In Celebration of Our Work: President’s Welcome Message

Dear Colleagues:

As we come together to start the Spring 2017 semester, I want to offer a word in celebration of our work.

We are part of a great enterprise: the research university. It’s our job in a research university to better understand the way the world works and to use that knowledge to make the world a better place. We do this work through teaching and learning, through research and practice; we do it through professional and community service and through performance and exhibitions. Our work helps humankind understand who we are as a people at this moment in time, it defines our potential, and it shapes creative solutions to important problems. Every one of us, no matter our roles, contributes to this broad mission. It’s meaningful work, and it’s a privilege to do it.

Sometimes, caught up in the press of daily challenges or isolated victories, we lose sight of this big picture. To help make our contributions more visible, I am pleased to announce the creation of four new university awards:

• The Presidential Teaching Award, to recognize outstanding classroom instruction and student advising by our faculty

• The Presidential New Scholar Award, to recognize outstanding scholarly or practice potential by our students

• The Presidential Service Award, to recognize outstanding contributions to the university community by our staff

• The Presidential Research Award, to recognize outstanding contributions to new knowledge by our faculty

In the coming weeks and months, we will call for nominations and establish ways to celebrate these achievements.

We also need to address the challenges that higher education is experiencing. One aspect of our response has been the preparation of an academic plan that shapes our ambitions; affirms our mission, values, and vision; and ensures that CGU will be the best place for our students over the next decade. In February, we’ll announce forums in which CGU constituents can add their ideas to the mix.

Our personal responses are no less important. Every day, within our respective roles, let’s do those things that make CGU a great place to learn and work, that make our upcoming centennial noteworthy beyond our borders, that make CGU a place we celebrate every day.

I will be writing regularly about our progress, and I will create ways for us to share our perspectives.

Best wishes for a successful spring semester.

Respectfully,

Jacob Adams
Interim President