March 2026 eBulletin Now Available

Dear Fellows:

It is 5:15 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, 2026. My wife Joy and I are in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, attending the 11^th annual gathering of the South Carolina Fellows at the Montage. The place is beautiful and the hospitality of our Fellows is wonderful. I decided to seize some quiet time this morning to pen this President’s message.

It begins with a story I saw on social media last month.

The author was washing his hands in an airport restroom. There was a gentleman to his left. The gentleman was wearing a well-fitting, three-piece suit. The author watched the man finish wiping his hands dry and then saw him wipe down the counters and the sink to tidy it up. The acts were a little odd, especially given how nicely the man was dressed.

The author cracked a joke and said, “Have you been working here long?” The gentleman looked at him, half-smiled and said, “you know, it’s not a bad idea to leave things a little better than you found them” and then turned and walked off. The author, for the first time in his life, then wiped down the sink and counter he was using in that public bathroom.

The author went on to ponder what would happen to our lives and our world if each of us, in everything we did, worked to leave it a little better than we found it.

The story resonated with me.

So, I began doing the same. After I wash my hands in a restroom, I use the paper towel to wipe off the counter near the sink, wipe out the water droplets in the sink, throw the paper towel away and walk out. That minor effort improves a tiny part of the world.

Those of you who studied psychology may understand why engaging in this tiny, mindless act makes me feel good. In fact, it makes me feel so good that I get a little irritated when public restrooms have only air dryers. I want to wipe out the sink!

This new habit has spilled into other parts of my life. For example, when I walk through the parking lot at the grocery store and see a stray cart blocking a parking space, I grab it and take it to the cart corral. I do not spend time thinking about whether the person who left it was someone suffering from a disability, a parent struggling with a young child, or just an inconsiderate jerk. I just move the cart and put it where it belongs. By doing so I made that little portion of the world a little better than it was seconds before, and I feel better about having done so.

Imagine if we applied this mindset to the people we meet. What if we made the effort to leave each person with a kind word and a warm smile – so they feel a little better than they did just moments before? What would our world feel like if kindness and grace, rather than impatience or judgment, became our default response?

(I am not suggesting that I always conduct myself in such a way. I do not. More times than I care to admit I have acted, well, let me be generous to myself and leave it at “less than gracious” toward my fellow humans.)

Just as that gentleman in the airport chose to leave the sink and counter a little better than he found them, so too do I have the opportunity – and responsibility – to leave the College stronger than it was when I began my term as President. Leadership should not be measured only by impact, results or even by how brightly one shines for a season. It also should be measured by the continued and faithful stewardship of our culture, mission and values. Through thoughtful engagement, a commitment to respectful dialogue, and an unwavering dedication to the culture, mission, and values of the College, I am committed to ensuring that our voice is clearer, our resolve stronger, and our impact more enduring for not only our current but also our future Fellows.

So, today, just for the heck of it, treat yourself and wipe out the bathroom sink. And let me know how you feel after you have done so.

Who knows where that tiny act will lead.

John A. Day
President

To read the full March eBulletin, click here