As we prepared and reviewed our feature stories for the Winter 2009 edition of the Mount Mercy Magazine, it was overwhelmingly apparent that the individuals profiled in the following pages are powerful, tangible, and living examples of how our campus community members carry out the mission of the College in their everyday lives.
No matter their connection to this institution, the diverse individuals you will read about have traveled a different and equally impressive road that ends with one common goal: the betterment of themselves and those around them. In my opinion, there is no greater calling than to use our talents to encourage in each other intellectual engagement, spiritual growth, vocational clarity, physical well-being, and responsible community leadership. Mount Mercy’s mission defines this as “promoting purposeful living,” and it is a characteristic to which I believe our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends all prescribe.
The expectation and celebration of purposeful living is one of the qualities that makes Mount Mercy who we are — a College that provides a diverse group of students a practical and relevant foundation for leading successful, meaningful lives, an engaged and welcoming campus community, and an institution that supports a deeply personal learning environment with academically challenging courses and vibrant programs and experiences.
A college, like a family, shares unique and varied attributes, and when combined with a firm foundation of values, each individual can achieve the distinct purpose for which they have been called. As a father of two children and the president of this fine institution, I have seen the gift that a life filled with purpose can give.
I hope that you enjoy the profiles in this edition of the Mount Mercy Magazine, and I look forward to hearing your own personal and unique “purposeful living” story. As always, you may contact me at president@mtmercy.edu.
Godspeed,
Christopher Blake, President