&8220;The human mind once stretched by a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.&8221;

&045; Oliver Wendell Holmes

Dr. Philip Williams, president of the University of Montevallo, took the opportunity of his inaugural address to speak at length about the &8220;Montevallo Spirit,&8221; that special something that makes the university such a wonderful place.

Those fortunate enough to have spent time at the university, as a student, member of the faculty or perhaps as a guest, know that there is indeed something that makes the place quite remarkable.

The continuation of the &8220;Montevallo Spirit&8221; will depend on the lending of special gifts and talents from those who serve the university; most certainly that list of contributors must include all of us with an interest in the continuation of the University of Montevallo&8217;s noble goals.

Dr. Williams is now working, through a series of town hall meetings and interactive web surveys, to learn more about what others want for and from the university. Crudely described, what Dr. Williams and others at the university seek to do is gather input from all those who have an interest in sharing their own personal vision for the future.

Where there is great opportunity so to comes great responsibility; those charged with leading the university have taken their charge to heart in applying an ambitious effort with both conventional and non-conventional means of developing ideas and goals. Ambitious dreams are welcome and so too are the little

ideas that can foster great change.

Those interested in completing the online survey may access the survey by logging onto UM&8217;s home page (www.montevallo.edu) and clicking the &8220;Brainstorming&8221; button on the right-hand side of the page.

The online survey is straightforward and simple to complete. Sample questions include &8220;What do you love most about UM?&8221; and &8220;What do you imagine and wish Montevallo could become in the next 5-10 years?&8221; So far, more than 7,000 results have been posted on the school&8217;s Web site.

Williams then plans to focus on three areas: &8220;What we do best; what we love, our passion; and what drives our economic engine.&8221; There is magic in those questions and most certainly in the process of answering them &8212; a process that will expand Montevallo&8217;s special &8220;spirit.&8221;