President Addresses Institution's Roadmap for Success
For as far back as I can remember, the elders in my family have reminded me to count my blessings, especially in challenging times. Count your blessings is such a simple statement but is filled with so much wisdom. The global pandemic has revealed a few things to us that one might consider blessings. One blessing being a strong reminder of the importance of having a plan in place that is consumable, flexible and targeted to meet the needs of our community of faculty, staff and students.
Our new Strategic Planning – Wilmington RISE: now, near, & far! is focused on taking advantage of our strengths and building in areas where we have potential to be stronger and more competitive. RISE is a word that outlines our trajectory, RISE is an acronym, that spells our aspirational goals, RISE is a call to action and a call to service for each individual to support the greater community, RISE is where are spirits are collectively headed and just the beginning of what we are capable of doing together. Through RISE, we will:
The time is here and now to hold tight to our Quaker history and heritage and to release the fear associated with making difficult choices and taking difficult steps to ensure the Wilmington College Mission continues to RISE for another 150 years of educating, inspiring and preparing students for a life of service and success!
I invite each member of the community to join in rejecting the traditional notion of “Us vs Them” in terms of our titles and roles within the College. Our liberal arts foundation that teaches students to think critically, serve passionately and work collaboratively reinforces the statement you will hear me say many times, “at Wilmington College, there is no them, it is just us.” We have not opponents, adversaries or enemies with the Wilmington College community; we have colleagues and friends with a common goal to help Wilmington College RISE and many great and sometimes different ideas of how to make that happen. Our strategic plan is our road map and, for those who have run into construction in your travels, you understand there may be a few detours to navigate along the way. We will take the many steps on a path that is unknown to all, we call it tomorrow, and provide much needed support, trust and encouragement to one another along the way.
We will succeed by making the sacrifices necessary to plant seeds, many of which will bear fruit in our lifetime, for the College that have the potential to benefit the College for decades to come. This is the history of those who came before us and we must claim it is our future, together. I sincerely thank every person who has enthusiastically jumped aboard to offer their expertise and energy to help us move forward. Your trust and support are greater blessings than you know. I will also say, the door is open to all who are coming aboard, we need you!
Go Quakers!
Blessings,
Trevor
Trevor M. Bates, DHSc, AT, ATC
President and Professor of Sport Sciences
Wilmington College
