SAINTS PERSPECTIVE, SCCC President Brad Bennett
Last weekend, Seward County Community College celebrated our 55th annual Homecoming. Leading up to men’s and women’s basketball and Saints baseball games on Friday and Saturday, our campus was alive with energy. Students enjoyed special activities and refreshments, the public joined to hear speakers and cheer on the talent show, and, of course, the athletic competitions.
Most of us associate homecoming traditions with school spirit, and our experiences in high school and college. What’s more, even elementary and middle school students get in on the fun with special outfits and activities. Since most of my life has taken place close to educational work — from that first, scary kindergarten class I taught to the president’s office at SCCC — I, too think of homecoming as a classic school experience.
There’s more to it than the school colors and loud cheers, though. Homecoming at face value means returning to where you started, and where you belong. A famous author once wrote, “you can’t go home again,” but the truth is that no matter how much the outside world changes, we all carry our life experiences inside. Even when a childhood home is sold or torn down, you remember how it felt to sleep in your bed, eat at the table, and go out the front door.
Psychologists call this a core memory — something that is so deep in your development as a person that it defines who you are and why you live the way you do. Core memories are powerful. Parents often work to strengthen those core memories by starting traditions with their children. (Pro tip: ice cream is a great building block!) At my own house, for instance, both parents dress up at Halloween to a theme decided by our daughters. We will do this as long as they want us to participate. I know a time will come when dad’s efforts to be fun might seem deeply embarrassing. Until then I will put on the hats, masks, frog costume, or even Tin Man makeup with a smile on my face.
We all know that families differ greatly, and so do circumstances. Not all our students at SCCC come from homes where a parent tucked children into bed. Some of our students come to campus with a set of memories grounded in Spanish culture, or the landscape of Ghana, or the Canadian calendar. Many of our students have parents who did not experience the classic American homecoming or anything associated with college.
That’s one reason why I am so proud of SCCC for leveling up this year as Homecoming approached. All across campus, from the athletics department to the bookstore, the Wellness Center, PR & Marketing, and student services, faculty and staff went the extra mile to create a memorable week. Alumni came back to serve, speak, and be honored at the Hall of Fame, and more alumni showed up to cheer them on, and reconnect.
It’s a privilege to introduce our students to the fun, the sense of belonging, and the loyalty that come with an American-style homecoming week. It’s also a powerful investment into their still-forming sense of the world. The SCCC flags along Kansas Ave. further reinforced the truth that our wider community is a key and precious part of the SCCC experience. And, while we are on the topic, a big thank-you to the Liberal Noon Kiwanis Club members, who put up and took down the flags the college provided. What a gift to the community.
Whether Homecoming lives in the minds of our students as a core memory is an individual matter. But the opportunity to feel accepted, welcomed, and fully part of a community like the SCCC Saints offers, is priceless. The memory of how the entire town seemed to be cheering on the college and its students is powerful and lasting. I’m sure that it’s something we will all remember as the years go by.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR — Brad Bennett is the president of Seward County Community Community College, and a willing participant in his daughters’ Halloween costume projects. You can reach him at
