As president, I have been struck by how often members of the Wabash family ask me how I am doing. My standard answer recently is to remind them that I started in 2020—so there has been nowhere to go but up.
At first, I found it a bit strange that people frequently asked about my well-being. Sometimes it made me worry. How bad do I look? Am I forgetting to smile?
But I have come to realize that checking in on each other—a faculty member touching base with a new student or an alum calling his pledge brother from 40 years ago—is an enduring feature of our College. It is one of many things that are always Wabash.
This past year, 168体育平台下载_足球即时比分-注册|官网ndy and I have been fortunate to spend more time traveling to meet with alumni and alumni groups, giving many of you a chance to check in and ask how our College is doing. A few months ago, I stopped preparing remarks for these events after realizing simply answering people’s questions is a much more efficient way to provide an update.
I usually start by answering the top three questions preemptively: How does the freshman class look? How is the Giant Steps campaign going? What are the faculty like? Then we usually move on to a range of questions about people, places, and programs.
Often the questions carry concern that things they hoped would always be part of Wabash might be going away. This is most evident as we travel farther from campus and visit with friends who are unable to return to Crawfordsville as frequently as they might like.
I used to be puzzled by some of these questions. For example, I was recently asked if we still have oral comprehensive examinations. That one caught me off guard. But I then realized I have the privilege to hear the conversations among students about their comps committee members; I get to see the young man walking to a faculty office in his best suit; and I have a glimpse into the sense of pride and accomplishment that follows the exam.
Of course, most of you aren’t fortunate enough to have my window into campus life. And many of you hear about experiences at other campuses from family and friends, or from the countless unflattering portrayals of higher education in the media. So, it’s natural to assume important rites of passage that have disappeared from other colleges reflect the evolution of our campus. Rest assured, these important traditions continue at Wabash.
This is not to say that we avoid innovation. A few recent developments include new majors in philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) and computer science, volleyball as a varsity sport, and remote admissions recruiters in three different states (Illinois, Texas, and Arizona). But importantly, these are changes driven as we seek ways to better serve our students and to expand the number of young men who know about and can benefit from what we have to offer.
The support of countless alumni and friends of the College allows us both to innovate and to maintain those things that will always define Wabash: a deep commitment to the liberal arts, high expectation for responsible behavior embodied in the Gentleman’s Rule, and a willingness to engage each other in conversations on big ideas and difficult issues.
These, our most important values, will be always Wabash.
Scott Feller | President