Grateful for a wonderful school year
Fairmont State University recently celebrated its 150th commencement. While staff, students, and their families take a moment to breathe, and prepare for whatever summer adventures await (even that means just catching up on relaxation!), I wanted to take this moment to express my gratitude, and reaffirm Fairmont State’s identity and our dedication to transform lives.
This commencement ceremony included within it another academic tradition – my official installation as President of Fairmont State University. Today I am filled with many emotions, but more than any, I am filled with gratitude. I am most humbled and grateful to the Board of Governors of Fairmont State University for affording me the privilege to serve as this special school’s 26th president.
I am grateful to the families who send their sons and daughters to us, confident we are the destination that can nurture them into becoming the next generation of citizen leaders – men and women of integrity, accomplishment, purpose, kindness and optimistic passion.
I am grateful to our alumni who chose to come to this place prepared to grow and learn, and who left here prepared to change the world in ways large and small.
I am grateful to our faculty who teach, inspire, and mentor our students every day. These men and women are among the very best and brightest minds of our time. They model for our students the power of an engaged and purposeful life. What a privilege it is to work with them.
I am grateful to our staff whose expertise and generosity of spirit sustains a community that nourishes all who live, work, and study here.
Finally, I am grateful to our donors and our many supporters in the community who constantly challenge us to be the very best university we can be.
When I think about what that means – “to be the very best university we can be” – I don’t mean “the biggest” or “the most exclusive,” because those types of qualities aren’t what we strive for here, nor do they describe the qualities that best serve our communities. So, who are we? We proudly proclaim our identity with audacious authenticity: Fairmont State University is the wellspring of aspiration and inspiration for West Virginia and we are the destination for all who thirst to make our world a better place.
We are a community that believes in the power of higher education to transform lives and to transform our state. We are dedicated to providing an excellent, accessible, and affordable college education. We believe we exist to serve the needs of our students and our community. And we believe Fairmont State is an uncommon and remarkable place – a place committed to seeing our students graduate and a place devoted to helping our graduates live uncommon and remarkable lives.
For over 150 years, this institution has been a beacon of hope, shining from the hilltop. From those earliest days, generations of Falcons have taken wing and impacted the world in immeasurable ways. And now it’s the Class of 2019’s turn to carry the legacy of Fairmont State University forward. President George H.W. Bush called this generation the “values generation” and he was optimistic that they would lead us to a brighter future.
I am likewise optimistic. This generation is driven by a passion to solve today’s most difficult problems, and success to them is measured by the positive impact they can have in the lives of others. As these graduates join previous generations of Falcons in making positive change around the state, the nation and the world, they also reaffirm Fairmont State University’s role as a true engine of transformation.
Dr. President Mirta MartinOpinionOpEd
