A Belated Review of the Holiday

For so very many students at most university's the holidays represent an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate in preparation for the next semester's challenges. At Columbus State University, like many of our peer institutions, there are a number of international students for whom travel abroad is simply not economically feasible. Likewise we have a number of student/athletes at the university from around the world who must continue to train over the holiday period. So the Mescons decided to host a cookout for a collection of international students and faculty at our home to introduce many of these students to their peers as well as to assure them there exists at Columbus State University an ongoing support mechanism as their "home, away from from". A number of students from our Schwob School of Music and throughout the university attended. From Venezuela to Bulgaria, Japan to England, Israel to the Netherlands, this was a terrific and engaging event that in a casual, interactive session allowed for students, faculty and friends to enjoy one another's company and to gain even greater insights into each other's very many opportunities and select challenges. Our favorite moment of the day was when an incredibly talented music student from the Schwob School and an equally talented tennis player enrolled in the Turner College of Business sequestered themselves in a corner of the living room and engaged in a spirited and ongoing dialogue in Bulgarian. They had not met previously and while one hailed from Bulgaria, the other did not, yet they found great common ground through a common language and set of student experiences that allowed them to become fast friends and colleagues. This is a hallmark of a great, global university. The confluence of cultures and the ability of the university to create a common forum, platform for discussion is so very fundamental to college life. The day was a great success and the connectivity among our students was magical. It really gets no better than this.