A prevailing theme in conversation at the end of every school year is that of leaving campus.

From seniors who will probably never return as students to the rest who will be on campus again before long, almost everyone is thinking, “I can’t wait to get out for the summer.”  And after four years, give or take a couple semesters, we will all have graduated and left. But in our haste to start our lives and careers, let’s not forget those who will not be leaving BJU with us.

Faculty and staff have made Bob Jones University their home and students their priority. Some faculty and staff members have worked at BJU longer than their students have been alive. Yes, it is their job. But that doesn’t mean they have to do their jobs joyfully.  With a scowl and cold glare, a professor could stand up and lecture, demonstrating how unhappy he or she is.

Or an HVAC worker could enter your dorm room muttering under his breath, “They probably had the AC running full blast with the window wide open again. Students don’t know how to operate a simple air conditioning unit.” Instead, the vast majority of BJU’s faculty and staff demonstrate a love for students on a regular basis. Sure, bad days happen. As humans, we all know that. But there is a reason many staff open their homes to students and get to know them in a personal way. They want their hard work, and the students’, to pay off, both with a career and with a lifetime of Christian service.

Hard work, yes. Long nights, check. But also, a group of dedicated faculty and staff who helped the current seniors succeed to the point of graduating.  BJU is built around helping students succeed. Why else would they have unrequired programs dedicated to coming alongside and helping students?  So take some time and show your thanks to the individuals who make this University a place you choose to learn. You can simply say “Thank you” to the staff you interact with. Or even demonstrate your thanks by how you interact with them, by not trashing facilities they have to repair or by actively listening when they are speaking in class.

It doesn’t matter how you show your thanks. What matters is that you show it.