I hope each of you had a joyous and merry Christmas. We have many things to feel cheerful about here at McMurry. The landscape of our campus is undergoing a real transformation, most noticeably with the reimagined Garrison United Methodist Campus Center. Our classrooms and campus facilities are becoming more vibrant, active, and engaging thanks to our record 2,556 students. And yes, our recently concluded Centennial celebration brought the McMurry community together in ways we’ve never seen before, culminating in the largest Homecoming in school history – by a lot!
It was so wonderful to see all of our alumni and current students out in the community over this past year.
Our 99th Fall Convocation in September 2022 kicked off a year so full of momentum, I think we’re all still recovering from it a little bit. In January 2023, we announced the McMurry 100 and All-Century Teams at the Historic Paramount Theatre. Our 10th annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon in March hosted the fabulous Sheryl Swoopes, who encouraged our young women to dream big, never give up, and work harder than everyone else. We held McMurry Momentum events in seven cities across Texas throughout the year. By the time we arrived at Homecoming weekend in October 2023, there was no question that the Abilene community had taken notice of our year-long party.
While we spent last year celebrating McMurry’s first 100 years, the major thrust of recent conversations is our next 100 years, the second century of education at McMurry University. One of my favorite sayings is that we always overestimate what we can do in one year, but we underestimate what we can do in 10 years, much less 100. So what is next?
We see a university with its largest enrollment in history, growing while maintaining our personal touch. We see a university becoming better known across the state and the nation as we expand our over 80 partnerships with independent school districts and private schools across the state. In short, we see the promise of the future due to what is in front of us right now.
Our educational priorities will be focused on helping to combat the vast teaching and nursing shortages we have in this state as well as on filling the desperate need in our society to educate ethical servant leaders in every professional field and in family, church, cultural, and civic settings.
This emphasis on love for our community will also characterize the second century at McMurry University, just as it has in our first century. To that end, McMurry is committed to exhibiting Christian values that affirm the inherent worth of every human being, uphold the dignity of learning, and sustain a culture of belonging where all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.
This is the McMurry of the second century.
I invite you to enjoy this edition of The Messenger. Thank you so much for reading our final publication from McMurry’s first 100 years of serving our students.
Dr. Sandra S. Harper
President
Ala Cumba!