It is hard to believe, but summer is nearly over! I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy it. I had the pleasure of walking in the Orrville Independence Day parade this year, and it was great to see the huge turn out and meet so many people. I would like to thank faculty member Colleen Teague for hosting the Wayne College volunteer group at her house prior to the parade, Nonya Stalnaker for designing and building the float, and police officer Bill Barath for driving. I also want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who represented Wayne College by walking in the parade. Even though it was very warm we all had a good time. If you haven’t had the chance to walk in the parade, I invite you to participate next year.
On June 15, we hosted riders from the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) on their first night of the tour, which was a wonderful experience. There were riders from all over the country including one from Alaska. Wayne College was the “it” place to be as the riders came pouring in. Food, musical performances and all sorts of other festivities were taking place.
All of the riders were extremely complimentary of the grounds, with one rider saying to me that it was the best overnight place he has been during his ten years of riding in GOBA. Unfortunately, I wasn’t here to see them ride out Monday morning, but it sounds like that was a sight to see. Come Monday afternoon there was hardly a sign that they had passed through our beautiful campus. Daily Record coverage of the event can be found here.
Another great event was the Wagstaff Way dedication ceremony. I was pleased that so many of our colleagues made it down from the Akron campus to participate. Thank you to everyone who took time from their busy schedules to attend the dedication. I will always remember the smiles on the faces of Reid and Susi Wagstaff, as well as the words from our student speaker, Chris Ryan. He said, “My wife and I were looking at our finances, and it seemed I would have to give up on my dream of getting a mechanical engineering degree because we had no way of paying for the spring semester. This scholarship brings the cost back into a range we can afford.”
The entire Wagstaff Way dedication event was certainly uplifting.
Speaking of uplifting, Lt. Chad Cunningham is joining us as the lieutenant permanently assigned to Wayne College. Chad is excited about being here with us, and I know we are excited to have him. Now that he knows he is here permanently, I can’t wait to see what programs he has in store for us.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting UA’s new president, Dr. Scott Scarborough, several times now and have been participating in the staff meetings with him. Dr. Scarborough is a thoughtful man who wants to move the University forward and move it forward quickly. He definitely has a plan and I am very encouraged by what I have seen and heard. I believe the University is in excellent hands under his leadership. He is interested in coming to Wayne College to meet everyone, and I will be sure to let you know when that will happen.
As I walk around the building, it is encouraging to see the enthusiasm everyone has. I know the Wayne College team is working extremely hard and it is great to see everyone smiling. More information about the impressive work of our Wayne College faculty and staff can be viewed here.