Let me begin with a story.
When I graduated from high school in 1981, I was absolutely determined that I would never attend college. Having sat through 11 years of school (I did not attend kindergarten and I skipped third grade), I was not going to be caught anywhere near another educational institution. I had been in touch with Richard Proenneke who had built a cabin at Upper Twin Lake in Alaska and thought that I would apprentice under him, to learn to live off the land, in solitude, truly self-sufficient and alone. We corresponded for several years in the late 1970s about my venture. He told me that I should go to college to see how I could serve others, and then, if I still wanted to, we could see about a trip to Alaska. As I reflect back on that time in my life, what I know now is that my desire to leave society was because of the gaps that I saw in front of me, gaps in meaning and purpose, gaps in equity and justice, gaps that no one seemed to be addressing. Poverty. The degradation of the land. Racial injustice. The Vietnam War. What I hadn’t experienced was the type of education that is offered here at Central Washington University. In the last year, I’ve had dozens of meetings with alumni, donors, friends, and supporters, and they keep telling me the same thing: Central is a special place. It is special because for every student, someone, a faculty member, a staff member—one of you—took the time to see the potential in that student, and then helped that student realize that potential. One moment in time that provided a foundation for a lifetime. This is what you all do—the faculty and staff, and also the students for each other—that makes Central Washington University special. You allow students to be seen. You validate them not just as students, but as colleagues, as individuals with purpose and meaning. In the coming decade, we must maintain—and even elevate—this laser focus on student engagement and success, which fosters professional preparation, civic agency, and personal fulfillment. For our nation is at a crossroad and the choices we make now will impact generations to come. Will we come together as a nation to meaningfully engage the pressing issues of our time? Can we weave the tattered fabric of our civil society back together in order to get on with the work before us—or will we remain polarized and paralyzed? I strongly believe that the crossroad our nation faces runs squarely through higher education—and if we can pivot and provide the intentional and meaningful learning experiences needed in the 21st century, we can alleviate the paralysis and enter the arena to engage the work before us. But the status quo will not do; the status quo brought us to the brink. Page 3
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