Run toward excellence

Buildings on the Rhodes College campus have that regal look that demands status and prestige for those who attend and teach at the institution. Academic excellence exudes from the very property. Uniform architecture, manicured greens and impressive statuary let students and visitors know liberal arts education are valued above all else.  Rhodes campus is reminiscent of the Ivy League schools of the northeast.  A casual jog through its hallowed grounds was enough to say all that and more. After my first loop running around the perimeter I felt certain I come across a wooded area leading to a cave a la Dead Poets Society.

Last year I had the opportunity to spend time within the dark wooded paneled wall, marbled floors and high ceiling rooms that screamed of opulence. A quote on one of the statues gets right to the crux of the school, “The ideal of this college has been summarized in two words- genius and excellence.” That said, Rhodes sits in the middle of one of the most economically challenged cities in the American South. Some find this sort of thing unsettling, yet the same geographic scenario exists coast to coast. A commentary, not necessarily a bad one, comes in this phenomenon of our country and our principles. Theoretically we all have the opportunity to strive for greatness. Colleges are often vehicles for greatness to come to fruition. I returned to the statue and slowed to read quotes from President Charles Diehl, who moved the campus to Memphis in the 20’s, "The ideal of this college has been summarized in two words- genius and excellence."

Academic studies and running are not the same, but they have a lot in common.

Strive for greatness. Run.

Tom