President Rebecca M. Bergman
What does it mean to be part of a “community”?
A community is often described as a group of people who share a common interest, a common characteristic, a common set of values, or live in a geographical area. A fundamental feature of these descriptions is that a community is about people, and particularly about people in relationship to each other.
A healthy and vital community gives us a sense of belonging, of being genuinely connected to one another. Such a community is much more than a casual collection of individuals. In a healthy community, people have a deep and abiding commitment to each other, communicate with authenticity and honesty, trust and support each other, and commit to a shared purpose. Community members all feel known, respected, and appreciated. They celebrate together, pitch in to help each other with a sense of reciprocity, and work together to accomplish big goals.
When we say that we “value community” at Gustavus, what does that mean? Since community is all about people and relationships, it means that we believe the people in our community are important, and we demonstrate that through our everyday actions and interactions. In short, when we say we value our community, it means we care about the people here and the work we collectively do.
Living in community is not always easy. It calls us to nurture relationships, to reach out to each other, and to seek inclusion in all that we do. When members of our community need a hand or a word of encouragement, I hope that each of us is the first to step up.
Are your actions today building a stronger community? I know that if we all say a resounding “Yes!” to this question, it will create an unmistakable sense of positivity around here. Sounds good to me — let’s go for it!
Until next week, keep up the good work, Gusties!
With respect,
Becky