In the mid-1980s, I joined Beloit’s Admissions Office as it’s East Coast Admissions Representative (residing in MA).  When I visited Beloit to interview for the job, I had been out of touch with the College since Commencement Day.  It was shocking to return to the pristine campus-of-my-memory – now derelict - and see first-hand the ravages of deferred maintenance after several years of Beloit’s operating in a near-bankrupt state.   By the time I joined Admissions, Beloit was on a steep path to recovery.  My mandate was to comb the Eastern Seaboard (13 states!) to ferret out and recruit the caliber of students [smart, engaged, intellectually curious, edgy] we all took for granted in the “golden age” of The Beloit Plan (and, no, WE didn’t bankrupt the College!)

Before setting out on this mission, I had to create a marketing “pitch.”  My spouse, who comes from a family of golden-tongued orators, gave me good advice: figure out four or five talking points out of aspects of my Beloit experience [not named Ben Hedges!] that made Beloit distinctive, that made a difference in my life.  Then, check to see which, if any, were still true. Amazingly, they all were!  Talking about my five points turned out to be a very successful recruiting tool.  [I found out recently that there is still a copy of “Jo Froman’s Basic Beloit ‘Pitch’” on file in the Admissions Office.]

[I confess that maybe I’m more gaga about Beloit because – in baseball parlance, I was only here for “a cup of coffee.”  I probably would be more blasé about the College 1) if I hadn’t first spent two mal-adapted, miserable years at another college, and 2) if dipping my toe for two years of The Beloit Plan hadn’t been such a transformational experience.  My Beloit education was good enough to for an entry ticket to Harvard Business School eight years out – a path wildly unimaginable in 1969 – and graduation With Distinction (!).   So, small wonder that  I place great value on what I took away from the College 50 years ago.]

So, here are my talking points – greatly distilled:

• The first quality is Beloit’s DIVERSITY.  [Concluding remark: “Perhaps it’s this diversity that makes Beloitstudents unusually adaptable and tolerant of individual differences”.]

• Despite all of it’s diversity, there is a strong SENSE OF COMMUNITY. [Concluding remark: “It’s this sense of community and caring that makes Beloit a very supportive atmosphere for learning.”]

• The third quality is the EXCELLENCE OF BELOIT’S FACULTY and their COMMITMENT TO TEACHING.

• The fourth quality is a strong COMMITMENT TO INTERNATIONAL STUDIES. [“At Beloit, we believe that part of a good education is learning to become a responsible ‘citizen of the world’.”]

• The fifth quality is EMPHASIS ON PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION.

I can’t speak to Beloit pre-1965, but in the years that I have been involved since The Beloit Plan (can we agree to call it “The Golden?”) Era, all five of those qualities are still deeply imbedded in the College’s DNA. 

Postcript:  Of late, the only one that concerns me is DIVERSITY, in the sense that we experienced it in our time at Beloit – e.g. toleration of individual differences.  I don’t think Beloit’s current students are atypical of their generation of college-goers, but it is this point that I would feel less sanguine about calling out if I had to give this speech today.   As a Trustee, I know that the College makes great efforts to engender a sense of community and mutual respect among students, but the forces of our larger society, the lure of scoring points on social media, the increasing pressure of Identity Politics and the general political climate in the U.S. all pose formidable barriers – all militate against this outcome.   The realization that college, in general, isn’t a safe space anymore, at least not in the way I experienced it in the late 1960s, distresses me.   Does our generation have a role in making it so again?

WOW - your postscript really threw me for a loop! I hope we get a chance to talk this weekend - I'd like to learn more about what you are seeing, and what, if any, you think are things that can be done to counteract it.

Thanks for sharing your insights and your enthusiasm for Beloit!

Diversity is still very much a part of Beloit's DNA.  In many ways, moreso than ever  This diversity is manifest in the range of nationalities and, as always, in the socio-economic and ethnic groups represented on campus.  It is also, still, manifest in the astonishing range of student-run clubs and organizations that co-exist on campus.  The point I was trying to make -- I want to be clear about this -- isn't a Beloit-specific issue.  I'm concerned because, as a passionate advocate for -- and product of a --"liberal arts" education,  I believe an essential part of learning is an exchange of ideas, rhetoric, debate, civil discourse -- whatever term you want to use.  What I find to be under siege -- not just at Beloit -- is that part of "diversity" which accepts people who's views may be in opposition to one's own and is willing to listen to those views and engage in debate.  I know that Beloit is working hard on this issue, but that it's not a straight-forward or easy task given all of the political and social pressures exerted on today's students.  

Yes.  Absolutely.  We can have, should have, do have a role in shaping how all of these issues are addressed.  Let's let civil discourse, courage, integrity and kindness stay in the equation of our legacy.