Vol. 4 Issue 1 Fresh news every day at www.rocky.edu January 2009

Rocky Now: Keeping our friends and supporters informed aboutwhat’s new and exciting at Rocky Mountain College

R O C K Y N O W

It’s all about our students . . . who learn lessons of generosity from our alumni and friendsRocky Now typically profiles one of our outstanding students, but, to begin a new year, we thought it would be a good idea to feature a collec -

tion of our students. Rocky Mountain College teaches leadership and, heading into the holiday season, it was apparent those lessons are welllearned. Our students count their blessings throughout the year, mindful that they are well supported in their efforts by generous donors, bydevoted alumni and friends, by a faculty that teaches, and by a committed staff. They demonstrate “giving back” in a variety of ways to showtheir appreciation. We feature some of those now.

Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC staffOne of the highlights of the campus Christmas events is the annualRMC Choir performance of “Lessons and Carols.” You don’t have to lookfar to see how the union of purpose and participation is so well learnedby RMC students. Joining with the student choir and band, RMC TrusteeRon Tjaden reads a lesson, above; RMC President Mike Mace, below,sings with the RMC Choir, under the direction of Dr. Steven Hart. Otherstudents, staff and faculty also participated in reading lessons.

“I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”-- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

BY MICHAEL MACE,PRESIDENT, ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE

This holiday season we were especially proud of our students, and you shouldbe proud of yourselves. The lessons of generosity and support that you provideall year, year after year, reverberated with those you have helped.

I am truly overwhelmed when I see how our Rocky Mountain College students,joined by faculty and staff, demonstrated what they have learned in so manyways.

Let me share with you some stories of the charitable nature of our RMC com-munity from just this season:

❏ Before Thanksgiving, our students were pitching in to help constructnew homes under the auspices of the Habitat for Humanity. Our students joinedalumni on one occasion; our men's basketball team wielded saws and hammerson another.

❏ RMC members of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) completed anumber of community service projects. These students were featured in aBillings Business Journal article about community service. Mentioned were RMCstudents teaching investment classes, including teaching elementary kids to makeexcellent piggy banks to complement the lesson.

(Please turn to back page for more LESSONS LEARNED)

Lessons well learned

The College’s heritage of perseverance and commitment in the face of adversityis commemorated annually with the CANDLELIGHT DINNER, which recognizes theearly beginning of the College. This year marks a CENTURY OF CELEBRATING thistradition.

Ron Sovey, RMC ‘64, will be honored with the Alumni Association OutstandingAchievement Award, and Dr. Lawrence Small, with the RMC DistinguishedAchievement Award.

Be sure to mark your calendar to attend.The dinner will include the PRESENTA-TION OF DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AND SERVICE AWARDS. Dinner is free, but we ask thatyou call the Alumni Office (657-1006) to make reservations. Seating is limited.

100th Candlelight Dinner

FEBRUARY 12, 2009 ✮ 5:30 P.M. ✮ BAIR FAMILY STUDENT CENTER ✮ MCDONALD COMMONS

LESSONS LEARNED/ Continued from front

Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMCExamples of RMC students pitching in to help with communityprojects or providing a community service include, from top tobottom: The RMC Equestrian Program held its annual openhouse and winter drill. Samantha Reynolds, on her horse,Blossom, joined in a Disney theme program. There were alsorefreshments and pony rides for the kids; RMC Choir DirectorAnthony Hammond and the 60+member RMC Band enjoyapplause during their winter concert, a prelude to the annualFestival of Lessons & Carols in December; Jade Peterson helpsload boxes of food for needy families, just one of severalStudents In Free Enterprise (SIFE) community projects;Members of the RMC Battlin’ Bears men’s basketball teamdonated “sweat equity” to the local Habitat for Humanity homebuilding program; Members and coaches of the RMC women’sbasketball team helped Radio Station KCTR with its annual“Flakesgiving,” which provides 1,500 food boxes to needy fami-lies during Thanksgiving. The event is named for the “BreakfastFlakes,” two morning on-air radio personalities. The women werejoined in helping assemble and deliver the boxes by membersand coaches of the RMC football team.

❏ The Billings Business Journal editor, TomHoward, extended a compliment echoed in many quar-ters: “It is nice to see some college kids who areengaged in the community.”

❏ Joining in a similar effort were students ofthe Intervarsity Club who conducted a Halloween“Trick or Eat” campaign to collect non-perishable fooditems for the Billings Food Bank.

❏ Our student artists, who had a recentexhibit, found ways to help others. Ann Marie Wodrich,with Brittany Alberson and Ashley Doerrer, asked peo-ple coming to their reception to bring canned goods forthe Montana Rescue Mission. Ms. Wodrich also donatedproceeds from the sale of her art to World Vision, anorganization she was familiar with from a mission tripshe joined to Juarez, Mexico.

❏ Our campus also partnered with Sodexho, our food service, to try to break aGuinness record for collecting canned goods to feed the hungry, called “Cans AcrossAmerica.” The campaign enlisted colleges across the U.S. to join in the effort.

❏ Our campus community’s sharing with others and lending a hand to those whoneed help continued all through November and into this month. Our athletes, from the Battlin’Bear girls’ basketball to the Battlin’ Bears football team, pitched in to help with “Flakesgiving,”a huge effort to provide food boxes during the holidays, spearheaded by local KCTR radio, andcheered on by the popular morning disc jockeys, the “Breakfast Flakes.” Our students rolled uptheir sleeves to unload trucks, pack food boxes and distribute them to 1,500 area families.

Sometimes, our students share a different gift.❏ During Thanksgiving, our RMC Band provided a wonderful public concert.❏ Our equestrian program’s students invited the public to their annual winter drill,

where the students entertain with themed performances, like last year’s Pirates of theCaribbean. Included as part of the event are free pony rides for kids and cookies and hotchocolate for all comers.

❏ The RMC Choir performed the traditional “Festival of Lessons and Carols.” Thiscelebration of the Christmas story with Scripture readings and music and song, is so popularthat two performances are offered. This is also a remarkable event because it really exemplifieswhat we mean by the Rocky family. Staff and faculty, board members and friends, join to readlessons and sing with the choir.

❏ Our campus shared the holiday spirit in other ways. No feat of decorating match-es what Patricia Morledge works on every season in Prescott Hall and on the exterior of build-ings across campus, but she certainly inspires the participation of the various departments whodecorate their office entrances. No one coming on campus would fail to be warmed by theseexpressions of the season.

❏ Faculty and staff again provided a unique way to help the American CancerSociety “Relay for Life.” They conducted a bake sale of homemade cookies, cakes, breads andother goodies. They also collected canned and nonperishable food items. Last year, the RMCteam raised $700 that went directly for cancer research and services.

These are by no means all that our students and our staff and faculty do to make Christmasmeaningful. That would take far more space than I have here, and more time to read than youcan likely spare, but I hope it makes your heart as warm with wonder and gladness as it makesmine. Whenever you doubt that what you do makes a difference, know that the lessons arelearned well. Another generation, thanks to you, will show the same charity and devotion.

One of my favorite passages from “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens, and one whichnever grows trite from being repeated, is that familiar one spoken by Ebenezer Scrooge. “I willhonor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present,and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessonsthat they teach.”

Those are only a few of the lessons our students are learning well. Thank you for beingsuch gracious and generous teachers. We appreciate your loyalty and support.

“It is nice to see some college kids who are engaged in the com-munity.”

-- Tom Howard, editor, Billings Business Journal