Sometimes, when people get so involved with a place, an organization or an institution, they begin to overlook the unique environment they inhabit. So let me take this opportunity to attempt to make members of the Ohio State community realize the importance and beauty of the place where we live and work.
And by beauty, I am not referring to mere aesthetic beauty. The beauty of this campus needs no special reference. The immaculately maintained gardens, the awe inspiring expanse of the Oval and the neatly designed roads are just the preamble in a never-ending saga of beauty. The real beauty, however, comes from within.
The hundreds of buildings dotting the campus are the pillars over which the university has built its iron capital. The capital shines in glory with the countless men and women who give that “true” smile every year when they receive their accolades.
The size of this university gives it a personality of its own. A gentle giant, which requires a constant input of knowledge for its survival. And so it seeks out, for the brightest minds in the world. The end product is a profusion of knowledge, for knowledge is the motto of OSU.
If one cares to look up the statistics of this university, he or she will not have to go too far to see that it is among the top employers in this country. It has more technical and academic gray matter than most organizations in this country. Most people don’t realize that this university spends about a hundred million dollars in public service, making it one of the top social organizations in the region.
It is a knowledge-seekers paradise. There are departments within departments. One interesting thing about the education system at OSU is the decentralization of teaching by delegating more authority to the instructors. While critics often equate this to giving the instructors dictatorial powers, I would say that this brings the student closer to the real world. After all, in the real world an employee is to a large extent at the mercy of his immediate employer.
Emphasis on research is inscribed in the goals of this university. The graduate school acts as the vanguard in this direction. It is because of this importance to research, that it has produced so many authors, scientists, artists, musicians, sportsmen and women.
Even as a general instructional institution, it excels in its functions. This university acts as a stepping stone for thousands of high school graduates. In fact, there are several departments in this university that only offer bachelor’s courses, thus providing opportunities for people to pursue whatever interests they may have.
And so it seems that, in these perilous times, when people take pleasure in killing each other and hating each other, this university acts as a refuge, an oasis in the blistering desert, a sanctuary for the worshipper of knowledge.
The majestic buildings dotting the campus are not mere brick and mortar structures, but the places of worship of the modern world, a place of pilgrimage. I will state the following translation of a Sanskrit shloka.
“This is perfect. From the perfect arises the perfect. Taking the perfect from the perfect, the perfect alone remains.”
So that’s the final goal – perfection, which is what we all are striving to obtain at OSU.
Jay Mukherjee can be reached for comment at [email protected].
