Commencing a new future
During a visit to the College of Wooster, in Ohio, Robert Frost said that if you were to love something, you could do worse than give your heart to a college. I find myself thinking about that comment every time I attend a college baccalaureate or commencement.
This year I was a speaker at one liberal arts college and will sit in the audience at another when my grandson graduates. I’ve been present at college graduations five times as a parent, two times as a grandparent and 13 times as a participant. Each time I’ve been impressed, engaged and deeply moved.
Small liberal arts colleges are national and cultural treasures. Nearly all were started by religious denominations more than a century ago in towns and villages that were outposts in the wilderness. These colleges grew out of some noble ideals: faith seeking understanding, scholarship inspired by theological conviction, faith unafraid and supportive of intellectual and scientific inquiry.
