It is understandable if Heights residents occasionally take for granted some of our community’s most remarkable assets. I was reminded of that yesterday when, on a beautifully sunny late morning, I found myself on the campus of John Carroll University with some time to kill.
I had just finished taping a radio show in the University’s media lab[1] when the sunny sky induced me to wander through the heart of the campus back towards Warrensville Center Road. On a whim I decided to enter the inviting Grasselli Library/Breen Learning Center. I found free copies of the New York Times and USA Today and, upon asking, was directed towards a sunny reading area with comfortable chairs. I didn’t do much more than glance at the headlines because the building is wi-fi so I checked my iPod for emails.
I had to leave before I was ready but one of the things that struck me was that during a period of 20-25 minutes I had occasion to initiate conversation with four or five students. Every one of them stopped what he or she was doing to accommodate a visitor’s curiosity with courtesy and generosity.
Many years ago I was part of a group that adopted Euclid Park Elementary School in Cleveland. I was startled to learn that none of the students had ever set foot on any college campus, despite the fact that John Carroll, Case Western Reserve, and Cleveland State were all just — to my mind — down the street, a bus ride away. College must have seemed to many of them as far away as Iraq.Panel
John Carroll is a palace for learning, an economic engine, and an implicit source of inspiration for Heights youth, just by being there. Heights residents of any age who venture on campus — for lectures, programs, or anything else — might discover it to be a Cain Park for the mind.Aufblasbarer Bogen 13
[1] You can hear it Saturday, March 5 at 8:30am on WJCU 88.7FM.
Nice first post, Richard. Thanks for joining the Heights Observer/Blogs. I’m looking forward to more of your thoughts.