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Strong is Beautiful

One of the most consistent comments we get about Meredith (other than its reputation for educational excellence and successful alumnae, of course) is that it feels the way a college campus should feel.

I know ultimately that feeling has so much to do with connections, warm welcomes, interested admissions counselors and faculty, students and staff eager to give directions and more. But it also has much to do with the sheer beauty of this campus.

From the redbuds that bloom in the spring along the greenway on Hillsborough Street to the magnificent magnolias in front of Johnson Hall, from the ivory yellow tulip trees to the deep grape and gray ones, this campus, along with the larger natural world, is in a perpetual cycle of renewal.

How perfect that every year this lush campus beauty somehow reaches even greater heights to coincide with the culmination of promise that is commencement. After our students have invested so much time and energy during the cold dark hours of winter, they bloom with demonstrations of knowledge, ability, and readiness for the world. During the spring, after all, our students perform for us through their recitals, art and design shows, and research presentations. They not only demonstrate their learning in class and through on- and off-campus events, but many of them also head to regional and national conferences, where they present to their peers and even to scholars what they have discovered.

It is an awakening and performance that is the constant reminder of what we do and why we do it: to bring into being the next generation of learners, doers, problem solvers and promise seekers – our wonderful students.

And of course, with the advent of commencement also come first signs of the Meredith Hues, the lovely iris created by Lolita Powell, ’41, and named for the College. Uncannily, and despite wildly fluctuating temperatures, rain, sun and snow, every year the Meredith Hues seem to know exactly when to bloom – just in time for commencement weekend.

For all those who have given to the College in so many ways – scholarships, bricks and mortar, and – yes – the grounds, we thank you for helping us to celebrate and steward the beauty of this campus and its extraordinary metaphor for the growth and strength of our students.

Melyssa Allen

News Director
316 Johnson Hall
(919) 760-8087
Fax: (919) 760-8330

allenme@meredith.edu