<p>Art lovers know Florence, Italy, as the home of the Renaissance. Certainly one of the most visited sites in Florence is the Academia Gallery, where a person can stand before one of the greatest statues of the Renaissance, Michelangelo’s “David.”</p><p>The “David” statue is situated at the end of a long hallway, and the draw of such a perfect piece of art means that many visitors to the gallery pass by less well-known statues of Michelangelo lining that hallway. These five statues, left unfinished, are called “The Prisoners.” One can see arms, torsos, legs, and sometimes the beginning of a face, but these features of the subjects are still trapped in the blocks of marble.</p><p>I believe the “prisoner” label fails to capture the power of these statues. Instead of seeing the figures as being trapped in marble, the viewer might better see that the figures are “emerging.”</p><p>As emerging figures, they offer a perfect metaphor for what is at the heart of Franklin College.</p><p>Many years ago, my mother asked why I’d chosen to stay at Franklin College rather than move on to a bigger institution. The answer to that question came easily to me. Franklin College offers to faculty and staff the privilege of working closely with students and being part of their “emergence,” their achieving more that they thought possible.</p><p>Michelangelo was not being modest when he said that his role as sculptor was to release the figures held deep within the marble blocks. Michelangelo believed that he did not create the figure of David, but rather that he freed the David waiting to emerge.</p><p>The same is true of the faculty and staff of Franklin College. We don’t create the success of our students; we do whatever we can to help students emerge, to become more than they imagined they could be.</p><p>Every college has a mission statement, a concise description of what the institution seeks to achieve. Franklin College also has a mission statement, but I am more interested in the legacy of Franklin College, my home.</p><p>Do you want to know the truth about Franklin College?</p><p>Look at the people you know who graduated from Franklin College and consider their lives. You’ll see people committed to lives of purpose and meaning. That’s Franklin College’s true legacy. That’s what the college will be remembered for.</p><p><em>David Carlson of Franklin is a professor of philosophy and religion. Send comments to <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</em></p>
