True North Essays
About True North from President Norton's State of the University Address, September 18, 2006
Many of us have stories about the transformative power of education—which brings me back to our obligation to tell people about what we’re doing at Northern Colorado. Over the coming year, I want us to share these stories and use them as the basis for a sustained conversation about why we’re here.
We’ve named this yearlong project “True North.” The idea comes from a National Public Radio program called “This I Believe.” In the 1950s, journalist Edward R. Murrow invited people listening to his radio program to write essays about their deepest beliefs. In the spring of 2005, NPR launched a reprise that’s still airing.
The focus of “True North” is a bit narrower. I invite each of you to share a short personal essay about the power of education—how it engages, how it transforms, how it enriches our lives. I’m afraid these next couple of things will give me away as an undergraduate English major. Nonetheless, by short, I mean about 350 words, and these are personal essays, so yes, you can use “I.” In fact, please do.
It’s my hope that “True North” will accomplish three things. First, that it will give us some shared perspective. Second, that it will highlight the diverse voices within our campus community. And finally, that it will help us tell people throughout our spheres of influence who we are, what we do, and why it matters at Northern Colorado.