A Message from the Dean: Dr. Kyle Usrey
Dr. Kyle Usrey |
It was Socrates who reputedly said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” In chapel the other day, I pointed out that for Friends University students this is the best time to examine their lives and their futures. In my first few months at Friends, I’ve been overwhelmed and humbled by the kindness and love expressed on campus among our students, faculty, staff, and alums. This is a wonderful place, populated by a caring and dedicated faculty, intent on helping students develop intellectually, socially, spiritually — in all ways to become that which God has made them to be…nothing more and nothing less. We have a number of programs and majors, some unique in liberal arts contexts, but all with a focus on student success. And in the age of globalization, predicting student success isn’t easy. We have to be on top of changes in our global society, not only for us to survive, but to enable our clients (the students) to thrive and lead in a world that desperately needs their involvement.
One of the constants in the 21st Century is CHANGE. The existence and primacy of change is going to be at the centerpiece of our region, our society, and our world for the rest of time. A recent study concluded that organizations and people fail for one primary reason – not for lack of vision, nor lack of support and infrastructure. Rather, it is the inability to manage change that is often the downfall. One of the great benefits of a liberal arts education is that we provide a broad spectrum of study for examining life in its various developmental shifts, revisions, and preservation ventures, plus we celebrate the professional disciplines, like business and education, that provide the practical application of the knowledge and wisdom gained from our classic, general education models. And thus, in assessing and working through change, our students can call upon the lessons of history, language, literature, fine arts, the sciences, math, politics, the professions — all woven together in a mosaic – to critically examine the world that they will be shaping and that is shaping them. Yet, there’s more and this is essential — we are founded deeply in FAITH-BASED VALUES undergirded by a heritage of Quaker-based norms that guide, empower, and challenge students in the maize of choices and consequences they face. Character matters more than ever in a world that highlights downfalls and tragic decisions every day, be they in business, religion, government or elsewhere – and character is not just ‘best practices’ or merely obeying the law as other institutions might glibly teach. Rather, it’s predicated in large measure on a complex examination of holiness, justice, and love — historic and cutting-edge principles that are our foundation.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe once said, “Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” We dream big at Friends University and encourage our students to dream big. Come, learn, and discover elements of your intellect and character that you never knew were in you, and become what you are supposed to be. This education process isn’t easy — it’s about transformation of students and us as an institution, as well — we’re all in this together, inseparable and integrated. It’s about the process of becoming something unique and different…and YOU can imagine the difference!
