Homecoming

Bright flowers greet us upon our arrival "home."

"Homecoming means coming home to what is in your heart."
    ---- Author Unknown

For 12 years we called Ohio Northern University in Ada, OH, home.

Neither the village nor the university are very large.



At the time we were there, 1999-2011, ONU had record enrollment of around 3700 students and Ada boasted of 5,000--give or take.

But, never mistake greatness by size.  This mighty university, nestled in rural northwest Ohio, is a gem of a school with professional programs, including the colleges of Pharmacy, Engineering, Business and Law coupled with an outstanding College of Arts and Sciences, which includes teacher education and nursing.

Our golf cart awaits in front of The Inn at ONU.

I never lived on campus prior to becoming the First Lady of a university.  

(Note:  "First Lady" means my husband was the 9th President of the University of North Dakota and the 10th President of Ohio Northern University.)

I quickly learned that there is a tangible difference to a campus if it also serves as one's home.  It is not a job that one leaves at the end of the day.  It's home and job 24/7. And, it's not a place one leaves upon graduation.

Ken in front of the Wilson Art building where I earned my B.F.A. in Studio Art.

While Ken and his colleagues worked diligently to lead and shape a vibrant and growing university, I walked the campus--all the nooks and crannies--with my beloved dogs--first Kodak and later Molly.

I interacted with faculty, staff and students on a daily basis, and I became a student to work on my third degree, my "dream" degree in art in 2001, becoming a graduate in 2006.  

Me sitting in our Sweetheart Bench next to "my" rock and tree
commemorating my service as "First Lady" to ONU.

When one lives on a campus, there is a connection that reaches far deeper than lasting friendships or "just a house" that one inhabits for a few years.

It's deep, this connection.  Partly love, respect, loyalty--yes, all of that.  But, it's still more, like ties that bind forever. 

We have left part of ourselves in this sprawling campus of about 342 acres--and carry it with us, despite retiring and moving 1,315 miles away to Colorado.

Located on the southwest part of campus, Baker Commons refers to a variety of residential options that provide choices
for students, from apartments to suites to affinity living.  (Photo by ONU Photographer Ken Colwell.)

Cutting the ribbon with (from left) the 11th ONU President, Dr. Daniel A. DiBiasio; Chris Burns-DiBiasio;  Dr. Ken Baker, President Emeritus; myself; Judy Mifsud and Oscar Mifsud, Chair of the ONU Board of Trustees.
(Photo by ONU Photographer Ken Colwell.)

Ken outside the student dining area in McIntosh Center.

We returned to ONU last weekend for Homecoming and to attend the Baker Commons dedication and to meet the first recipient of my newly established scholarship for art/English majors.

It was a marvelous time to reconnect with dear friends, meet new students, embrace former students, cheer a Homecoming victory in football, volleyball and soccer--and to acknowledge that Ken and I share something so profound and sacred with this place called ONU--and it with us.

(If you want to see more: 
http://www.hometownstations.com/story/36436295/former-onu-president-and-wife-get-commons-named-after-them 

It truly was a Homecoming, in every sense of the world.

Our inscription on our Sweetheart Bench on the ONU campus  remains true.