Let’s pause for a moment and recall that we are in God’s presence.
God of all places,
You have gathered us together here in this place from across the heartland of our great nation.
From the Great Lakes to the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi Delta,
you have called us to share our stories, our experiences, our successes and, yes, our failures, as we seek to learn from one another, and through one another from You, how better to foster the mission of our institutions.
For though the places we come from are several and diverse, we are united by a common mission: to form our students to be men and women for and with others.
So we pray that you infuse our conversations with the spirit of your wisdom.
Fill us with a deep and constant gratitude for this group and for the many gifts you have bestowed upon it through the talents with which you have blessed each one of us.
And grant that, inspired by the magis, we may strive always to seek your greater glory in all of our colleges and universities.
– Offered by John T. Sebastian, Ph.D., 2015
