After months of preparation, I am pleased that the beginning of the fall semester, Brenau’s 145th, finally has arrived and our university once again is bustling with activity.
As we inaugurate another year in the life of the university, I call on each of us to consider that which defines us as a university: colleagues who are working together toward a greater purpose, a common good that is broader than we can achieve individually.
Brenau has a common code, a call to action, an ultimate concern, that binds us together – faculty, staff, administration and students. It undergirds this university and influences her endeavors: The Brenau Ideal, which bears repeating here in its entirety rather than simply linking to it.
To find satisfaction in being rather than seeming;
To find joy in doing rather than dreaming;
To be prepared for service thereby earning the right to be served;
To be pure in heart, vigorous in mind, discreet in action;
To love deeply, fear nothing, hate never;
To enjoy that freedom which comes from the knowledge of the “Truth”;
To be modestly conscious of the limitations of human knowledge and serenely confident of the limitless reaches of human endeavor –
This is the ideal of Brenau.
We live in a world that invites conflict, chaos, and tension, but the history of this university is entwined with the concept of community and periods when she excels at elevating that concept. Pearce’s words frame an idyllic yet attainable view of reality that leans into community as the path to purpose and meaning. The word “for” means “to be in favor of.” I challenge all of us to spend this year together being for each other.
Let the words of Brenau’s Ideal permeate your hearts and minds. I encourage you to be, do, and serve each other and our students so that our community is colored by love rather than hate, motivated by assurance rather than fear, and enjoy the freedom which comes from the pursuit of the knowledge of the “Truth.”
Welcome back, and let’s have a great year!
David L. Barnett, Ph.D.
Acting President
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
