Perspectives on Scholarship
This article was written by The Keepers.
What is the Maryville College Covenant?
“As an academic mentor, the covenant is a part of my everyday life,” said Brinley Knowles Class of 2020. Whether I am leading a group study or working in Cooper Success Center, it has to do with the way I help the people that I help… It (the Maryville College Covenant) is one of the big reasons that I chose this school. I knew it would make the students here different, and I could tell that when I came on this campus.”
The Keepers of the Covenant seek to promote awareness and conversation in regards to the covenant and its three tenants: Scholarship, Respect and Integrity. Through internal dialog (on a personal and community level), we hope to ensure that we are aware of and living out the covenant in our daily lives. More than words in stone or on paper, the covenant is an expectation of how members of our community should live.
We begin our series with a focus on the question, “What is scholarship?” Our covenant says the following on scholarship: “We commit ourselves to lifelong curiosity and learning, to the search for knowledge, and to intellectual creativity.” For me, scholarship is a desire to grow in knowledge and wisdom. A flame, that we must endeavor to fan, that hungers after truth. Consider the responses below on your own and in conversation with others.
“Scholarship is our dedication to learning here at the college. Not only in your four years here on campus, but it is a lifelong commitment to learning after you graduate.” – Evan Ezell, ’18
“Scholarship is being more than just a student here. It’s knowing that you are here for a reason; knowing that you are here to better your life for the future.” – Bryan Horton, ’17
“Scholarship is the learning part of the covenant, making sure that your college experience is for education, learning, and doing your best.” – Zach Plants, ’20
“Scholarship is reaching to be an academic. Being academically rigorous. Paying attention to your school work while you are here. Trying to participate in school activities. Being a part of the community here.” – Natalie Tankersley, ’20
“To me, the number one thing about scholarship is a love of learning… a lifelong lover of learning. I strive to learn something new every single day. I do think that was instilled in me when I was a student here. Teaching has changed drastically the past 20 plus years, so methods and technology – even in things that I had to teach that I was not totally comfortable with (I had to go back and struggle and learn myself). I think scholarship is, no matter what field you are in, about that lifelong commitment to learning.” – Angela Delozier, ’89
“Right off the bat, you think of academics and things like that. But it is more than that really. It’s while you are in life, NEVER stop striving to learn more. It’s asking, “What can I gather from this situation that I am in?” We are always in new situations.” – Chase Worley, ’11
“Scholarship is basically students performing well in the classroom… and dedicating themselves to knowledge and the pursuit of such.” – Jordan McCullough, ’18
To see the responses above and more, watch our first video at https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/about/mission-vision/covenant/keepers/ and the Highland Echo website. The video was filmed and edited by Ryan Lay ’20 under the mentorship of Jacob Haskew. So what does scholarship mean to you? We hope this and future articles will prompt some good conversations on the MC Covenant.