Reflection
By Dr. Benjamin B. Dunlap
Nearing the end of a Wofford presidency, I’m beginning to
reflect on those aspects of my job that have been so gratifying. What always comes first to mind is the love that
people like you must share for this venerable institution and the sheer extent
of your support. It’s true that a
college education costs much more than the sticker price, and the sticker price
is more than most can afford. It’s
equally true that gifts the Annual Fund and Scholarship Endowments enable us to
cope with problems of that sort. But
before I began to encounter all your names and gifts in regular reports, I had
little idea how generous people are in enabling others to get a Wofford
education. There are more good and
giving Samaritans among our alumni and friends than I had ever supposed, and it
has been truly humbling to learn how many
of you there are and to see firsthand the impact of your gifts. I’m accustomed by now to the grim reality of
budgets and bottom lines while, as I’ve learned, you and your fellow givers
persist in concerning yourselves instead with the limitless potential of those
whose lives you can change. I feel
chagrined to have discovered all this so recently, for you’ve known it all
along or done what you do without needing to know or being asked. I’m glad I’ve got this chance to say how much
I honor you and to thank you, not just for making my job a source of such pride
and satisfaction, but for making this college so much more than merely a haven
for those who can afford it. Your lesson
has not been lost on me, nor will it be forgotten by those you’ve helped. And Wofford will be Wofford still.