Spring 2002

Great Days:  A Letter From the President


Striving to Develop Good Citizens

On a recent December Saturday morning, more than 300 Rose-Hulman students made the holidays a little more special for 413 area children.  That was when representatives from 15 campus organizations volunteered their time to assemble bicycles for the Bikes for Tykes program that serves needy children.

You know something exceptional is happening when you can get that many college students up on a Saturday morning.  With wrenches turning and assembly instructions in their laps, our students were making a difference.  They didn’t have to be there, but they were giving back to their community.

What happened that morning with Bikes for Tykes is just one example of how Rose-Hulman strives to develop good citizens who are willing to assist their communities in a variety of ways.

There is no doubt Rose-Hulman provides a great technical education, but we would be remiss if we did not encourage our students to realize the importance of   service to others.  No matter how good our students are technically (and they are very good), it would not mean much without them being good citizens.  Just because a student works hard at learning fluid mechanics, mass transfer or differential equations doesn’t mean he or she can’t work just as hard at learning how to help others. 

Serving as good citizens helps our students appreciate the talents they’re blessed with and it emphasizes the responsibility they have to use their talents for the common good.  Hopefully this caring attitude will reflect in their careers as they apply their Rose-Hulman educations to solving the problems of tomorrow.  If they can relate to the needs of people, they will be better problem-solvers, and their work will be more than mere technical solutions.  Our students have shown they are more than up to the task:

• Rose-Hulman continually leads the way in donations to the area blood center.  Our students rank highest per capita in donations throughout the state, and they lead the donations in the Wabash Valley.

• Last December, our Greek system organized a rock concert to benefit the World Trade Center Miracle Fund's Family Relief Fund.

• Eight electrical and computer engineering students have developed a system for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services that strives to improve communications for persons with hearing and visual handicaps. 

• Mechanical engineering students designed a device to help a two-year-old with muscle problems move his arms.

• A service fraternity built a playground area for a local park.

• Our student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers has collected almost $15,000 over the past 13 years for the Terre Haute Tribune-Star Christmas Basket Fund. 

• Several students have participated in construction of a Habitat for Humanity House.

I could fill several pages of this magazine with more examples of student service that has benefited organizations such as the Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, Hospice of the Wabash Valley, March of Dimes, etc.  Space will not allow me to go on at such length, but I hope you get my point.

Why have we been successful in this area?  It starts with the type of student we recruit.  For the most part, they are good citizens when they arrive on campus, but we have supported and encouraged their desire to serve.

Faculty and staff provide that spark of service.  They serve as excellent role models of how to give back to their communities.  Wherever you look in our community, you see Rose-Hulman faculty and staff involved and serving in leadership roles.  Our students see this and they learn through such observation. 

I’m happy to say that once our students leave the confines of 5500 Wabash Avenue, they continue being good citizens.  Our alumni are involved in their communities throughout the country and the world.   They serve as PTA members, civic club officers, United Way members, service volunteers and youth sports coaches.  They make a difference.

That is what Rose-Hulman is all about – making a difference in the lives of young people who go on to make a difference in the world.  Molding good citizens is part of that process.