The Season for Giving Thanks

November 10, 2009

As the Holiday season quickly approaches, and the leaves display a beautiful assortment of natural color before they fall from the trees, members of the Cheyney University community tell us there is much for which to be thankful. Our students tell us that they are thankful for their resilience and preparedness for future challenges; they affirm that because they are accustomed to doing a great deal with the meager resources at Cheyney University—they are ready. Our students believe that because of their overall lack of advantages they will be prepared to handle whatever life offers them, once they have completed their college education. Students proclaim, also, that they are thankful; for the caring faculty, coaches, and staff. They value the small classes and the quality interactions they have with faculty and staff. Further, many of our students assert that they are thankful to be at Cheyney University for the opportunity to acquire a college education and an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills for more effectively giving back to their communities after graduation.

Our alumni still recount stories of the affect that specific faculty, coaches, and staff at Cheyney University had on their development when they attended the University decades ago. Our alumni tell us that they are so grateful for the sacrifices and commitment of their former teachers, coaches, staff, and mentors because those dedicated individuals helped them to develop into the responsible men and women they are today. Many alumni are also grateful for the lifelong friendships and connections they have with the extended Cheyney University family. Alumni also let us know that they are appreciative that there was, and still is, a Cheyney University that takes students from where they are and helps them to pursue personal dreams.

Many of the current faculty and staff tell us that they are pleased to work with some of our students who have not been privileged, but who bring a wealth of experience, optimism, talent, and courage to the college environment. Some of our staff who are baby-boomers, moreover, attests that they are pleased to work with the students at Cheyney University because it furnishes an opportunity for them to bring forth a diverse group of new leaders for their disciplines and for the nation. It furnishes an opportunity for them to “give back” and to pay for future generations.

Some of our colleagues in the K-12 continuum offer that they are grateful for some of the successes of Cheyney University—some of their students who left high school as more-or-less nondescript persons blossomed and developed into leaders by the time they graduated from Cheyney University. Other colleagues in the K-12 continuum are thanking Cheyney University for expanding our dual enrollment activities and our outreach to precollege venues.

Without a doubt, I am thankful for the anxiously awaited new residence hall, so that we can offer our students accommodations similar to other institutions. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the students of the Commonwealth who come to Cheyney University and trust us with their hopes and dreams. Overall, I am also thankful for my assortment of skills and talents that can be put to use to help build a stronger America—one student at a time.

I am also thankful for the family and friends who support me, so that I can support others.

Michelle Howard-Vital

Tags: alumni , thanksgiving

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