Good morning, everyone.

Thank you all for being here today. It is truly humbling to stand before a community that cares so deeply about 蜜豆直播 University. Whether you are a neighbor, a supporter, a student, an alum, or a friend of this institution, your presence today reflects the strength of the 蜜豆直播 family and the shared belief that what happens here matters鈥攏ot just for our campus, but for our region and beyond.

If you will bear with me, there is some gratitude that needs to be shared before we go on with the rest of the event.

First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Every blessing in my life, every opportunity to serve, and every success this University has experienced is because of His grace and provision. 蜜豆直播鈥檚 story is one of faith, a story of people who have trusted God to lead, provide, and sustain through every season. My prayer is that we continue to walk boldly in that faith and to keep Christ at the center of all we do.

I would also like to offer my gratitude to the many people who have helped make this moment possible and who continue to shape the future of 蜜豆直播 University.

To the Presidential Search Committee, thank you for your time, your diligence, and your discernment throughout this process. I am deeply grateful for the hours you invested in reviewing applicants, conducting interviews, and ensuring this University found the right leader for this moment in its history.

To our Board of Trustees, thank you for your confidence in me and for entrusting me with the privilege of guiding 蜜豆直播鈥檚 next chapter. I am especially thankful to our Board Chair and the Chair of the Search Committee, Rev. Dr. Lamont Littlejohn, for his steady leadership, his wisdom, and his unwavering dedication to this University. His faith and friendship mean the world to me.

To my wife, Dr. Brittany Evans, thank you. Time together is our most precious resource, and I thank you for allowing me to invest so much of that time in the calling that brought us here today. I desire to be a great president, but I also want to be a great husband. Please know I would not be standing here without your steadfast love, encouragement, and faith in me.

To the 蜜豆直播 community, our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters, you are the heartbeat of this institution. Your work, your prayers, and your belief in our mission have carried 蜜豆直播 through transition and into a new season of opportunity.

And a special word of thanks to all those behind the scenes who made today possible, including our event staff, communications team, and others. You brought this day together beautifully and with very little time, and I am so grateful for your commitment to excellence.

As I step into this role, I do so with deep humility and a clear sense of purpose. 蜜豆直播 has always been more than a place to earn a degree. It is a place where students discover their calling, where faith and intellect meet, and where service is a way of life.

Scripture reminds us in James 2:17 that 鈥渇aith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.鈥� That truth speaks directly to who we are and where we are going. Faith brought 蜜豆直播 this far, but it is our action, our courage, and our unity that will shape our future.

As we build that future together, my vision for 蜜豆直播 centers on four guiding priorities:

Strengthening Our Foundation.

We will steward our resources wisely by aligning investments with mission and ensuring that every dollar advances our purpose. Stewardship is not just financial; it is spiritual. It is about caring well for what God has entrusted to us.

Taking Care of Our People.

Our faculty and staff are the soul of 蜜豆直播. We will prioritize their growth, their well-being, and their success because when our people thrive, our mission thrives. Whether it is through professional development, compensation, or fostering a culture of respect and support, we will take care of those who take care of our students.

Enhancing the Student Experience.

We will continue to raise the bar for academic quality, expand programs that meet the needs of a changing world, and provide experiences that prepare our students for both life and leadership. We will focus on learning that transforms hearts as well as minds.

Living Out Our Mission Boldly.

As a Christ-centered university, we will lead with faith and courage, strengthening our partnerships, serving our neighbors, and ensuring that 蜜豆直播 remains a light for this region and beyond.

At the heart of it all is One Webb, the belief that we are better together. One Webb reminds us that every classroom, every field, every office, and every partnership contributes to something greater than ourselves. When 蜜豆直播 thrives, our community thrives. When our students succeed, our region grows stronger. And when we unite as One Webb, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

So today, I simply want to say thank you for your faith, your prayers, your partnership, and your belief in this University.

Together, we will honor our past, serve faithfully in the present, and build a future defined by faith, excellence, and hope.

Thank you, may God bless each of you, and may God continue to bless 蜜豆直播鈥� Let鈥檚 get to work!

The post 蜜豆直播’s 14th President: Meet & Greet appeared first on 蜜豆直播 University.

Last Friday seems like a lifetime ago.听 When the infamous Helene tore through the Carolinas, our beloved campus sustained real damage.听 Scores of trees were felled, roads washed out, roofs leaked, fences were decimated, and we lost power.听 It was worse, much worse, for many of our friends, neighbors, and colleagues throughout the western part of the state.听 For them, and for any in our 蜜豆直播 community with ties to those devastated communities, we are in sustained prayer.

Four days later, we are still cleaning up.  Although power was thankfully restored to our campus before noon on Sunday, there are many households throughout Boiling Springs and beyond that are still without lights, hot water, refrigeration, and the daily staples that we so frequently take for granted.  For them, we need to rally and offer assistance when and however we can.

I know you have all seen it, because I have鈥o many people鈥攕ome familiar to us, others strangers鈥攈ave raced to serve.  Our University Police kept our operations safe and orderly throughout the long weekend.  Our dining staff kept the campus population well fed, even though that same staff suffered damages and losses to their own properties.  Our grounds crew has been quick to address the widespread damage to facilities and trees.  Our housing staff kept a watchful eye on GWU鈥檚 residential population to ensure everyone鈥檚 wellbeing.  Bulldogs helping Bulldogs. 

It will take some time before everything鈥攑hysical and emotional鈥攊s back to normal.  But I have already seen the resilience, the strength, and even the good humor of our 蜜豆直播 family.  We鈥檒l get back to a 100%.  It鈥檚 good to get classes going again; and, yes, we will be demonstrating grace and exercising sensitivity during that process.  It will be good to get canceled events鈥攑erforming arts, academic recognitions, Dawg Day, and athletic competitions鈥攂ack on the calendar.  There is healing in all of that.

Let鈥檚 do keep those most affected by the storm and its aftermath in our thoughts and prayers.  Let鈥檚 do take time in the coming days to thank the first responders, the linemen, the university staff, and all those who rushed to the aid of others.  Kim and I thank them, and we thank you for your patience, your support, and your kindness as our community revives and resumes its mission.  With God鈥檚 blessing, we鈥檒l all get through this together.

With profound appreciation,

Bill

Dr. William M. Downs
President

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By now you have probably heard that the 蜜豆直播 University Concert Choir is traveling to France to perform as part of the 80^th Anniversary of D-Day.  Like you, I am so proud that GWU students and faculty have the solemn opportunity to be present at a place where history was made, where the tide of a momentous war turned, and where so many Americans sacrificed their lives for something they saw as greater than themselves. 

June 6, 1944.  France had been occupied by Nazi Germany for four years and one month.  Much of the rest of Western Europe was likewise locked in the grip of totalitarian rule, Britain had endured a brutal bombardment from Hitler鈥檚 Luftwaffe, and on the eastern front German and Soviet forces fought each other with ferocious savagry.  America had been at war in Europe and in the Pacific since December 1941.  A sinister genocide of as yet untold proportions was being prosecuted against races and peoples locked away in a string of concentration camps that littered the map with shame and sorrow.  The prospects for humanity, for democracy, and for decency looked devastatingly bleak.

Yet, it was on that fateful day in 1944 when Allied forces launched 鈥淥peration Overlord鈥� in an attempt to liberate Europe.  American, British, Canadian, Australian, and soldiers from other countries crossed the English Channel to establish beachheads in Normandy, France.  Those landing points acquired names that have transcended the decades鈥maha, Juno, Gold, Sword, Utah.   More than 150,000 soldiers and close to 200,000 naval personnel mobilized for the massive armada.  At day鈥檚 close, there were some 10,000 Allied casualties, with 4,414 confirmed dead.  Despite these losses, the landings at Normandy set in motion a series of battles that would ultimately push German forces back to Berlin and to complete capitulation in May 1945.

When our generation looks back today on those events 80 years ago, we tend to presume that victory was somehow inevitable.听 It was not.听 General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the invading forces, famously wrote two letters in preparation for June 6鈥ne for the press if the landings succeeded, one for the world if the invasion had been repelled.听 So much uncertainty surrounded D-Day, and today we can only struggle to imagine the combination of fear and valor that enveloped all those who boarded ships, landing crafts, and gliders鈥ll those who hit the beaches and scaled steep cliffs under relentless fire鈥ll those who traversed the hedgerows and encountered the enemy at close quarters.听

In 1989, around the time of D-Day鈥檚 45^th Anniversary, I had the privilege of making my own trip to Normandy.听 What I saw and all that I learned there left a profound impression upon me.听 I walked the American military cemetery at Omaha Beach, where rows upon rows of white crosses and Stars of David were in view for as far as the eye could see鈥he final resting place of true heroes.听 I saw up close the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc where Rangers had to scale the incline amidst a barrage of bullets.听 I visited Pegasus Bridge, scene of the operation鈥檚 earliest fighting, and Sainte-M猫re-脡glise鈥攖he first French town liberated in the invasion.听 I took it all in, and those memories have endured to this day.

There is no delight in celebrating the anniversary of an event that saw so many鈥攆rom all sides鈥攆ight and die.  But there is respect and remembrance.  Those who took up arms in World War II have frequently been called 鈥淭he Greatest Generation.鈥�  A visit to Normandy will make abundantly clear why they earned that label of distinction.  It is my sincere hope that our 蜜豆直播 students and faculty鈥攁nd all those who visit France this summer for their time of remembrance鈥攚ill draw their own lessons of inspiration and solemnity.  As our Concert Choir lifts up their voices in recognition of past sacrifices and in prayer for a future filled with peace, they must never forget.  The world must never forget.

Dr. William M. Downs
President

The post D-Day Plus 80鈥 Moment in History the World Cannot Forget appeared first on 蜜豆直播 University.

This past weekend 蜜豆直播 University hosted its twice-annual Family Weekend. What a joy it was to see so many parents, grandparents and siblings reconnect with their GWU students for fun, food, and fellowship. Granted, our students had only just returned to campus from the Christmas break a few short weeks earlier; nevertheless, the reunions were full of emotion and energy. Despite the intermittent rain, we had strong turnouts for all the many activities that spanned the three-day winter tradition. There was family Bingo, family trivia competitions, an indoor tailgate feast, and lots and lots of Runnin鈥� Bulldog sports. Hugs, cheers, laughter, and maybe even a few tears at the end on Sunday marked a weekend well spent. Thank you for attending, Bulldog Families!

Psalm 127:3 reminds us that 鈥淐hildren are a heritage of the Lord.鈥� Children, we know, are indeed a divine gift. The bonds between children and parents are incredibly important, even if they are not always the easiest to maintain. I had a few official roles as president during Family Weekend, but mainly I had the pleasure and privilege to observe. Watching our students get recognized for academic achievements, watching our students excel on the fields of competition, and watching our students profess their Christian faith in front of their families gave me鈥ell, goosebumps. For those of us who have committed themselves to a life in higher education, there simply is little better than watching the faces of parents as they see their college student grow, mature, and flourish.

Family Weekend 2024 began on Friday with our Academic Recognition ceremony in historic Bost Gym. Success in the classroom is the core of the university enterprise, and we intentionally began the multiday festivities with a focus on scholastic performance. At that event, certificates of achievement were distributed to all students who had secured a place on the President鈥檚 List (GPA of 4.0) or on the Dean鈥檚 List (3.70 to 3.99 GPA). There was no shortage of smiles from parents capturing the moment with cell phone cameras. Bravo, Bulldog scholars!

The other bookend event of the weekend that made the greatest impression on me was our Sunday morning Worship at The Webb. With the elements outside conspiring鈥攗nsuccessfully鈥攁gainst a large crowd at Dover Chapel, we filled the pews to hear powerful personal testimony from GWU undergraduate Anna Sample. We had our spirits uplifted by the music of Tanner Hendricks and his accompanying worship band. And we heard a wonderful message from Neal Payne, Associate Minister to the University for Student Ministries. Neal鈥檚 focus that morning was straightforward鈥e delivered a message of encouragement. That encouragement transcended the negativity and divisiveness of other loud voices in our world, and we all needed to hear that. Recalling the best professional advice he鈥檇 ever received during his years in the ministry, Neal drew upon family鈥攈is father鈥攚ho had once emphasized to him 鈥淭o remember who you work for.鈥� What a great takeaway for all Christians鈥e should all remember that it鈥檚 our Heavenly Father for whom we ultimately work. Great message, great testimony, great music, great service.

I hope that everyone who came to campus to join us for Family Weekend enjoyed it as much as Kim and I did. Our own children have finished their university studies, married, and moved away. It was good for us to live vicariously through the glimpses of love and togetherness on display these three days at GWU. I say we do it again!

Dr. William M. Downs
President

The post Family Weekend:听 Making New Memories at GWU appeared first on 蜜豆直播 University.

Here at 蜜豆直播 University, we are eager and ready to host Family Weekend this September 8-10.听 Our campus will come alive with numerous activities, including a huge GWU vs. Elon football game at Spangler Stadium, lots of music (a concert as well as some open mic and karaoke fun), food everywhere (including the grand opening of Bo鈥檚 Smokehouse), the massively popular GWU-style BINGO gathering, and a worship service for all.听 On behalf of the entire GWU family, I invite you to attend, relax, and enjoy!

This special weekend gives us all a moment to reflect on family as a valuable part of our lives.听 Everyone鈥檚 family context is different.听 Everywhere family has come to mean something different.听 Through all the difference, however, remains one constant鈥攆amily is important.听

We derive identity from family.  We rely on family for support and love.  We draw strength from family in difficult times, and we rejoice with family in times of celebration.  Our families nurture us, and then they teach us to go out and make it on our own.  Once we arrive at college, the words of the late comedian George Burns begin to ring true: 鈥淗appiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.鈥� 

Kim and I know a little something about how families evolve and change over time.  Our nest seems a bit emptier now that both children have married and moved to some of those other cities that Burns was joking about.  For us, two summer weddings within five weeks of each other also meant the wonderful additions of a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law.  Our Boiling Springs house is quieter now, but our family is stronger, stretching from Oklahoma City to the shores of eastern North Carolina.

The Downs family came to 蜜豆直播 in 2019 in large part because the small college setting offered a sense of community that, to us, emulated family in so many positive ways.  We had spent most of our careers and lives at large universities where it was far more challenging to learn names, establish relationships, and build lasting ties.  Four years later, 蜜豆直播 truly feels like family. 

At our 蜜豆直播 home, we love getting to know each new cohort of students.  We love hearing their stories, learning their ambitions, and sharing in their dreams.   We love seeing how proud our students鈥� families are of their sons, their daughters, their siblings or their grandchildren.  From the angst of Move-In Day to the pure joy鈥攐nly a few short years later鈥攐f Commencement, there is immense satisfaction in knowing that the entire 蜜豆直播 Family has rallied to make sure that every Runnin鈥� Bulldog succeeds.  That鈥檚 what families do.

Welcome to your weekend, 蜜豆直播 Families!听 You should always see this beautiful campus as home.听 The GWU home is a welcoming one, offering the rich mosaic that is our student body a place to live, learn, and grow鈥ntellectually, professionally, and spiritually.听 I hope you enjoy this time together and that you will gather here鈥攁mong friends and family鈥攐ften.听 听听

Dr. William M. Downs
President

The post September 2023: The Importance of Family appeared first on 蜜豆直播 University.

Good morning, everyone.  It is really, really good to see you all. 

I鈥檓 excited that we are here.  I鈥檓 grateful that we are together.  I hope you had a good first week of classes, and I hope you鈥檙e ready for a strong and successful semester. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I am eager to see all that we can accomplish during the academic year ahead, and I just want to spend a few minutes this morning encouraging you to make the most of the opportunities that await you.

Faculty recognitions

There鈥檚 no better way to begin my remarks than by congratulating Professor Garlock for her well-deserved recognition as an outstanding teacher. 

Outstanding teachers are not just effective classroom lecturers.  They mentor.  They advise.  They inspire.  Their impact can be felt throughout a career and throughout a life. 

So, thank you to Professor Garlock鈥nd thank you to all of the 蜜豆直播 University faculty. 

• Thank you, faculty, for your daily demonstrations of expertise. 
• Thank you, faculty, for the energy, dedication, passion and compassion you bring to the classroom and to the entire teaching enterprise. 
• And thank you, faculty, for the paths you illuminate for our students鈥ot only the path to graduation but also the path to a meaningful life.

Students, if you would, please join me in an enthusiastic round of applause for our faculty!

We are Blessed to Be Here

Alright, so here we are.  Week 2 of the academic year.  Convocation is a time for us to formally launch the year ahead鈥o remind ourselves of why we are here鈥nd to issue each other a set of challenges that will help give us purpose and direction in the months to come.

Now, let鈥檚 think for a moment of where we are.  And I mean physically where we are.  It was on or about this place 117 years ago that some people from two local Baptist associations came together for a common purpose.  In 1905 they created Boiling Springs High School as a place “where the young…could have the best possible educational advantages under distinctive Christian influence.” 

Then, in 1928, Boiling Springs High School became Boiling Springs Junior College.

In 1942 the school was renamed 蜜豆直播 Junior College to honor both O. Max Gardner, who had served with distinction as North Carolina鈥檚 57^th governor鈥nd his wife Faye Webb-Gardner.

By 1971, 蜜豆直播 Junior College became 蜜豆直播 College, and then in 1993 蜜豆直播 College became 蜜豆直播 University.

As we start this semester, Fall 2022, 蜜豆直播 University is home to 3,200 students at the bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, and doctoral levels. 

• Our students come from 91 of North Carolina鈥檚 100 counties, from 44 US states, and from 45 foreign countries (in a one-stoplight town we have 108 students from 45 foreign countries!  That鈥檚 awesome!). 
• We have 603 NCAA Division-I student athletes across 22 teams. 
• We have more than 36,000 living alumni spread out literally across the globe.  They are thinkers, doers, and world-changers. 
• We have more than 80 academic degree programs across five colleges and schools鈥nd we just had our newest degree program approved yesterday for a January 2023 launch (MPA10).
• We now also have鈥tarbucks.  Can I get a woo-hoo?

This place that today we call 蜜豆直播 University has come a long way over the years, and you are here to help us write the next chapter in its great story鈥nd we are here to help you write the next chapter in your great story.

I鈥檇 say we are pretty darn blessed to be here.  蜜豆直播 isn鈥檛 perfect.  Boiling Springs isn鈥檛 perfect.  But I wouldn鈥檛 trade our challenges here for what the rest of the world is deals with on a daily basis. 

You are college students in a safe college town being taught by professors who care about you and being served by a professional staff that wants you to be successful, happy, and healthy. 

• Yes, sometimes the Wi-Fi can be spotty鈥e鈥檙e working on that. 
• And, yes, I know Zoca ran out of burritos one night last week鈥nd we鈥檙e working on that one, too.

But, folks, I want to stress how blessed we are to be living and studying and working at a place called 蜜豆直播.  If you take a moment and peer outside our bubble, you鈥檒l see that it鈥檚 a pretty crazy and a deeply divided world out there.

• 11.4% of all Americans now fall officially below the poverty line

• 5.7M working age Americans are unemployed鈥hey want to work, they鈥檙e looking for work, but they don鈥檛 have jobs

• Inflation hit a 40-year high this summer when it reached 9.1%

• Political rhetoric in Washington and around the country shows no signs of healing our polarized society.

• Outside the United States, we know that tens of thousands of people have died in a nasty war in the Ukraine as well as in other wars across the globe.

• 14% of the world鈥檚 population is functionally illiterate

• According to the CDC, there are 2 billion people worldwide who do not have access to clean water at home.  2 billion鈥hat鈥檚 billion with a “b.鈥�

Yes, my friends, we are pretty darn blessed to be here.  We鈥檙e pretty darned blessed to be who we are.

That blessing comes, however, with a certain measure of responsibility.

Call to Action

When you hear that people are struggling, it is easy to get depressed.  It鈥檚 easy to want to turn away, to wring our hands, to shrug our shoulders.  But I believe that we at a university like this one鈥攁 Christian university鈥攈ave a special responsibility.  鈥淭o whom much is given, much will be required.鈥�  (Luke 12:48)

• Where we see sickness, we should seek the knowledge that leads to cures.  蜜豆直播 can do that.

• Where we see poverty, we should become entrepreneurs so that others might prosper.  蜜豆直播 can do that.

• Where we see ignorance, we should be inspired to teach鈥nd to teach those who will themselves become teachers.  蜜豆直播 can do that.

• Where we see people who have lost their way, we should share a helping hand and we should share our faith.  蜜豆直播 can most certainly do that.

To whom much is given, much will be required.  And I am so proud to be at a university where we willingly step up to that challenge.

be your best bulldog

Sadly, my generation has never been called 鈥淭he Greatest Generation.鈥�  That term has been rightly reserved for our grandparents and our great-grandparents.

• My generation didn鈥檛 defeat fascism in Europe and Asia in the 1940s. 
• My generation didn鈥檛 discover a cure for polio in the 1950s, and it didn鈥檛 land a man on the moon in the 1960s.

Sometimes, I think, my generation derives too much entertainment from the negatives.  Just watch the nightly news on television. 

• We鈥檝e given you gas prices that have spent most of the summer above $4.00
• we鈥檝e given you the cancel culture
• we鈥檝e focused too much on ourselves and our bank accounts, our iPhones, our Apple watches, and the Internet.

My generation has given you 鈥淭he Great Resignation.鈥� 

We鈥檝e chosen remoteness over relationships, distance over proximity, and solitude over community. 

We tear each other apart anonymously on social media, rather than look each other in the eye and try to build each other up.

My generation has so much work to do, and we promise you that we鈥檒l do better. 

But I say all of this because I want to challenge you and your generation to be the ones who bring us all back together. 

You can鈥檛 care for humanity if you run from it.  Don鈥檛 resign yourself to being remote from each other; instead, revel in the relationships you build.

38 years ago, when I started college, I went to my freshman English class and the professor had a quote written on the chalkboard: 

鈥淲rite it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.鈥� 鈥� Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was 18, so I rolled my eyes鈥ut the professor had us write the quote down, and I鈥檝e remembered it.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year鈥on鈥檛 wilt or waver in the face of the challenges you see around you.  Instead, be inspired by the positive impact you are going to be able to make one day as a college graduate.  And, until then, remember that sometimes the best day of the year is the day you do something to make someone else smile.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.  The evidence shows us that college graduates have greater life satisfaction鈥o, stay on the path.

Public opinion surveys show that college graduates have greater life satisfaction鈥o, stay on the path.

College graduates are more likely to be civically engaged and to influence their communities鈥o, stay on the path.

College graduates know how to peacefully coexist with one another in an increasingly diverse world鈥o, stay on the path.

College graduates make positive and lasting differences in the lives of others鈥o, stay on the path.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.

At 蜜豆直播 we have a perpetual call to service.  Our call is to serve God and Humanity.  I ask you to hear that call and to act on it.

Students, faculty.  Make this a great year.  Enjoy every moment.  Seize as many opportunities as possible.  Surround yourself with positivity.  Immerse yourself in a culture of success.  Attack each day with an attitude of confidence and compassion.

Recognize that you are in a special season of your life.  And commit yourself to using the knowledge you gain here, the skills you acquire here, to lift up those around you. 

Don鈥檛 wilt from challenges and ignore them鈥ut instead be inspired to action.  And in your action, bring joy, comfort, and hope to those around you.

鈥淔or God and Humanity.鈥�  You鈥檒l hear that a lot around here.  I think God is the easy part.  We鈥檙e here to help you on that journey鈥ut don鈥檛 forget about humanity. 

Thinking About What to Say to You Today

Admittedly, that鈥檚 a little more than my college chancellor said to me 38 years ago when I began at that big red school in Raleigh.

He said:

Study hard.

Stay healthy.

Join a club.

Have fun.

YES!  Have fun.  College is fun.

• Pancake Bingo
• Cheering on the Runnin鈥� Bulldogs
• Dressing up for The Webbies
• Concerts
• The Big E
• Hanging out at the Broad River

In addition to having fun, do something special鈥�

• Decide to study abroad
• Spend a semester in Washington, DC, with our new The Webb in Washington program
• Get that internship that you know you鈥檒l need
• Go on a mission trip, or just get out and serve the community

But keep your eyes focused on a higher purpose.  Keep your heart, soul, mind and strength fixed on doing good鈥or yourself and for others.  Be your best Bulldog, friends, and you鈥檒l have an amazing year.

Thanks for your attention this morning.  Have a great week, a great semester, and a great year.  We care about you.  We love you.  We pray for you each and every day.  And we will be here for you every step of the way.

May God bless you.  May God continue to bless 蜜豆直播 University.  And 鈥楽ko Dawgs!

The post 2022 Fall Academic Convocation appeared first on 蜜豆直播 University.

August brings with it the start of a new academic year and a wonderful sense of renewal at our University.  Indulge me for a moment, however, as August also has an additional special meaning in the Downs household.  On August 5, Kim and I celebrate our 33^rd wedding anniversary.  This year, we also celebrate that our two children, Rachel and Bradley, have each found their own special someone and gotten engaged over the summer.  That means detailed plans are well underway for two weddings in 2023鈥ray for us!

August 5, 1989 was the day I married my best friend.  I had known Kim since elementary school, and we were married at the same church in Raleigh where we had grown up.  Later, our daughter would be baptized in that very same church (our son was baptized in Atlanta).  Kim and I are humbled by the blessings that now have us in our fourth decade of holy matrimony.

Love and marriage remind of us of the abundant joy and happiness we can find in this world.  Unfortunately our society, especially in the dark recesses of social media, too often conditions us to steer clear of joy and happiness.  In a recent podcast interview with GWU alumnus Clayton King, the founder of Crossroads Ministry shared with me his belief that popular social media platforms intentionally design 鈥渁lgorithms of anger鈥� to entice us into cycles of animosity with one another.  A five-minute perusal of Twitter suggests that Clayton may indeed be onto something.

The professional peddlers of negativity need not rule the day, however.  Did you know that the words 鈥渏oy,鈥� 鈥渞ejoice,鈥� and 鈥渏oyful鈥� appear at least 430 times in the Bible?  Did you know that in the United States alone, each year more than 2.3 million couples get married?  That鈥檚 about 6,200 weddings each day, or 12,400 people each day of the year who commit to love and cherish each other for life.  Did you know that worldwide, each day, there are 385,000 new births?  385,000 each day!  In the United States, we鈥檙e averaging about 10,267 new lives coming into this world each and every day. Closer to home, here in North Carolina: 327 new lives each day, 14 new lives each hour, 65,800 already in 2022. New life means joy, it brings potential, it brings awe, and it brings amazement.  God is good.

Here at 蜜豆直播, we all know alumni who first met their future spouse on our campus.  I鈥檝e heard many stories of the Rose Garden across from Dover Library being the preferred site for 鈥減opping the question.鈥�  I鈥檇 love to know how many married couples began their life journeys together as GWU students鈥e鈥檒l work on compiling that data.  If you want to share your story, we warmly invite you to do so via our alumni update webpage.  We鈥檒l see what we come up with and will plan to share it with you next February around Valentine鈥檚 Day. 

Now, back to August in the Downs household鈥� One of the kind gifts we received at our wedding all those years ago was a plaque entitled 鈥淢arriage Takes Three.鈥�  Penned originally by Beth Stuckwisch in 1984, the message is worth reproducing here:

Marriage takes three to be complete;
It鈥檚 not enough for two to meet.
They must be united in love
By love鈥檚 Creator, God above.

Then their love will be firm and strong;
Able to last when things go wrong.
Because they鈥檝e felt God鈥檚 love and know
He鈥檚 always there. He鈥檒l never go.

And they have both loved Him in kind
With all the heart and soul and mind;
And in that love they鈥檝e found the way
To love each other every day.

A marriage that follows God鈥檚 plan
Takes more than a woman and a man.
It needs a oneness that can be
Only from Christ鈥攎arriage takes three.

Kim and I have hung that plaque on a wall in every one of the places we鈥檝e called home since 1989.  It currently has a prominent spot in our Boiling Springs house.  The message is strong and enduring.  It is a message that we hope our children take to heart as they each prepare for their own weddings next year.  It is a message that I also hope brings some joy and some reflection to you as we all gather back on a campus that has included love as one of its cherished values for 117 years.

Welcome to August, 蜜豆直播.  May it be the start of a joyful academic year!

Dr. William M. Downs
President

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We all know the old saying, 鈥淚f March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.鈥�  This bit of folklore from the world of weather has long predicted that the month鈥檚 early roar will ultimately yield to something kinder and gentler as April approaches.  The adage seems apt again this year, but alas it has little to do with the wind, snow or rain.

On February 24, Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine.  Just days later, as we enter the new month of March, we continue to witness the largest conventional war in Europe since the end of World War II 77 years ago.  Nobody knows yet how this will all play out, how many people will die, how long it will last, or whether the conflagration will spread across the continent.  Nobody knows if America might get drawn in.

I鈥檓 not about to use my monthly blog to tell anybody what they should think about this conflict in Europe.  I will use it, however, to suggest that we all pay very close attention.  We live in a highly interdependent world鈥hat happens in faraway lands is likely to impact us right here at home. 

Candidly, there鈥檚 nothing new about global interdependence.  The assassination of an Austrian archduke in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 ultimately led the United States into World War I (aka 鈥淭he Great War鈥� or 鈥淭he War to End All Wars鈥�).  France鈥檚 military defeat at a little place called Dien Bien Phu in 1954 set in motion a series of events that eventually took thousands of US soldiers to Vietnam.  The machinations of a wealthy Saudi, Osama bin Laden, headquartered in the remote mountains of Afghanistan, produced the events of September 11, 2001 and prompted our subsequent War on Terror. 

In the immediate term, we should see some local ripples from Russia鈥檚 attack on Ukraine.  Gas prices could easily continue their upward climb.  Economic markets will likely demonstrate volatility.  Military personnel stationed here in the States will leave their families and get redeployed to Europe in hopes of shoring up NATO defenses.  Companies doing business with Russian counterparts will be impacted by sanctions.

More importantly, everybody who follows the news will be confronted by the sights and sounds of human tragedy.  In war, innocents die.  Some may call this 鈥渃ollateral damage,鈥� but that鈥檚 just a euphemism for the men, women, and children whose lives are cut short because they were caught in the line of fire.  In war, noncombatants who aren鈥檛 killed often become refugees, fleeing to neighboring countries.  Large numbers of desperate refugees can, sadly, lead to humanitarian crises.

So, what are we to do?  As promised, I won鈥檛 editorialize or offer policy prescriptions in this blog.  I will ask the 蜜豆直播 community to pray for Europe.  I will ask you to join in praying for a restoration of peace.  I will ask you to join in remembering that there are other ongoing wars (more than 20 with at least 1,000 combat-related deaths in the past year) spread across our globe鈥eople in the crosshairs of those conflicts need our attention and our prayers just as much as the Ukrainians do.  Those wars don鈥檛 make our nightly news, but that doesn鈥檛 make them any less frightful for those who endure them each day.

I will also make an appeal as an educator.  As Americans, we are undeniably better able to deal with threats that emerge overseas if we actually take the time to know more about the world that surrounds us.  Students, regardless of your major or your intended profession, use your time at 蜜豆直播 to improve your understanding of the other peoples who inhabit this globe of ours.  Take that course in international economics, in world history, or in political science.  Improve your fluency in a foreign language鈥e鈥檙e so far behind the rest of the world in this area.  Study abroad, albeit preferably in a location without an ongoing war.  Revive our Model United Nations program.  Get to know the international students who attend GWU.  Watch the news鈥nd talk about it with your roommate or the person sitting across from you in The Caf.  Do something, do anything to better engage with current affairs.  As an educated person, you鈥檒l be more informed; as a democratic society, we鈥檒l be stronger.

March 2022 has indeed come in ferociously like a lion.  Some might say it鈥檚 come in like a bear, Russia鈥檚 longstanding symbol.  As Christians, our longstanding symbol is that of the lamb鈥e get that from the Bible, not the Farmer鈥檚 Almanac.  As Christians, as Americans, and as members of the 蜜豆直播 family, let us pray and work for the triumph of peace represented by the lamb.

Dr. William M. Downs
President

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2022

蜜豆直播 University joins the nation in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2022.  This is a day of reflection, and it is a day of rededication.  As a society, we are all on a journey together鈥nd there are still miles to go before we sleep.

I was less than two years old when an assassin鈥檚 bullet cut down Dr. King on April 4, 1968.听 Obviously, I don鈥檛 have direct memories of his life.听 Like many, however, I have been a student of the civil rights icon鈥檚 enduring legacy.听 Numerous digital archives enable us to , , and even Dr. King鈥檚 powerful sermons and speeches.听 He was a master communicator, and his words still resonate鈥攁nd inspire鈥攄ecades later.

If you鈥檙e like me, you are taking some extra time on this special day to think about where we are as a people.  It is clear that in many ways, America in 2022 is a better place than it was in 1963 when Dr. King gave his most famous 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥� speech in Washington, DC.  Likewise, I believe we have climbed out of the abyss in which our country found itself during the tragic and tumultuous year of 1968.  We should recognize progress when and where it occurs.

By the same token, we must always be unafraid to look in the mirror and absorb what we see.  We must also be bold enough to act on what we see.  The weight of imperfection is difficult to bear, but that is humanity鈥檚 enduring burden. 

Much of Dr. King鈥檚 messages addressed his observations of a broken and divided America.  In his thundering eloquence, Dr. King taught us much about our past and about our present.  What I鈥檝e taken away from so many of his speeches, however, is Dr. King鈥檚 tenacious refusal to ignore the prospect of a brighter future.  His was an unrelenting exhortation to do better鈥攁nd to be better鈥攕o that tomorrow might be a better day.   

In his 1957 speech, 鈥淎 Look to the Future,鈥� delivered in Monteagle, Tennessee, Dr. King told his audience, 鈥淎nd so let us go out and work with renewed vigor to make the unfolding work of destiny a reality in our generation. We must not slow up. Let us keep moving.鈥澨� That future-focused message is one for all the ages.听 It is certainly one for all of us as Americans, and it is one for us as members of the 蜜豆直播 family.听 Work with renewed vigor to make the unfolding work of destiny a reality鈥�

Here at home on our campus we have our own share of work to do.听 I鈥檓 proud that even during a pandemic in 2021 we didn鈥檛 get so distracted that we took our eyes off of an important prize.听 In February 2021, we brought together alumni and friends to have a thoughtful and candid conversation about race, which we titled 听 Later in the year, we were pleased to announce the creation of the Rev. Johnny and Mrs. Shirley Searight leadership certificate and scholarship program designed to accelerate opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.听 Just this December, GWU announced the launching of a new mentoring program aimed at improving the academic success rates of our minority male students.听 One of the mentors helping lead that program, GWU alumnus Juan Cherry, is the featured speaker at this year鈥檚 annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance on January 18.听 These are all steps in the right direction, but we should heed Dr. King鈥檚 advice:听鈥淲e must not slow up.听 Let us keep moving.鈥�

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2022.  Let us join together to celebrate his life, his message, and his impact.  Let us recommit to working each day to constructing a better us.  While acknowledging our imperfections, let us build upon each new success鈥o matter how large or small.  What better place than 蜜豆直播 to roll up our sleeves and to pursue our destiny鈥or God and for all Humanity.

Dr. William M. Downs
President

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The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  11:00 am, November 11, 1918.  It was at that time and on that date that hostilities ended in what we now know as World War I.  WWI was, sadly, also deemed the 鈥淕reat War鈥� and the 鈥淲ar to End All Wars.鈥�  More than 116,000 Americans died in the conflict, and an additional 200,000 were wounded.  North Carolina alone sent 86,457 soldiers overseas to fight.

November 11 has remained a special day for our society.  First called Armistice Day in 1919, Congress approved the date as a federal holiday in 1938, and in 1954 President Eisenhower renamed it Veterans Day.  Ever since, we have set aside time each year to remember not just victory in 1918 but also the patriotism and sacrifice of all men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Here at 蜜豆直播 University, we extend a heartfelt Thank You to America鈥檚 veterans.  Our gratitude is profound, for we know that without the hard work and heroism of our veterans we would not enjoy our present peace and prosperity.  Whether they served during times of war or times of peace, our veterans have protected us and defended our freedom. 

On a personal level, I salute my father for his service in the U.S. Army from 1954-56.  Dad (Dr. Murray S. Downs, pictured at right, who celebrated his 93^rd birthday earlier this month), did his basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, with the 101^st Airborne Infantry.  Although he never had to witness the grim horrors of war firsthand, Dad did his duty honorably like so many Americans of his generation鈥nd like so many Americans of all generations.  Dad鈥檚 brother, Richard, served in the U.S. Army from 1956-65 with stops in Italy, Korea, and Vietnam.  Their father/my grandfather (Ernest W. Downs) worked as a civilian for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1942-66 with postings at Fort Belvoir (Virginia), Camp Hale (Colorado), and Fort Eustis (Virginia).  I am proud of this rich family heritage of loyalty and service to our country.  Their examples of service and support have over the years instilled in me a respect and admiration of veterans and for our military.  Kim and I fly the American flag proudly, each and every day, at our Boiling Springs home.

As a University, we are likewise proud of the veterans who join us to pursue their academic degrees and their professional dreams.  Doing a little digging, we found that at least 513 students with VA benefits have matriculated at 蜜豆直播 since 2003.  We are working to increase the number of current and former military service personnel who choose 蜜豆直播.  We have a range of programs and incentives to help make GWU affordable and accessible to veterans, their spouses, and their families.  We are also looking to grow our current ROTC Program by attracting new students with an appetite for leadership.  Government officials have long touted North Carolina as 鈥渢he most military friendly state in the nation,鈥� with the country鈥檚 third-largest military presence and more than 720,000 veterans in residence.  蜜豆直播 can and should be an educational friend to those who have devoted themselves to keeping us and our families safe.

For a second consecutive year, 蜜豆直播 will hold a Veterans Day recognition ceremony in Dover Chapel on our campus (beginning, appropriately, at 11:00 am on November 11).  All faculty, staff, students, and the public are invited to attend this important and still-new tradition.  Two days later, on November 13, 蜜豆直播 will host its annual Military Appreciation Day football game in Spangler Stadium, during which we will invite all active and former military personnel to stand and receive our appreciation.  Then, in May 2022, we will hold our second annual Memorial Day service to recognize those men and women who gave the last full measure鈥攖heir lives鈥攊n service to the United States. 

I will close this blog by noting that America recently lost one of its great veterans, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin L. Powell.  General Powell passed away on October 18, 2021 from complications due to COVID.  It seems fitting to remember words from his 1989 Veterans Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery:

鈥淭his nation is what it is today because of the efforts and sacrifices of its veterans. It has been the contributions of America鈥檚 citizen-soldiers which have convinced potential adversaries throughout history that we are serious about our responsibility to defend our nation and its system of values.  The celebration of Veterans Day is a vivid reminder of the price which has been paid for the liberty we enjoy. It is also an appropriate time to reflect on the burden we all share in ensuring our children, and their children, enjoy that same liberty.鈥�

11.11.11 and evermore.  Thank you, veterans.

Dr. William M. Downs

President

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