SRHC Annual Conference 2023

March 30 - April 1, 2023

Charlotte, North Carolina

Our undergraduate years are a season of life in which we experience a great deal of transition. Arriving as first year students and preparing to leave as graduates, we pass through two distinct periods characterized by disquiet in losing a sense of oneself and one’s place—socially and physically—as well as excitement with the chance to find our new selves in our social groups while exploring the new places that quickly become “home.” Today’s students navigate these personal transitions while inhabiting a changing environment that leads us to feel we are in a transitional era regionally, nationally, and globally—all simultaneously.

The migration of individuals and economic enterprises to and away from Charlotte drives significant social transitions in the city and surrounding region. As individuals and organizations making up Charlotte change, the natural, economic, social, and political environment of the city shifts day-by-day. This period of intense transformation is just the latest in a series of similar periods that began with settlement. The communities that are home to SRHC’s colleges and universities share similar histories and contemporary challenges of transition with Charlotte as the South is one of the fastest-changing regions of the United States.

In our individual lives and community life, transition often means others are left behind—intentionally or unintentionally—or choose to stay behind, nostalgic for the past. The fears of uncertainty often mask the opportunity for meaningful personal and group change in our honors programs and colleges, higher education, our societies, economies, polities, and planet. As current and future leaders, we must acknowledge our responsibilities to set a path for navigating transition that embraces opportunity and to ensure all those who wish to continue the journey with us feel welcome and supported along the way.