Spring has definitely arrived on campus. The sun is shining, students are completing honors thesis and final projects, and faculty members are planning summer research projects.
It has been a very special Passover season for me. Our Jewish student association and a group of multi-faith students who had studied Exodus and Passover with me and our college chaplain John Williams, co-hosted a lovely campus community Seder. We had almost 200 ‘Roos eating Matzah and dipping parsley in saltwater (to symbolize the tears of slavery)!
In the midst of Passover, we hosted Marion Wright Edelman, CEO and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund. She gave an impassioned presentation to a packed room of students and community leaders and then met with individual classes and talked over lunch with students. That evening, she received the 2012 Austin College Posey Leadership Award. Among other things, she talked about the role that studying abroad had played in her personal and professional development. That is something she has in common with many Austin College students.
Today, I am planning to take some time to enjoy the simple pleasures of Austin College in the spring. I’ll sit for a bit by the Jonsson Fountain outside Mason Complex where I can see the latest work being done on the construction site for the IDEA Center. Two floors already are up, and the third big concrete pour takes place later this week. Then I plan to catch a few innings of play as our women’s softball team takes on one of our SCAC competitors. After that, I will wander over to see some of the art exhibits our senior art students have begun to display. Hmmm … maybe Larry will agree to grill some Texas steaks for dinner. Doesn’t that sound like a perfect day?
I hope you will come visit campus during this lovely season. We would love to show you around!
Marjorie Hass, President
Austin College