Members of the Wichita State community gathered outside Ablah Library for a memorial service the morning of Sept. 11.
WSU President Don Beggs commented, in part, “We are here to honor the memory of those innocent men, women and children who lost their lives one year ago and to stand up for those values that we hold dear as a university, as a nation and as a civilized world — a world that must be bound together by mutual respect, tolerance and civility.
All of you are important to the solutions of the difficult problems that confront this world; that is the goal of our work here, whether it be teaching, research, creative activity, public service or staff support of those missions; our higher purpose here is to help answer difficult questions and to help solve difficult problems, not only questions of science and technology, but those age-old questions that spring from differences in political and economic beliefs, religious beliefs, language and ethnicity, and questions of peace, justice and prosperity.
I see the answers to the difficult questions and problems before us in you — right here — in front of me. I have seen this good news — on this campus — every day, in the midst of bad news, for the past 365 days.
I have seen 1,500 students from 112 countries — with different languages and religions, customs and histories — alongside almost 14,000 students from towns across this nation. I have seen you every day work together, walk together, talk together, study together, eat together — all together, here. And I have seen you do this every day — with respect and tolerance, with civility and caring for one another.
I am so proud of you, and I thank you. Please join me in observing 85 seconds of silent reflection, in memory of those who died a year ago — and in hope for the future.”
