic year. For all the headaches they may bring with them, we are so glad to see the students return to campus each fall. They are the reason we are here and the focus of all we do.

I hope you are as happy to be on campus this fall as I am to see you here. This is a special year for PSU because we are celebrating our centennial. There are numerous centennial events planned and I hope you will take part in as many as you can.

The biggest event on the horizon is PittNic at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 8, on the Oval. This celebration is open to the community and it is an opportunity to share this happy time with as many people as possible. I encourage all of you to be there.

As we mark this important milestone in the university's history, it is important to remember that although we honor the past, our focus is on the future. 2003 is special not because it is the end of a century of education, research and service, but because it is the beginning of a second century of even greater education, research and service to our state, our region and the wider world.

The recently completed North Central Association process is the best example I can give of our commitment to the future. Now that the study is done and the reaccreditation is won, our work has just begun. We will take what we have learned about ourselves through this process to strengthen and improve the educational experience we offer our students.

With those things in mind, it should be said that the NCA report was one of the best we could have hoped for. We should all be proud of the outcome.

All of you deserve congratulations for making the North Central report such a positive one. I offer special thanks to Dr. Grady Smoot for his leadership and to Joan Cleland for her many hours of work on that project. In our planning process, we have learned that we need to continue our efforts to secure, maintain and upgrade technology on our campus. We will do that!

The process also indicated that we need to do a better job of promoting diversity in our student body, our faculty and our staff. Even though we have wrestled with this for some time, we are going to spend additional time on the issue this year. Together, we will turn that concern into a positive.

Our tasks would be easier, of course, if the economy were booming, or if state support were higher, or if we had more scholarship money, or if we had more money for faculty development, or if we were dealing with different demographics, but we cannot and will not let the "ifs" in life keep us from doing what we know is right. We cannot wait for the right time to do the right thing. The right time to do the right thing is always right now.

It is always difficult to select the right words for the opening faculty meeting. You have been here a long time already today and there is still much ahead of you. But this is the only time we are all together at one time and I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to tell you how important each of you is to this university and to the students we serve. We are partners in this great mission and I value your thoughts and your opinions. One of my goals this year is to meet with you in your departments. I look forward to hearing from each of you in those meetings.

Today, we are not only opening a new semester, we are also laying the foundation for this university's second century. It will be a great century filled with great achievements. I believe this because I believe in you, as I believe in our students and in our friends and alumni. Together, we will make Pittsburg State University's second century her best century.

I wish you the best for the coming semester. You are a great team and I, for one, continue to feel privileged to be a part of the PSU team.