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POSSIBILITIES: THE MORE THINGS CHANGE …

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Engagements

Engagements

by Dr. Susanna L. Baxter, 26th President of LaGrange College

If you have been following LaGrange College news of late, you noticed that we have been hard at work adding new academic programs. On the back cover of this issue, our latest one—a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering technology—is featured. It joins other recent additions, including aviation, a master’s in computer science and a doctorate in education.

While the pace of change has been rapid, as an institution we must continue to reach more students with programs of high interest and a strong job market, and that can mean branching out into subject areas that may seem unconventional to some. I imagine college administrators heard similar concerns when they boldly launched a nursing program some 50 years ago.

During our recent Homecoming celebration, I was reminded that the more things change on our campus, the more they stay the same. Listening to alumni talk about their days at LC often brings forth stories of a caring community that rescued them from a bad decision or poor outcome—and set them back on the right path. That same transformative spirit is still alive and well on the Hill.

I’ve had several students approach me lately with a similar story. “LC allowed me to make mistakes, and then surrounded me to help get me back on track,” they say. That community of caring “coaches” is what sets this place apart. And it reminds me that while some things do change, the most important things on this campus stay the same.

May it ever be so.

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