The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. —
The first official day of fall is still three weeks away. But it’s beginning to feel more and more like the mild and often glorious respite between summer and winter has already arrived.
Temperatures seem to be on the decline, kids are back in school, high school football season is in full gear.
And Anderson University resumed classes Monday, bringing about 2,700 students to the pretty campus on the northeast side of the city. They bring a vibrance and energy to the community that simply aren’t present when classes are out of session.
Many outsiders got a firsthand look at campus during Indianapolis Colts training camp, which attracted an estimated 85,000 spectators to AU during the first half of August. What they found is a well-groomed campus without the pompous air that some institutions of higher learning adopt. AU is a welcoming place.
And the university and its students are increasingly active in the community. For instance, all first-time AU students — freshmen and transfers — teamed to spruce up the Denny Field football venue in Anderson on Saturday. It was a sight to awaken tired eyes, seeing 350 strong clad in orange T-shirts painting and pulling weeds and making the field a better place for the kids who use it.
Anderson University students and staff are involved in hundreds of other activities and projects across the community each year, sharing the university’s considerable resources to make Madison County a better place to live.
As with most small colleges, area residents sometimes don’t take full advantage of what AU has to offer. The range of classes, events and community support there should be tapped. The campus area is also a great place just to take a walk and enjoy a lovely fall — or late summer — day.
