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Computer Times August 2007 Sullivan University - A Gathering of Eagles In a series of motivational articles about the human spirit, printed in the July, August, and September 2000 issues of Computer Times, we spoke about the differences between ducks and eagles, and referred to the picture of an eagle on my office wall that says "Eagles don't flock - you have to find them one at a time." We then went on to note that "While I believe
that statement to be true, I once experienced a large gathering of eagles at
Sullivan College's summer graduation ceremony, which was held in the Alumni
Chapel at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. As a member
of the faculty, I sat in the choir loft, directly behind the guest speaker, with
a great view of the new graduates and their families, who filled the seats, the
aisles, and the surrounding balcony of this charming, historic chapel. I wish
you could have shared my experience."On July 25, 2007, I experienced another gathering of eagles at the Sullivan University (http://www.sullivan.edu) ceremony that celebrated the official groundbreaking for their new College of Pharmacy. In this case, the gathering of eagles was the staff and faculty members of Sullivan University, many of whom helped grow Sullivan University from a small business school into a full university, which will soon begin its first doctoral program in pharmacy. At this ceremony, the feeling of pride filled the air as the more than 300 attendees included Sullivan's own "life changers," as Chancellor Al Sullivan likes to refer to the passionate and dedicated members of the Sullivan University team. During the ceremony, Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson referred to Sullivan University as "the gold standard for private, for-profit colleges in the United States," a title he heard over and over from educators throughout the country when they referred to Sullivan University at an educational conference he attended in 1993. Sullivan University is a textbook example of success coming to
those who find a need and then meet that need. In this case, there is a need for
more schools of pharmacy throughout this country, so Chancellor Al Sullivan,
with his son President Glenn Sullivan, decided to step in and meet that need.
This formula has been repeated at Sullivan University many times over, one
example being when Sullivan University became one of the first Microsoft
Certified schools of higher education in a pilot program that their then
Chairman of Computer Science Terry Kibiloski helped formulate with Microsoft to
meet the growing need for Microsoft Certified professionals. That effort has
grown into the College of Technology which now offers associate, bachelor's and
master's degree programs, plus certified degree programs with certification
options for Microsoft Network Engineers, Microsoft Professional Developers,
Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technicians, Microsoft Certified Database
Administrators, CISCO CCNAs, CISCO CCDAs, and CISCO CCNPs, Project Management
Professionals, and several others. For further information on these programs,
you can e-mail dblevins@sullivan.edu.
Sullivan University breeds eagles and helps them reach their highest dreams. When Sullivan University first attained its status as a full university, a sign that was prominent in the cheering crowd read "Dreams Come True At Sullivan U." So, who are these eagles that go to Sullivan U to make their dreams come true? They are a diverse set of students, from multiple nationalities, races, creeds, ages, and income levels. They come here because of the dedicated "life changers" who have been breeding eagles for a long time. To better define an eagle, as we refer to those students at Sullivan University:
At that Sullivan College graduation back in the year 2000, when the Alumni Chapel at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary was filled with eagles, it was a humbling experience to see graduates of all races and financial position, some with physical handicaps, walk up to accept their well deserved awards, diplomas and degrees. Their smiles and eyes were gleaming with excitement and enthusiasm. Their families were bursting with pride, so much so that occasionally they could no longer hold in their pride and, over the silent dignity of the ceremony, you heard shouts like "you did it Amy," or "way to go son," or just a burst of cheering. In our article series, we noted that you can tell an eagle by frequent bursts of smiling. At that graduation ceremony, as in many Sullivan University graduations since then, there were frequent bursts of smiling everywhere. For at least a moment, everyone in that chapel - graduates, parents, brothers, sisters, spouses, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends knew what it felt like to be an eagle. At the groundbreaking ceremony on July 25th, 2007, the eagle breeders of Sullivan University also knew what it felt like to be eagles, as there were frequent bursts of smiling all around. As employers, co-workers, and friends, it is our job to nurture young eagles, to help them keep their dreams alive. But first we must be good eagles ourselves. So, fly above the obstacles of life, follow your highest dreams, bring success to everything you do, then mix in a good dose of love for everyone you meet, and soon you will begin to experience frequent bursts of smiling and know what it's like to be an eagle on a daily basis. Then, much like the motto at Sullivan University, where "Dreams Come True At Sullivan U," you will find that "Dreams Come True, And They Begin With You!" |
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