May 2007 Presidential Update

It is impossible to adequately thank every faculty and staff member who made commencement weekend a real success. I received many comments of appreciation for what EMU has meant to students, parents, and families.

Last evening we honored two long time faculty members, Clair Mellinger (37 years) and Jay B. Landis (50 years), for their exemplary service to EMU. Fellow faculty members treated us with humorous and serious reflections on their unique contributions to life at EMU.

In many ways the second term of the 06-07 academic year was unusually stressful and seemed long. With the March accident of the Bluffton University baseball team, our own potentially serious student injury on April 13, and the horrific events at Virginia Tech on April 16, we had many occasions to contemplate the fragility of life. These events also caused us to spend additional time preparing for any number of possible crises on campus, a task that is never fully completed.

We are very thankful for the incredible recovery of Michael Wiebe-Johnson from his injuries after the fall from the roof of Oakwood. It was not a good feeling to watch him being transferred from the ambulance to the helicopter, having no idea how badly injured he was at the time. I know that he and his friends have a new appreciation for life and for the unexpected dangers of a prank that quickly turned from euphoria to horror.

During the past month Pat and I participated in two meetings of alumni/donor/friends in Ohio and I preached at Bethel Mennonite Church, West Liberty, Ohio. During the next three weekends we will visit Slate Hill Mennonite, Salford Mennonite, and Akron Mennonite, all in Pennsylvania. A number of donor contacts are also scheduled around these preaching appointments as we continue to invite major contributions to the Suter Science project and other campaign priorities. With two months to the end of the fiscal year, we are grateful that our University Fund is currently on pace to reach our ambitious goal. I am also pleased that the number of deposits for new first year undergraduate students is running slightly ahead of last year at this time.

During the past three months Kirk Shisler, vice president for advancement, and I have made proposals to several lead donors seeking in excess of $13 million of support for various EMU capital improvement projects. The board of trustees has fine-tuned our priorities for capital funding and approved procedures for deciding when to move ahead on second-tier projects. We cannot be put in a position where we have some commitments for each of many projects, none of which totals enough to complete any one of the facilities.

Pat and I, along with Sarah and Sam Weaver, shared a delightful visit with Sarah Herr on the day prior to her 99th birthday. As far as we know, Sarah is the second-oldest living EMU alumnus. When she and Grant were married in June 1927 in an outdoor ceremony at her parents' home, they were so pleased to hear church bells tolling all over town at precisely the moment of their wedding. Only later did they learn that the bells were tolling in honor of Charles Lindbergh returning to the U.S. from his record-setting flight over the Atlantic.

We have not received any word from the BBC about a possible broadcast of the story on global warming which was recorded at EMU on April 13. It is quite likely that the events at Virginia Tech totally changed their schedule for the next number of days. Apparently, I was contacted for this interview because I had joined more than 80 others in signing a statement, Evangelical Climate Initiative, about a year ago. The statement I shared on April 13 can be accessed on the president's page of the EMU website. I would also encourage those interested in the topic to check out another website www.coolingcreation.org. There are many points of view on the topic, but I remain convinced that our calling to be good stewards of God's creation requires us to pay close attention to the scientific data. We cannot, it seems to me, allow the debate to be unduly politicized.

As we go our many different ways for the summer months (and as some folks gear up for a very busy summer schedule!) I pray that all of us will find some time for physical and spiritual renewal.

Books I'm reading: Wrestling with the Text: Young Adult Perspectives on Scriptures by Keith Graber Miller and Malinda Elizabeth Berry.

Blessings, Loren

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