January 21, 2011
Posted by gavazzi.1 in Dean's message
Created on January 23, 2011 at 9:48am
And tagged with: Ohio State Mansfield
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Hello everyone,
This past week began with the celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. For some, this was simply a day off, a United States federal holiday that closes schools, post offices, and the like. For others, this was a day spent actively honoring our country’s most extraordinary civil rights leader. The national Martin Luther King Day of Service (part of the King Holiday and Service Act of 1994) promotes citizen participation in volunteer services that honor Dr. King. Significant numbers of people in large cities and small towns alike become actively involved in variety of contributions to and for the public good.
I am pleased to report that many of our own OSU Mansfield community members were enthusiastically connecting to exactly these sorts of activities this past week. For example, our Buckeye Ambassadors and Scarlet and Gray Group student members participated in “Day On!” by volunteering at the future site of the Little Buckeye Museum in downtown Mansfield. As reported to me by David Yoder, one of our student leaders involved in both groups, a total of 15 students contributed over 72 labor hours to the museum site throughout the day by sanding, painting, and otherwise preparing projects for the actual exhibit sites. We also received some excellent media coverage of their service:
OSU Mansfield Students Help With New Museum
OSU-M Students use MLK Day to give back
I want to mention that other campus members were there as well, including our new Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs and Student Success, Dametraus Jaggers. In fact, this has been a very busy week for Dametraus (beyond the learning curve associated with being as new as I am, that is!). In addition to attending events such as the MLK Breakfast at Providence Baptist Church and an MLK celebration at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, he also has been providing critical assistance in getting our campus ready to celebrate OSU Mansfield Black History Month.
If we are to take the teachings of the Rev. Dr. King to heart, we must commit ourselves to helping others beyond the events and activities of any one single day. Hence, in the weeks and months ahead I would wish to hear more stories from all of you – faculty, staff, and students – regarding the service-related activities you are providing to the communities surrounding our OSU Mansfield campus. And remember that these are not simply acts of kindness and generosity, but also part of our university’s mission. To wit, our strategic plan pledges us to “revitalizing our commitments” in ways that allow the OSU Mansfield campus to play an extremely active role in giving back to the communities that our university serves through our teaching, research, and service activities.
I look forward to hearing more about your efforts in the very near future. In the meantime, please take the time to enjoy the weekend with family and friends!
Steve Gavazzi