What we want these students to know is that as a community we recognize them and we appreciate them.

This year, we were able to give more than we ever have.

Each scholar has as much chance as any other for getting a scholarship, and that's kind of neat, I think. You go to lunch and possibly come home with a $500 scholarship. That shows support from this community for these students.

In Auburn, the Italian community is small but very enthusiastic, and many students enroll every term in our Italian classes, displaying an uneatable desire to learn the Italian language and culture.

There are links that the students are working on. The point is to bring them together in a community where they are seriously involved in the arts.

If the Legislature approves the governor's proposal on community colleges, we could kick off a cohort of students on our west campus this fall.