Dear Wesleyan Community:
One of Kentucky Wesleyan’s greatest strengths is its openness. The Wesleyan Way entrance and our beautiful front lawn invite visitors to walk through or stop by. Intercollegiate athletics, guest speakers, artistic performances and events like our upcoming Concert on the Lawn are extensions of that openness—we open our campus, and the community joins us in creating an exciting atmosphere. This sense of openness has been important to Kentucky Wesleyan throughout its long history; it was evident during Kentucky Wesleyan basketball’s championship seasons when all of Owensboro rallied behind our team, and it’s evident now as our community looks to us with anticipation as we shape a new era. Openness is more than just welcoming people to our campus; it’s about embracing new ideas, opening lines of communication and building connections. If we’re open to change, we can reclaim the college’s national prominence. If we open communication, inviting folks from across campus into problem solving, we can foster more effective decision-making. If we’re open to new connections, we can forge partnerships that bring innovative opportunities.
Openness depends on transparency and honesty. The campus needs to be a place where everyone feels safe to express their opinions freely and without judgment. This past May, the College launched its next strategic planning process. We began with a short survey and now move with open forums where we’ll ask members of the campus community to share hopes and visions for the college’s future. Let’s carry that spirit of openness into those conversations. May that spirit guide us and enrich our interactions with honesty and openness to new possibilities.
My family and I look forward to opening the President’s Home to you this fall. We hope it will become a space where everyone—students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the College—can build life-long connections. Conversations may happen in formal receptions or over a coffee, but we hope each encounter strengthens our combined sense of purpose. We see the President’s Home as a welcoming place where ideas are shared, friendships are formed, and our collective vision for Kentucky Wesleyan is strengthened.
Let’s create that vision together, excited for the present and open to all the future may hold. Forward Ever,
James P. Cousins, Ph.D. President