I am sure that anyone who was born prior to the turn of this new century has heard the famous JFK's inaugural quote regarding the honors and duties associated with being an US citizen: " Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country" still resonates as one of the most memorable speeches of all time. In an era of major international political, social, and religious conflict JFK's quote seems to have kind of lost its original power and meaning.

Although this argument is definitely material for another host forum, I wanted to paraphrase John Kennedy's quote in order to explore the dual benefits that being a Wabash student/soccer athlete can bring to the table.

What can we do for you, young student searching for his future academic and athletic destination? The simple answer would be...a lot, but I am sure that a deeper examination of the multiple gains associated with spending the next four years of someone's life in Crawfordsville can really shine a light on the reasons that made Wabash College an one-of-a-kind institution of higher education.

Let's start with the academics, the principle and most important reason behind a school choice. Reading our glossy brochures and examining the statistics alone don't tell the whole story of this little college 45 minutes West of Indianapolis. Yes, we do have an impressive percentage of students who are accepted to the best graduate schools in the country after graduation. Yes, our grads continue their education and become PhDs at a rate that is superior to that of some Ivy League schools. Yes, we have a 9-1 professor-student ratio. Yes, we are one of the best Liberal Arts schools in the country. Yes, we are ranked amongst the top fifty schools in America. Yes, we are ranked fourth by the Princeton Review when it comes to students satisfaction with their professors' availability in and outside the classroom. Yes, one out of every eight grads is a CEO of a major corporation. Yes, we have an astonish number of graduates who are successful lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, authors and professors. Yes, we have lab equipment and facilities that most grad school don't have. And on and on and on and on... .  All these things are easily recognizable if a prospective student looks at our record and reputation, but there are other signs, in my opinion deeper and less "flashy," that deserve to be observed; the subtext of it all; the "how" and "why," rather than the "what."

Math is math. Physic is physic. Chemistry is chemistry.  Biology is biology. No matter where you go to school or which text you use, Napoleon was still born in Corsica in 1769, Hitler invaded Poland still in 1939, Julius Cesar was still assassinated in 44 BC, etc. etc. As I am equally sure that there aren't many different ways to resolve a second grade equation or to determine the speed of a liquid traveling through a hole at the bottom of a water tower, I can't help but think that real education, the one that stays with you for the rest of your life, goes far beyond what's printed on thousands and thousands of book pages. 

That's where Wabash dynamic faculty excels and raises above the lethargic and apathetic prints that come out from school text pages and the endless repetition of didactic passages.

The life skills that our professors give our students in four years, no matter which class they attend, are part of a special relationship, both intellectual and spiritual, that faculty is able to establish with the students year after year.  Just attending one class shines a light to the "different" approach professors have when it comes to "passing along" the message.  Students are constantly engaged in multiple party conversations.  Their opinions, views, and arguments are constantly challenged and facilitated by a learning environment that forces the students to think with their own heads and look at the subjects in hand from many different perspectives. Thinking critically doesn't just give students an opinion, a view, but enables them to dig deeper and find their own identity, their own selves.

Wabash is a special place. A place that embraces students for four years but also a place that wraps around them, like a familiar, warm, and comforting blanket,  for the rest of their lives.