OPTIMISM ONE OF OUR ENDURING QUALITIES

The promise of spring is now beginning to permeate our campus, with some warm sunny days helping us forget that more snow is likely to come in the days ahead. That same promise is reflected in our athletic teams’ success. The unprecedented fall season (see page 19 for details) has been followed by more excitement for winter sports, as Ashland will again be well represented at NCAA Div. II Championship events. But, we are most proud of the fact that all 24 athletic teams finished last semester with a GPA of better than 3.00! In addition, three of our students earned Academic All-America® honors. These achievements are a testament to our faculty, the athletic department and all of the support staff that bring our mission to life each day.

Optimism is one of our enduring qualities. The value of “Accent on the Individual” begins with a belief that every student is created for a purpose; every student has value and a future; every student is seen and we will stand beside them as they pursue their life calling and thrive. These beliefs set us apart from so many of the narratives we read about or see on the news.

I recently attended a conference where an expert named the current generation of students the “Look Down Generation,” because they are often looking down on their phones and also looking down because they are stressed and depressed. He went on to say that this group is caught between a “desire for agency mixed with the weight of anxiety.” They often feel “postponed and penalized” by the pandemic, and the acronym “FOREIGN” best describes them:

3 Fluid – From gender identities to pronoun preferences

3 Overwhelmed – Anxiety is normal (94% say they are overwhelmed)

3 Reinvention – They want overhaul, reflected in protests like BLM

3 Entrepreneur – They want to start something, not join something

3 Independent – They are solo on phones, and the pandemic made it worse

3 Geek – Hacking their way through life, whatever it takes

3 Networked – Connected through tech

He ended the presentation with three questions: Will they win or lose the battle with mental health? Will the pandemic produce distress or growth? And, what narrative will they take into the future?

As I visit with our students, my sense is that they have a greater sense of optimism than this expert believes. Yes, the rise in anxiety and mental health issues are real on our campus. The residual impact of the pandemic is certainly still with us. Yet, we have many student leaders on this campus who are living examples of hope and promise. They will take a narrative of overcoming, despite these difficult circumstances, into their futures. We have dedicated faculty and staff who instill confidence in them—even when they do not believe in themselves. We call this “Accent on the Individual,” and it still brings the hope of spring to campus—no matter what the season.