By Jack Jeffery
University Communications and Marketing
Even in the midst of the horrific events of last Sept. 11, which revealed the worst of mankind, Ohio University President Robert Glidden also saw some of the best traits of human nature in how the campus community rallied together.
"I'm very proud of our students and the community. For one thing, their reactions to this supported our sense of community on this campus. You never wish for any kind of disaster, but sometimes good things can come from these circumstances. The sense of community that emerged out of this was really quite reassuring and gave us a lot of confidence in the future in the way our students reacted to this situation," Glidden said.
He noted that it was particularly trying for students, who had never before experienced a true threat to national security.
"The world has changed since Sept. 11 and a lot of the reason is that many of our students don't remember the Cold War so they've never known a threat to national security," Glidden added. "Sept. 11 really shook up a lot of people in a way we probably hadn't thought about."
In the midst of the tumultuous times, he was particularly impressed with the way others treated members of the international community on campus.
"I think the campus community acted very well overall and I was very proud of the way that people rallied in support of our international community," Glidden said. "It was a time when things could have gotten ugly in that regard, but that didn't' happen. I had concerns for our students from the Middle East, in particular, but I think they felt very well supported by the university community as a whole"
It is a changed world, Glidden acknowledged, and a piece of advice he has today for students is that one of the best ways to deal with the new reality is to broaden horizons, not limit them.
"I would like students to take a broad perspective about this and to realize that, yes, there will always be a threat. There will be a threat the rest of our lives, but there is one big globe and a very interdependent world," Glidden said. "However, it is more important that we promote things like education abroad. It's important for us to welcome international students, get to know people from around the world and embrace different ways of thinking from our own."
