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Strong connection

Thousands of lifelong friendships have been born on the campus of Davis & Elkins College. At a holiday dinner for international students this past December, Lisa and I met two first-year students whose bond immediately captured our hearts and curiosity. Despite only one semester on campus at that time, their connection was already strong and inspiring. Leona Gemmel and Alina Vallentgoed are psychology majors and student-athletes. Alina hails from Assendelft in the Netherlands, and Leona grew up in Bonn, Germany. They met during orientation for international students and quickly struck ...

Tools of the trade

I had the great pleasure to go to the Media Innovation Center at West Virginia University last week and attend an enlightening presentation on the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in new reporting. You hear a lot today about artificial intelligence, or AI. Just about every digital product or electronic device advertises some AI feature. There are AI-generated news stories now, AI-generated images, videos, and even podcasts. AI has the same problem that many different phrases have in that it has become an empty bag one can put whatever they want into it. Ask five people what AI ...

Reality still has a vote, even in politics

Reality has a vote. That is one lesson administered to the body of politics in the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second administration. After the president gleefully announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, stock market prices fell sharply, and the bond market became, as Trump put it, “yippy.” So after just one week, on April 9, he put the Liberation Day tariffs on a 90-day pause. Perhaps contributing to this choice was automaker Stellantis’ April 3 decision to lay off workers in five U.S. factories. That can’t have been what he expected to ...

Trump’s family policy

The animating beliefs of this administration range from dangerously wrong to head-spinningly crazy. Tariffs are in the first tranche, along with the myth that NATO has been ripping off the United States for decades, that immigrants commit more crimes than native-born Americans and that “He who saves his country commits no crime” (just to name four). The beliefs that vaccines cause autism, that fluoridated water is a public health threat, that threatening allies and neighbors enhances national security, and that taxing foreign holders of Treasuries would be a good way to solve the ...

What a privilege to be a firestarter

What a privilege it is to be a Fire Starter—to help others keep their own flame of life burning brightly. This thought came to mind when I received an email from Rani Brahmbhatt, a student at George Washington University, after a talk I had given. She shared her takeaways and closed the message with, “I hope to become a Fire Starter and build a successful career helping others as well!”  I first heard the term “Fire Starter” over two decades ago when I was introduced to speak at my first keynote presentation. I was nervous as I waited off stage. The person introducing me ...

Spring is a time to wait and see

Next week Kump Education Center will host two opportunities to think more creatively about the challenges of rural education. On Wednesday, April 30 at 7 p.m., we will host Dr. Deborah Stiles, a Randolph-born West Virginian and Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Stiles will lead a humorous presentation entitled “Elbows Up ?!?: A Conversation on Canada.” Everyone is welcome to join us for the First Friday Focus on Education meeting held May 2 at 4 p.m. in the Learning Lab for the purpose of considering new ideas for local schools. We do not pretend to have all the answers to the many ...