When we think of our mission at Colorado State University, we often talk about our commitment to excellence and how we are inspired through our land-grant heritage. We talk about inclusive excellence, access and student success, our world-class teaching and research faculty, and the caliber of students and alumni who contribute to our more than 150-year proud legacy as one of the best public universities in the nation.

These are all true statements and ones that define who we are as a community here at CSU. But I realized a few weeks ago that in defining who we are, there is something we need to talk more about: the lessons we learn from our students, the courage they show in the face of hardships and uncertainty, and how they inspire us as educators to push beyond our own personal boundaries. As we teach them, they are teaching us and each other.

This summer Lt. Col. Matthew Tillman, the 46th Professor of Military Science at CSU, invited me to join a non-military cohort for four days at Fort Knox, Kentucky, at the Cadet Advanced Camp Summer Training program that our Army ROTC students attend between their junior and senior years. It was an incredible opportunity for me to better understand part of the journey our cadets complete to become among the best military officers and leaders we have representing our nation.

I didn’t have the same long stay or tough challenges CSU ROTC students face over the 35 days they are at Fort Knox, including long days in the Kentucky heat and humidity performing extreme physical activities, squad battle drills, combat and amphibious operations, and high-stress, high-stakes exercises to build their leadership and critical thinking skills. However, I did get a sense of how hard they have to push themselves outside their comfort zones, beyond where they may think they can achieve, to reach their goal of being commissioned Army second lieutenants. I even had the pleasure of eating an MRE (meal, ready-to-eat) for lunch one day, which pushed me a bit out of my comfort zone, but I digress…

The final day of my visit, I was offered an opportunity to truly challenge myself, to push me so far beyond my comfort zone I couldn’t imagine I would say yes — skydive with the U.S. Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights! It was a tandem jump with an extremely well-trained Army soldier who had jumped 6,000 times, but I was still terrified to jump out of a plane that was flying 12,500 feet off the ground and free fall at 120 miles per hour – the goal, of course, was to land with expert precision at the airfield.

Saying I had to push myself outside my comfort zone understates the courage it took, but it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life, and I am so very grateful for the perspective it gave me: the intensity of the adrenaline rush followed by the stillness and quiet when soaring like a bird through the endless sky, the realization that I can overcome my fears and push myself beyond my self-imposed limits, and most importantly, a glimpse into the lives and challenges undertaken by our amazing cadets.

Over the next few days, as I continued to process that experience and the fact I actually did something I never, NEVER, thought I would do, I had a new appreciation for how our ROTC cadets – and so many of our students – push themselves mentally and physically each day to achieve their dreams. Whether it’s in the classroom, athletic field or court, laboratory, dance or art studio, or ROTC training, our students push themselves beyond what they think they can achieve. And that takes enormous courage.

As Lt. Col. Tillman said to me, “Our society asks Army officers to protect our nation and be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.” That’s an incredible weight to carry. Our ROTC programs (Army and Air Force) develop, inspire and prepare our cadets to be world-class leaders. For our cadets, they live by the motto: just keep pushing.  As Lt. Col. Tillman also told me, “They walk away from Fort Knox a different person.”

So did I.

Janice L. Nerger
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs