President Rebecca M. Bergman
Greetings, Gusties!
This week, we are taking a quick break from the Monday Moments guest posts from our vice presidents as our community flips the calendar to May. Even at this busy time, I know that we are beginning to count down the days until the end of the 2021-22 academic year. We have almost made it!
One of my favorite traditions every May is how we proudly showcase excellence across both the academic and cocurricular aspects of the student experience. First and foremost among our five core values, excellence is deeply embedded in our goals and expectations of our individual and collective work—a high standard of performance that we, as Gusties, strive for in all our endeavors. Excellence is not a “one and done” achievement. It is cultivated over time, fueled by passion and determination, and achieved through hard work. Seeking excellence means having an attitude of continual improvement, and thriving on the journey of personal growth. It means delivering high quality results in both everyday matters and big assignments. Excellence is achieved over time, through consistent and deliberate practice. I particularly like this quote from Aristotle that I have written on a Post-It note in my home office: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”
Here are some of the ways that our community recognizes and celebrates excellence this time of year:
- Innovative and novel business ideas were highlighted at the Gustie Entrepreneur Cup competition on Saturday afternoon in Beck Hall. Student teams presented their ideas to a panel of judges and had the opportunity to share in up to $20,000 in seed money to pursue their new business ventures.
- Friday and Saturday, we will celebrate Honors Weekend with a variety of events that showcase student accomplishments and talents. On Friday, from 4-6 p.m. in Beck Hall, come visit with student researchers who are presenting posters and talks on their research projects at the Celebration of Creative Inquiry & Spring Science Research Symposium. On Saturday, we formally recognize students for academic, service, and leadership achievements at our Honors Convocation, in Christ Chapel at 10 a.m. In addition, various academic departments are hosting receptions and symposia for award recipients and their families.
- “Gloria” is the final theatre production of the year. Come join in the fun for one of four performances that will happen Thursday through Sunday in the Rob and Judy Gardner Theatre. Learn more and get tickets online.
- A variety of music ensembles are showcasing their talents over the next week, including the Gustavus Honor Choir tonight, the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra on Friday evening, a Choral Showcase on Saturday evening, and Spring Jazz Showcase events on Sunday. Visit the Gustavus Fine Arts calendar to see all this week’s events and make plans to attend. In case you missed the various concerts over the past weekend, you can still view them online on the Gustavus Fine Arts YouTube channel.
- Our Gustavus Senior Studio Art Majors Exhibition premieres in the Hillstrom Museum on Saturday afternoon with an opening reception from 4-6 p.m. Please consider attending the opening reception or stopping by to see the work of our talented senior artists, which will be on display through May 21.
There are so many opportunities to celebrate excellence this week. Come and applaud our students’ hard work and their impressive achievements. Congratulations to all of our students for your many accomplishments and awards that you have achieved this year.