Rose-Hulman is a college where faculty and staff pull together for one common cause – our students. They are the only reason we exist. What we do here on a daily basis must focus on students and transcend any individual agendas that do not contribute to that mission.

I am not saying we ignore the individuality of our people. Just sit in on one of our faculty meetings and you’ll hear a lively exchange of ideas. Divergent viewpoints make us stronger and we encourage personal and professional growth among our faculty and staff, but we do so in an environment that says “we’re all in this together.” We share a destiny that blends our individual responsibilities and gifts with the corporate responsibility to help others.

The best evidence of such mutual support is found in the Rose-Hulman learning experience. Of course, faculty form the front line of our technical education in our classrooms and labs, but the learning does not stop there. They also provide lessons in how to live a life. Those lessons are countless, but examples include community service, perseverance, raising a family, teamwork and passion for discovery. Our students see our faculty “after hours” building a Habitat for Humanity house or playing concert piano in an Engineers in Concert performance or preparing to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro or bringing their kids to a Rose-Hulman sporting event. We are role models beyond the gates of 5500 Wabash Avenue.

Teachable moments are not limited to faculty members. Everybody at Rose-Hulman is a teacher, including our staff. As I travel across the country visiting with alumni, conversation inevitably turns to a recollection of a coach or a staff adviser who played a positive role in an alumnus’ life. It may have been a heart-to-heart discussion after a tough final exam or an invitation to dinner or a note of encouragement left in a room by a housekeeper. All members of the Rose-Hulman family are willing to jump in and play a role in the education of our students.

The “jump-in” mentality goes beyond the educational process. Each of us is responsible for other aspects of the college as well. One example I put forth is the admissions process. We have a top-flight team of admissions professionals whose job is to recruit the best pool of students possible. It is how they earn their paychecks, but the responsibility for admissions falls to all of us. We all help spread the word to prospective high school students through family contacts and community and professional outreach. We even help the admissions process in how we interact with visiting students in the hallways and with how we answer the phone. In the same way, we all are responsible for public relations, fund raising, maintenance…anything to do with Rose-Hulman and its mission.

Our faculty and staff embrace this philosophy with zeal. They will do anything to help the college complete its mission. For example, an errant piece of litter will be picked up by a vice president or a faculty member will provide an impromptu tour of campus to a visiting family. When a faculty member becomes ill and cannot get to class, his or her colleagues volunteer to take over the course load. This type of cooperation happens without a lot of asking or pushing by top-level administrators. If somebody sees a need, they deal with it.

Rose-Hulman is not a perfect place, but the cooperation between faculty and staff is phenomenal when compared to other colleges. Our faculty are grateful for the support provided by our staff in all areas, and in the same way, our staff appreciates what the faculty must do in the classrooms and labs. In our culture, everybody is important and our people strive to support each other. It is something we must continue to do, because the college cannot continue to prosper unless we all prosper.

If you have been a regular reader of this column, it will be no surprise that I revel in the accomplishments of our faculty, staff, students and alumni. I am proud of our Number One ranking in the U.S. News & World Report survey of higher education and I take great joy in Rose-Hulman being named a “hot college” by Kaplan/Newsweek. I hope the accolades keep coming for our college, but I will continue to take my greatest pride in the sense of community that defines Rose-Hulman.