The images we use illuminate us
Every new job is accompanied by an avalanche of information: new names, new locations, new ways of doing things and new stories of the place and its people.
I listen to the stories. Not just what is told, but how—the images people use. These images impart the essence of a place far faster than any policy manual.
When I came to FPU, two images kept coming up:
- Fresno Pacific is the best-kept secret in Fresno.
- Fresno Pacific is like a bumble bee—we shouldn't be able to fly, but we do.
Everyone who made these remarks made them with pride. And no wonder: being the "best-kept" means we're something everyone would love to know about, while being "like a bumble bee" means we succeed in the face of adversity.
Good stuff; and true. But every image has more than one side.
"Best-kept" also means few people know us. Being "like a bumble bee" also means the fact that we fly at all is so amazing maybe we don't always need to fly very well. Mind you, this stranger had been imported from Back East to help find new ways to tell the Fresno Pacific story and new audiences to hear it. My assignment, though not on my job description, was going to be to replace old images with new ones that are equally true but more outgoing. Many have taken on this quest. Today FPU reaches out a lot more through its strengths in academics and faithimbued ethics. The more we share our secret the more people want to soar along with us.