His hand on my shoulder, Dale stated enthusiastically, “We can change the world from here.” Every once in a rare while the exact right leader finds a perfect fit with the exact right team. And I was fortunate to witness this on October 21st when the idealistic, energetically inventive Dr. Dale Caldwell donned the President’s robes and was invested with the leadership of the refreshingly progressive faculty and students of the 156-year-old Centenary University based in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
Currently, Dale serves as founding head of the Dale Caldwell Foundation, and the Entrepreneur Zones movement which battles poverty in distressed communities by developing new businesses. Previously, Dale served as head of Farleigh Dickinson University’s Rothman Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, working to promote family businesses and the Prometheus Social Enterprise Awards. For President Caldwell, Centenary offers an ideal platform. An impressive number of the 1,200 undergraduate students take active part in ENACTUS, an national organization that guides collegiates into entrepreneurial enterprises as a catalyst for progress. Prior to the inaugural ceremony, Dale and several undergraduates celebrated his donating supplies to a local food pantry and books to a nearby correctional facility.
In his address, Dr. Caldwell noted that “Within our institutions of higher education we possess ample and necessary brainpower and energy to solve all the problems facing our society.” It seems only fitting that the Centenary mascot is the cyclone. Keep your eyes on this whirlwind center of innovative learning… where “changing the world” becomes a practical mission.
