Monday Moments with President Bergman: November 20, 2017

Gustavus President Rebecca M. Bergman shares her thoughts with College employees each week.

President Rebecca M. Bergman

There are days when “Valuing Community” is strikingly evident on our campus. Last Saturday was one of those days. Gustavus hosted 152 prospective students and their families for our first Scholarship Day of the year. These prospective students are all bright and talented high school seniors who have been admitted to Gustavus, and our goal is to convince them to say “Yes!” to attending Gustavus next fall. Several months of work by the admission team and our marketing & communication staff brought us to this point, but a successful Scholarship Day takes many more people than that. In fact, a successful Scholarship Day takes a community to deliver an excellent experience to nearly 500 guests on our campus. Here are some of the ways that Gusties were involved in the day:

  • 35 faculty members interviewed students
  • 15 fine arts faculty conducted auditions and portfolio reviews
  • 30 students gave campus tours and answered questions
  • Our Dining Service team demonstrated Gustavus hospitality, serving breakfast, lunch, and refreshments
  • Our Building Services team kept our facilities sparkling clean
  • Our Media Services team handled sound and technology in all the buildings
  • A wide variety of staff members showed up just to welcome, greet, and guide families
My sincere thanks to all those who worked hard to give these students an outstanding experience on our campus. What a community effort! This is a clear example of what it means to value our community. We know that first impressions matter a lot, and I am sure that hundreds of positive first impressions were made on Saturday. A little extra effort can make all the difference to a prospective student — a friendly smile, an offer of help to someone who looks lost, an answer to an everyday question, clean and comfortable spaces to relax, a sampling of delicious Gustavus food, or a serious conversation that reassures a family that their son or daughter will thrive at Gustavus. These are all the small gestures that add up to a big welcome for our guests.

Until next week, keep up the good work, Gusties!

With gratitude and warm wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving,

Becky