By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Campbellsville University president Michael V. Carter urged CU students to not just to settle for mediocre and to always put others first in the opening chapel at the university Aug. 25.

Carter, in his address to the students, faculty and staff, pointed out the opening chapel is a symbol of the beginning of the academic year.

During the chapel, Dr. Bill Budai, assistant professor of piano, received the Non-Tenured Faculty Award for his teaching ability and his loyalty and commitment to CU and her students. Carter and Dr. Frank Cheatham, vice president for academic affairs, made the presentation.

“We are looking for a great, great year,” Cheatham said.

Carter told the students of the history of Ransdell Chapel and that being able to worship and having academic freedom allows faculty to share their faith with students.

He said a quest for knowledge is the essence of liberal arts institutions. He quoted Will Rogers who said, “Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.”

He told the students to know their goals and that “you are important to CU and most important to God.”

“We value each of you as students,” he said. “Each faculty and staff member is concerned about you,” he said.

“I hope you develop a deep sense of determination about your future. The future rests in what you make of it,” Carter said.

He told the students to have a sense of humor and to have humility. He urged the students to invest in what is worthwhile, to not settle for mediocrity, always put others first and to reinforce these by getting involved in a local church.

He discussed the various improvements at CU since last year and said there are more coming including, in the not to distant future, a new School of Business and Economics building and a new wellness center.

Micah Spicer of Wingo, Ky., president of the Campbellsville University Student Government Association, told the students their education was a “blessing.” (Campbellsville University Photo by Christina Miller)

Micah Spicer, a senior from Wingo, Ky., president of the Student Government Association, responded to Carter's comments, and said one particular word applies to “all of us and that word is not smart, successful or even sophisticated; rather the word is ‘blessed.'”

He said nearly 2.7 billion people (nearly 40 percent of the world's population) live on less than $2 a day.

“Students, we have been granted the opportunity of a lifetime to attend a prestigious university and further our academic education. Seize this moment; take advantage of this God-given blessing,” Spicer said.

“For on the campus of Campbellsville University, you are not a number, a face or even a name. But, you are a person. You are an individual who is loved and appreciated,” he said.

He told the students the administration wants them to be successful, and their professors want them to succeed.

“And if God didn't want you to thrive, then he wouldn't have given you this opportunity,” he said.

Chapel is a weekly event on each Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Ransdell Chapel at 401 N. Hoskins Ave., Campbellsville. Chapel is open to the public free of charge.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 45 undergraduate programs, 16 master's degrees and five postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.