Athletes have a role in FSU's mission of moving humanity forward

By Charlie Barnes, Executive Director - Seminole Boosters

Symphony No.1 in E flat will whisper the truth to you. After the horrific events of Sept. 11, we welcome a reality that speaks to us in tones less harsh. This reality, the truth about human nature, wends its way through Symphony No.1.

It is not long or especially complex, but it is fresh and original. The cadence exudes optimism, and its harmonies are as beautiful as the first crisp scents of fall.

Symphony No.1 was written in Vienna when Mozart was 8 years old. It is the creation of a child and not yet brilliant.

What is remarkable about it - and remarkable may not be adequate; stunning may not even be strong enough - is that within this first composition are the recognizable seeds of every musical construct that would characterize Mozart's work for the rest of his life.

That reminds us that we are all captives of our own nature. We are who we are, almost from the moment of birth.

The theme of this column was to be the importance of all of us pulling together in this last year of the Seminole Boosters' $70-million capital campaign. That is still today's theme, but in light of what has happened to our country, it requires a more sober consideration.

It may seem ironic, but the events of the last weeks make this theme even more urgent.

Our beloved Florida State has only one purpose: to push civilization forward toward the light and pull it away from the darkness. That is why we raise money for Florida State, so we can contribute to the success of our institution and of mankind.

We are not exactly prisoners of our nature; prisoner is probably the wrong word. Rather, say that we are captivated by it. The brighter angels of our conscience tell us one thing, but our genes sometimes compel us in a different direction.

The purpose of all universities is to give as much encouragement as possible to those brighter angels. It is not too much to say that Florida State plays an important role in offering mankind the best hope for survival.

Our university has no "athletic mission." FSU has only one mission, and the purpose of our athletic program is to help achieve it.

As a university, we are 150 years old this year. That's still two full centuries younger than Harvard. Harvard has a $13-billion endowment and no longer uses college football as a rallying point for alumni and donors, as it once did.

For Florida State, however, college athletics is an enormously powerful means of energizing alumni and potential donors. For us, college athletics provides an emotional infrastructure that unites generations of alumni and friends of the university.

Our university benefits mightily from a well managed, high profile intercollegiate athletic program. It must be well financed, skillfully directed and enthusiastically led.

A successful, winning athletic program offers many opportunities to gather alumni and friends and tell the story of the greater work of the university.

The smartest thing Seminole Boosters Inc. has done over the last quarter-century is to focus on taking advantage of Bobby Bowden's success. That's why this capital campaign is called The Dynasty Campaign, to reinforce the idea that it is about using the glories of Bowden's Seminole dynasty to finally create the financial foundation that gives all of our intercollegiate sports what they need to compete for championships.

This campaign is about sustaining excellence indefinitely, to benefit the university in steadily increasing measure.

Money is the key. Money builds the facilities and pays for the scholarships.

Bobby Bowden feels so strongly about this campaign that he has agreed to be chairman. He knows that success depends largely on timing.

Bowden will probably coach for another four or five years, maybe more if he is healthy and happy.

What follows him is what drives this campaign. If we fall into a temporary decline, as many programs have in the wake of a legendary coach, we can still sustain excellence in our other sports if the financial underpinning is in place. If we are fortunate enough to get a new coach who will build on Bowden's successes, our program will flourish more, and our university will be helped in its purpose.

Now, in the final year of this five-year campaign, it is time to give all loyal Seminoles the chance to participate in whatever way they feel they can help.

Gifts to the Dynasty Campaign are for scholarships and buildings. The Annual Fund (the Tomahawks, Renegades, Golden Chiefs, Warriors, etc.) pays current bills and is adequate for that purpose. We have a chance now, while we're winning, while the support is high and the blood is up, to triumph in this noble effort.