Dear OLLU Community,
As I walked early this morning, I reflected on the week that was, the conversations I was invited into, the decisions we made, the processes that led to those decisions, the alignment of my actions with the stewardship of this calling, and the smiles I was blessed to give and receive. That memory alone gave me hundreds of reasons to smile once more.
A few steps ahead of me, I noticed a rectangular object on the ground. At the same time, my attention turned to the beautiful serenading duo of what I believe to be the Purple Martin and the Northern Cardinal. Their arrival some fifteen days ago has signaled the onset of spring, and though they are unaware of it, their song, like clockwork just before 6:00 a.m., lifts my soul each morning.
The rectangular object was a one-dollar bill.
I picked it up and continued my walk, admiring its texture. The almost denim-like weave of the paper was especially notable this morning. As I studied it, I could see the cross-threading of the pulp while George Washington stared back at me. It was as if, in that quiet moment, our nation’s first president spoke to me about his motto of integrity, duty, courtesy, and honesty.
By Ruslan
When I turned the bill over, my eyes were drawn to two simple but powerful inscriptions: In God We Trust and E Pluribus Unum.
I smiled again.
E Pluribus Unum: “out of many, one.” From the founding of our nation in 1776, this phrase captured the bold aspiration of uniting diverse colonies, peoples, and perspectives into one shared purpose. Diversity held together by shared values. Many, moving together as one.
As a Catholic university, our congregational founders remind us that we are “rooted in profound confidence in God’s providential love and care for all.” We are all called to further the mission of Jesus. We are all called to unity without uniformity. To conviction without division. To purpose without pride.
At the moment, higher education stands at a crossroads. National enrollments continue to decline. Questions about the value of higher education surface weekly. The pace of change is accelerating. And yet, education remains one of the most powerful equalizers. Education transforms generations. It expands opportunity. It forms citizens. It dignifies lives, service, and work. It lifts families.
I am hard-pressed to think of another institution with the opportunity that stands before us at Our Lady of the Lake University. We have the opportunity, and obligation, to sharpen our mission with focus, to respond boldly to the needs of our time, and to credential learners so they may build livelihoods based on their values. All through a distinctive OLLU way.
E Pluribus Unum. Out of many, one.
We come from different neighborhoods, disciplines, backgrounds, experiences, aspirations, perspectives—and we are united by something deeper. We trust in God. We believe in human dignity. We commit ourselves to excellence. And we move forward, together, as one.
May we model, at our very core, what it means to be children of God who serve, who care, and who lift one another, who lift our students, toward a higher calling.
With gratitude. With resolve. With love.