President's Messages

Trinity's family has banded together in the face of an unprecedented crisis: the onset of the international COVID-19 pandemic.

The journey ahead will call on each and every one of us to lend our innovation, sacrifice, and compassion. These hallmarks of the Trinity community will help us shine, even in the face of hardship. I offer a message of encouragement and energy: together, we will remain a force in motion.

“Modern organizations often rely too much on engineering and too little on art in searching for quality, commitment, and creativity… Artistic leaders and managers help us look beyond today's reality to new forms that release untapped individual energies and improve collective performance.” – Bolman and Deal, Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership

When changes initiated around student life are announced on campus, it's often the Student Government Association at the center of the headlines. SGA advocates for the development and advancement of student interests both inside and outside of the University community. Using tangible and actionable goals to foster collaboration and to create noticeable improvements to campus life, SGA works hard to uphold the best interests of Trinity's student body.

When the opening horn chorale settles into the key of A minor, a theme emerges: the theme of ethos, pathos, and logos—the creation of order where only chaos existed before. It’s the theme of Symphony No. 2 – Trinity, a brand new symphony composed by music professor Brian Bondari and performed under the direction of music professor Joseph Kneer. I sat down with these musicians to discuss what it meant to create and collaborate on this incredible and important work.

Three weeks ago, I participated in an Alumni Weekend like no other. From the Class of 1969 and earlier to graduates from this past spring, alumni shared with me more than five decades of various perspectives. I was perhaps most delighted to hear the similarities of what rings true today: For the past 50 years—and yes, even for the past 150 years—Trinity has prepared students for lives of meaning and purpose. Driven by enduring excellence, intentional inclusion, and perpetual discovery, we can’t wait to continue this mission for the next 150 years of students, alumni, and beyond.

Tigers often refer to themselves as lifelong learners—but did you know that the University itself has been learning for a lifetime, too? Beginning with its first class of teachers-in-training and leading to today’s students and alumni who use hands-on opportunities to solve real-world challenges, Trinity’s foundation is built on the concept of experiential learning.

August wraps up our video series exploring Trinity's values through conversations across campus, and my discussion with Experiential Learning director Jacob Tingle ’95 and biology professor Michele Johnson came at the perfect time. Together, we explored our values of discovery and impact, or “perpetual discovery”: the continuous desire to seek and create new knowledge, learn from it, and start the process all over again.

Thank you for continuing the journey with me as we explore Trinity’s values through conversations across campus. This month, I had a conversation with Alli Roman, director for Trinity’s Diversity and Inclusion Office, about our values of the individual and community. In a breath, we call this “intentional inclusion.”

I am proud to share this journey with you as we explore together Trinity’s mission and values through conversations around campus. This month, I talk with four members of the University community about Trinity’s values of excellence and impact. In a breath, we call this “enduring excellence.”