On a Lighter Note: Distinguished Columnist Series

On behalf of the Board of Regents and the entire administrative staff, I extend a heartfelt welcome to you, our beloved students, for another beautiful spring at Luther. Whether you’re a fledgling first-year or a seasoned senior, we believe this spring semester is bound to stimulate and exhilarate you. Familiar joys as well as untold surprises await!

The CHIPS opinion page has long been a stellar vehicle for bold and diverse student voices. I wish to echo the plaudits of CHIPS devotees everywhere in our celebration of the esteemed student columnists who have graced this treasured fold over the years. May this fine publication ever continue to empower generation after generation of immaculate wordsmiths.

Inspiring as it may be to see such inexpressible mastery of written English spring from our own body of learners, part of Luther’s stated mission is to “[move] us beyond immediate interests and present knowledge into a larger world.” Our peers’ perspectives are profoundly important, but a bit of input from those outside our realms of experience is indispensable.

That said, you may soon notice some new faces on these pages, for this semester we are offering you, the reader, a brand new way to glimpse the world beyond: a generous financial donation from Professional Journalists for the Love of Humanity and All that is Good and Holy has allowed Luther, under the auspices of CHIPS, to establish a very special Distinguished Columnist Grant. This space in select forthcoming issues of CHIPS will feature some of the most respected opinion writers from across America and around the world. In these exclusive columns, they will share their unparalleled expertise, poignant insights, scathing invective, and arbitrary conjectures. We hope you will be refreshed and invigorated as we transform this page into a multihued collage of ideas.

I would like to extend deepest thanks to CHIPS, PJLHAGH, David Faldet, Ronald Reagan, my parents, Jesus Christ, anyone who pays tuition, and each of the illustrious writers who have signed on for this project. I also wish to thank you, students and readers, for making this entire endeavor worth our while.

Best of luck to you all as you embark on your spring journey. Soli Deo Gloria!