Isn’t electricity a wonderful thing?  Now that the dark ages are behind us again, it is important that we remember the many things we take for granted…heat, light, water, television, clean laundry…So, what was it we did before cell phones?  Do you remember stopping at service stations and using payphones?  It seems that someone had always removed the pages from the phone book.  Do you remember checking to see if there was change in the coin return?  Right…no such luck.  I know that everyone has heard about the “good old days” from parents and grandparents.  After eight days without modern conveniences, I have come to believe that the best is yet to come.  It was nice, however, to be close with family.  There were ten of us in my mother’s den which had gas logs.  We played cards, read books, and talked to each other.  Maybe there is something to be learned from this that will improve our lives today.  I would love to hear about your ice storm experiences.  I would bet that there are some great stories out there.  So how did you survive?

Thanksgiving break provided us with a great opportunity to catch up on important things like spending time with our families, studying for finals, and eating too much.  Personally, I aced the “eating too much” part.  I hereby declare that I will better utilize the walking track in the Wellness Center.  Since my office is located in that building, there is no excuse for me not to take advantage of such a wonderful facility.  We have so much to be thankful for here at ANC. 

I am thankful for my friends.  I am thankful for the new roads and the completion of that little project…I always seemed to forget about the closed entries, and had to turn around to go the other way.  Yes, that was me.  I am thankful that gas prices are coming back down to earth.  Is there something about the gravity in Blytheville that keeps them from coming down faster?  Anyway, it is nice to fill up my tank for less than half the previous cost.  So, we should count our blessings, study hard, and give a big smile to everyone we meet.  Maybe I will see you on the walking track…because the next big “eating” break is just around the corner.

This weather is great!  Now that most students have settled into classes and know their way around the campus, I would like to encourage each of you to get involved in ANC clubs and activities.  The friends you make in college will be important to you for the rest of your lives. The Wellness Center offers some great opportunities for intramural sports.  This is your chance to have fun while getting to know teammates and participating in healthy exercise.  We are so glad you have chosen Arkansas Northeastern College.  We want your time here to be successful and memorable.

Hurry fall; hurry fast.  I really hate to rush the seasons, but this sweltering heat is a little too much for me.  So, if beginning the new school year brings the promise of cooler temperatures – I am ready!  The ANC campus has been pretty quiet during the summer months.  It is time for a change.  Returning students will see lots of changes on our campus.  It is exciting to see the remodeling progress, and if you haven’t figured it out already, change is inevitable.  Just when you get used to the way things are, someone changes it.  Maybe that is a good thing.  Without changes, we stop growing and become stagnant.  My advice is to embrace the changes.  ANC extends a hearty “welcome” to our new students.  We are glad you’re here.  We welcome back our returning ANC friends and family.  And, I don’t know about you, but I have missed breakfast at the Outback.