PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Realizing the World of Our Dreams
S
ince my arrival in January 2013, I have articulated my vision for Morehouse College—a vision predicated on the quest for both capital and character preeminence. Capital preeminence can be defined as the financial health of the College, the state of its physical plant, and the adequacy of its endowment to support student scholarships, faculty salaries and the like.
Morehouse College has always identified itself as a “character-building” institution—a place where positive and life-affirming personal and communal values are consciously and carefully cultivated. In fact, from our inception to this very day, the axis around which our strength, voice and brand have turned is a character-driven educational experience. But we must strengthen that experience to the point of preeminence! During the past year, I have been pleased to observe that the capital improvement dimension of our vision is well underway, as evidenced by recent fund-raising developments. First, we received a grant of $5 million from the Woodruff Foundation to support the long-awaited renovation of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Second, we received a $1-million grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to support African students who will matriculate at Morehouse beginning fall 2014. These and other encouraging developments give us cause for a grounded optimism. However, Morehouse, like any other viable college, must always measure its worth by the success of its students and alumni—all of whom we expect to emerge as dynamic servant leaders in their chosen professions and communities. That is why we are particularly proud of the recent accomplishments of some of our most promising young men. For example, Corey Hardiman, a Gates Millennium Scholar, used his spring break to partner with a number of neighborhood organizations in inner-city Chicago to promote positivity and hope among African American males. Also, consider the personal initiative of Taku Machirori (from Zimbabwe), a senior accounting major who is the founder and executive director of a non-profit that recently participated in the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative. Taku founded Emergination Africa (www. Emerginationafrica.org) in 2012 during his junior year at Morehouse. This organization leverages technology to connect high school students in Africa with college students at six different institutions in the United States via social media and weekly online video calls. Their achievements represent the fulfillment of our distinctive mission to educate and inspire Morehouse Men to be forces for good in the world. In so many ways, they exemplify the best in us and assure us that our proud character-building traditions will have everything to do with how and why we will indeed realize and sustain the world of our dreams both on campus and on earth!
“
From our inception to this very day, the axis around which our strength, voice and brand have turned is a character-driven educational experience. But we must strengthen that experience to the point of preeminence!
”
John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79
MOREHOUSEMAGAZINE MAGAZINE 33MOREHOUSE
COMMEMORATIVEINAUGURATION INAUGURATIONISSUE ISSUE2014 2014 COMMEMORATIVE