During a recent conversation with an official from Lawrence University, I heard a story that agrees with my experience on campus. An official from a nominally Christian college told this official how impressed he was with the quality of the students at Lawrence. The visitor noted that the Lawrence students were polite, respectful, and generally avoided profanity. In contrast, the visitor said that when parents were visiting his campus, he would try to steer them away from groups of students since he didn't want parents to hear all the profanity that students there tended to use. The acquaintance of mine from Lawrence told me that this has been his experience as well: the students at Lawrence generally tend to show a lot of respect for other people, and low use of profanity is an expression of that respect.

For me, walking around Lawrence University has always been a pleasant experience. The students there really do tend to be a decent and respectful group. They are diverse, coming from a wide range of backgrounds, but quickly develop bonds of understanding at this outstanding gem of a university. It's part of what the leaders at Lawrence try to do. And it's part of why Appleton is such a great place to live. Lawrence University adds so much to the spirit and culture of this town. And at the heart of it is a student body and faculty with an attitude of respect not just for knowledge and the arts, but for other people, no matter who they are.

I'm serious about this: Lawrence University is a rare gem about universities. And I feel incredibly lucky to have it at the heart of Appleton.