Look at Me, I Can Be Centerfield

Well, due to unforeseen complications it seems as though the "Duel at Doc's" is actually going to be taking place tomorrow night. It has also been rumored that Doc himself will be on the mike for a live broadcast on the course. If the showdown doesn't happen tomorrow night, please forward all complaints and blame to one Aldon Wickliffe.

You thought the confirmation process surrounding John Roberts was a big deal, check out the great odyssey currently taking place to find the next person to make George and Laura crabcakes.

During this past week, the S.A. cabinet for the next year had the opportunity to gather on a retreat and focus our attention on what lies ahead. During a portion of the retreat where I was laying out the leadership model that we will employ for the next year, I continually emphasized that we have to be "big picture" people. During the year, I know I will hear from a myriad of students about their concerns, desires, and wishes for the university.

Many will demand that solutions be found on what would be a very tight timetable, and part of my responsibility is to address those concerns on a daily basis. At the same time, I must remind myself that while the present may be screaming at me, the future also beckons, sometimes with a much quieter voice. If the leadership of an organization is not continually thinking about the future, the organization will one day arrive at a place it never expected to be, and will be left wondering how they sleepwalked into that undesirable state.

Part of my job is to be constantly asking the big questions:

"What kind of organization do we want to be?"

"Where do want to go?"

"What are our values?"

"How do those values transform our work and service?"

It is in the process of continually asking these questions that renewal is found. May God bless us as we seek to be renewed and revived into powerful instruments of his work in the world.