President Rebecca M. Bergman
Last week was a busy week! On Tuesday, we celebrated Founders Day, and three outstanding employees were honored with employee awards. With a combined tenure of 70 years, Kelly Waldron, Bruce Volek and Chris Gilbert exemplify dedication to Gustavus and commitment to excellence.
On Thursday, Gustavus celebrated “Give to Gustavus Day,” complete with a 12-hour live-stream broadcast from the Cafeteria. What an extraordinary day! Thank you to all the employees who helped make the day successful, and a special thank you to employees who took advantage of the Board of Trustees match and the various challenges by participating in the employee campaign. Every gift matters to our students and impacts our ability to provide them with a liberal arts education of recognized excellence.
I’d like to unpack the phrase Valuing Community and Delivering Excellence with you over the next few weeks. The first question we might ask ourselves and each other is, “why is this important?” The answer, in my mind, is simple. Valuing community and delivering excellence are central to our mission and essential to the students that we serve. We promise to prepare students for fulfilling lives of leadership and service in society. We promise to give them a residential experience that challenges them intellectually, develops their capabilities, builds meaningful relationships, involves them in a variety of activities, and helps them discern their purpose in life. We all have a stake in this! Every job at Gustavus has a connection to our mission, and we all contribute to the success of our students and the institution as a whole.
I encourage you to think about how your work connects to our mission at Gustavus. Talk about this with your colleagues today. Our mission is the glue that binds us. It is the essential “why” behind everything we do.
Until next week, keep up the good work, Gusties!
With respect,
Becky