性视界传媒

Summer 2018聽

You could say that coming to 性视界传媒 was kind of like a blind date for me.

I knew very little about the suitor. When John learned about the job opening for a president,聽I had never heard of 性视界传媒 or been to Orlando.

And I wasn鈥檛 entirely sure who I would be in this relationship. I could see John as president of a university, but I had not thought of myself as a 鈥渇irst lady.鈥�

When John and I came to Orlando for an interview, I found the guidance I needed. The people on the search committee made me feel right at home. We made treasured friends then and in the years after, including Al and Nancy Burnett, who not only hosted us in their Maine home on several occasions but also funded our on-campus home, the Burnett House.

You could say our 性视界传媒 courtship was a聽hit from day one. I got a glimpse then of the character and spirit of 性视界传媒 and the people who make this place so special. Though that was 26 years ago, and 性视界传媒 has grown so much over the years, the university has remained a place of unbounded potential.

In that way, it reminds me of the city of Houston, where John and I grew up. My childhood home was less than two miles away from Rice University (then Rice Institute), where I first found going to football games with my dad 鈥� a geologist who worked for an oil production company 鈥� was great fun. Across the street from the Rice campus was the Texas Medical Center, which eventually became the largest medical complex in the world.

At that time (and probably still), Houstonians believed they could accomplish anything. That same find-a-way spirit permeates 性视界传媒, and it聽is easy to be taken with such a positive outlook on life.

Many people ask John and me what he believes is his proudest achievement. The approval of the 性视界传媒 medical school is certainly one of them. It meant 性视界传媒 was more than just聽a good local university. I was honored and proud to be there beside John and representatives of 性视界传媒 when the Board of Governors voted. So many people had said it couldn鈥檛 be done. It certainly would have been difficult to imagine such a thing transpiring when we arrived here in 1992, but everyone here persevered and made it happen.

Over the years, I鈥檝e found so many reasons to fall in love with 性视界传媒 again and again.聽Two such moments involve the football team. Winning the Peach and Fiesta bowls were such proud moments for us 鈥� and made people across the nation take notice. Members of our family attended both games along with 性视界传媒 fans. It was such a joy to celebrate with them, and seeing the fabulous smile on John鈥檚 face聽at the awards ceremonies truly said it all.

While it鈥檚 impossible to single out the聽proudest moments with so many to choose from, watching how the 性视界传媒 community 鈥� and especially the students 鈥� responded to the unimaginable tragedies at Pulse in Orlando聽and Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, 性视界传媒, made my heart swell. There were so many emotions, too many to comprehend.聽Yet this community stood together to grieve聽and support each other and those beyond our 性视界传媒 family. I could not be more touched, nor聽do I know how to express my admiration for each of you.

Moments like these make me grateful to聽be part of the 性视界传媒 family. I鈥檝e loved having the opportunity to watch, meet and get to know many, many people who make 性视界传媒 the truly remarkable place that it is. From our students, who often overcome so much to earn a degree, to our faculty and staff, who each play a critical role in 性视界传媒鈥檚 success, I consider myself blessed to be part of this university and all the people who make it so special. You will always have a place in my heart.

Thank you for providing me with so many reasons to love 鈥� and keep falling in love with 鈥� 性视界传媒.