Unselfish and noble

Friday, April 19, 2024

Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

The Welsh philosopher David Thomas aptly defined volunteerism as “unselfish and noble actions” and called them “the most radiant epochs in the biography of souls.” I can personally attest to the unselfish and noble actions of our volunteers these past two weeks. You see, here at S&T, we are both the beneficiaries of volunteerism and the face of it. In fact, hands down, we would not be able to carry out our mission without the unselfish and noble actions of our volunteers. Our dedicated board members donate many hours of their time and share their expertise with us – most especially with our students and faculty – through their service to the university. Interestingly, during the month of April, National Volunteer Month, our university benefited from the collective efforts of several groups who visited campus. These include our University of Missouri Board of Curators, Board of Trustees, Kummer Institute Foundation Board, Miner Alumni Association Board of Directors and many of our eight Academies.

Our students, faculty and staff, in turn, volunteer to contribute to our broader community. They serve as agents of change for improving our communities and the world around us. Our student organizations and fraternities and sororities raise funds and volunteer for civic service organizations such as the ALS Association, Lions Club and Rotary Club, and support each other through mentoring and tutoring. Many alumni return to campus to give guest lectures and presentations, mentor and inspire students and give back to their alma mater in countless ways. And all along, they experience personal and career growth and enduring happiness.

Personally, I have fond memories of my first Christmas in America, when my roommate at LSU asked me if I wanted to help him and his family sell Christmas trees. “Does your family sell trees?” I asked. “No, but we volunteer at Christmas time and raise funds for the Huey P. Long Charity Hospital. “Sure,” I said, not knowing anything about selling trees, and so I had the opportunity to volunteer and my first experience of selling trees for four hours a night for eight evenings.

My take-home portion? The great feeling of having helped an organization with a mission to serve others. Since then, of course, I have served as a volunteer in many professional and civic organizations and, in the process, have enjoyed connecting with like-minded, kind-hearted people and riding the emotional highs of fulfillment and satisfaction that come from serving others.

So, how do you compare with the 54% of your fellow Americans, who in 2023 volunteered an average of six hours per month? Sounds small? Consider the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead about volunteerism: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

It is through this lens that we begin to see that effort matters even when our to-do list is never blank. Either as an individual or in a group, we can find a way to improve our communities, give back to others and reap the benefits of volunteering even as we seek to help others.

So, to our students in particular, I say, if you are considering helping others and volunteering in our community, just do it! You will be delighted to have helped others, and you will learn that shared purpose defines us, empathy unites us, and the goodness in you emerges most when helping others in times of need.

Of course, we have known all along that we “reap what we sow.” So, in this National Volunteer Month, try your hand at volunteerism with your most unselfish and noble actions, and test the “law of attraction” or “give before you receive” for yourself.

Warmly,

-Mo.

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Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu