Bright and early this morning I was the featured speaker at the Middletown Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast. (Watch the full address here). This was the annual Business Education Recognition Breakfast, and there were a couple of hundred people there to celebrate mentorship, teaching and learning.
As I often do, I spoke of the three things everybody should learn in college: Discover what you love to do; get better at it; learn to share it with others. It’s not enough to pursue those things that you’ve done well in, and it’s not enough to “discover your passion.” All students should find the kinds of work that are personally rewarding, and then they should hone their skills to become more adept at whatever it is that gives them meaning and purpose. Sharing that work with others—in the marketplace or in the not-for-profit world—should also be a part of one’s education. I believe these are key elements of the American tradition of pragmatic liberal education.
I had occasion to talk about the many ways that Wesleyan contributes to the surrounding community. For example, through the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships, more than 750 students engage in programs every semester doing volunteer work such as tutoring and mentoring in local schools, addressing issues of housing with Habitat for Humanity, delivering food to three elementary schools to address food insecurity, and more.
Wesleyan’s direct and indirect economic impact is powerful: $434 million in labor income; $624 million in value added to state economy; supporting almost 7,000 jobs on campus and beyond. We hope to continue this by working closely with the city and Mayor Dan Drew on projects that are beneficial to all. This morning we issued a request for proposals to see if we can find a suitable space on Main Street for a new Wesleyan bookstore. Stay tuned!
