A Closing Story

I want to close today by telling you a story. I want to speak about the allegory of the great, rushing mountain stream and its relationship to the course of the University. I love the mountains so I tend to see things in terms of mountains. Water is the substance of our rushing stream and its course is controlled by its interaction with the mountain terrain. In our allegory, if the water represents the University's substance, like knowledge delivered and created, then the mountain terrain represents control of the University's course. This great mountain stream flows down from its headwaters. The abundance at the headwaters varies from year to year depending on the natural conditions of accumulated snow fall. Fluctuation in the abundance of snow at the headwaters is a fact of life for the stream, so it adjusts, as we do with fluctuations in our State contribution to the University's substance. The inflows to our stream also come from a large number of tributaries that more and more dominate the headwaters flow. These tributaries represent contributions to the University substance like those we heard about today from faculty research initiatives, student service missions, student competitions, partnerships with government, private initiatives, endowments and the like. Flows from reservoirs also maintain adequate flows during dryer times as do reserves and endowments at the University.

When we look across the stream at any spot along its bed, the flow conditions are uneven and often very uneven. In some parts the stream moves faster than average, it moves smoothly and continues even under varying inflows. In other places the flow bumps up against rocks and stagnates, or the flow is turbulent, dissipating energy and slowing, or in still other parts the flow just cycles in an eddy going essentially nowhere for extended periods. The abundance of flow changes these cross-stream conditions we observe, making them more similar across the stream at higher flow rates and more distinct at lower flows. The course of our University's substance follows similar behaviors to those seen across the stream.

Well, without taking our stream over a waterfall, let's see how our strategic plan fits into this allegory. The strategic plan calls for increasing the flow at the headwaters. It calls for creating new tributaries, as from faculty research, and for feeding existing ones like funding scholarships. The plan builds reservoirs to maintain flows during lean years and it works on the stream bed to move the flow more swiftly by redirecting flows and avoiding stagnation. It also suppresses eddies that deliver little substance and waste energy. Essentially, the actions of our strategic plan will increase the abundance of our stream as well as move its flow more swiftly, more uniformly, and more effectively.

This strategic plan distinguishes itself by addressing all aspects of our great mountain stream from its headwaters, to its tributaries, to its reserves and ultimately to its terrain. Hence, the substance of our great mountain stream, even with our necessary commitment to keep its natural beauty intact, will rise. There is no doubt about it.

Thank you for your considerate attention and indulgence.

C. D. Mote, Jr.
President