The past few years have brought a variety of blows to our institution. A pandemic spanning multiple years, four university presidents and a multitude of administrative switches, budget cuts, apocalyptic — by Texas standards — snow storms, etc.
In times of crisis, we are disposed to either drown or display our strength.
In President Sanford’s recent “State of the University” address, he made it clear that after — and maybe still amidst — these gales, we are sailing forth. Our finances are in order, students are deeply invested, and the future holds the potential for a variety of enriching projects.
I often reflect on the parable of the house built on rock in the gospel of Matthew. The wise man constructed a sturdy structure so that when “the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Although one might make the argument that all soil in our area is rather shifty — the mall is perhaps proof enough — it is our mission and drive which ground this foundation. Our institution is constructed around the solidity of the Church and entrenched in a way of study rooted in millenias of wisdom.
Prudence and planning must carefully guard these goods, but our confidence is fundamentally in eternal Truth.
As a senior, one of Sanford’s lines particularly struck me. He looked around the room, noticing that many of us were leaving in a few short weeks, and noted that while our time was coming to a close, our presence showed that we would always care for our alma mater.
And she is as robust and worth loving as ever.
