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Thank you, Katherine Keough, for living Sir Walter Scott’s words. More of us should follow your example.

The Buffalo Bills left President Keough’s St. John Fisher campus weeks ago. The media frenzy has subsided. Kudos have been showered upon President Keough, her St. John Fisher team and the Bills. Two more points need to be underscored.

First, President Keough took a risk – a mighty risk. When I think of everything that could have gone wrong, a shudder goes down my spine. Putting one’s college on a national stage with any professional sport takes guts. I admire her guts.

Not only do we need more risk-takers like President Keough, we need more acceptance of risk-taking. College presidents, corporate CEOs, organizational leaders – we sit on the hot seat day in and day out. We accepted that pressure when we accepted our roles. We are frequently under fire for some action or non-action and that is okay; constructive criticism makes us better leaders and better organizations.

However, leveling criticism should be done with respect for another’s willingness to take a risk. You need not always agree with the decision, but take a moment to respect the leader’s willingness to make a decision, to not be paralyzed by fear of criticism, to not succumb to inaction because it is safer.

The bottom line is that Greater Rochester benefited from President Keough’s willingness to take a risk. Thousands of individuals enjoyed the Bills’ training camp. Businesses surely profited. The media attention strengthened our community pride and raised our community profile nationally.

More often than not, Rochester benefits from risk-taking entrepreneurs. From George Eastman to the leaders of today’s start-up companies, this community owes a great deal to our risk-takers.

I hope that St. John Fisher’s risk also reminds our communities of the breadth of our area colleges and universities. First and foremost, we foster learning; that will always be our primary mission. But St. John Fisher, Monroe Community College and our sister institutions enrich the Greater Monroe County region in other ways. Just as Fisher looked beyond its academic role and snagged the Bills’ training camp, all of our colleges and universities extend themselves beyond the traditional classroom.

For 30 years, MCC’s National Youth Sports Program has used sports to bring city youth to our college where we encourage values, offer basic health care screening and plant the seed that higher education offers hope. The Roberts Cultural Life Center at Roberts Wesleyan College and the Visual Studies Workshop at SUNY Brockport expand arts opportunities on Rochester’s west side.

Keuka College partners with the Yates County Chamber of Commerce annually to sponsor “Celebrate Service … Celebrate Yates,” a community service day that brings together more than 250 volunteers to benefit non-profit organizations, agencies and residents. University of Rochester freshmen give a day of service each year to the community, painting, sorting donated clothes, clearing debris, or tackling other projects. Colgate Rochester Divinity School/Crozer’s reputation for social activism draws to our area graduate students committed to pursuing the path blazed by its alumnus Martin Luther King, Jr.

In collaboration with the Rochester City School District, SUNY Geneseo’s Xerox Center for Multicultural Education prepares teachers to support the academic success of students from all cultural backgrounds. Committed to the local and regional economy, Rochester Institute of Technology houses the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies whose mission is to strengthen the competitive abilities of New York’s small- and mid-sized businesses. Finger Lakes Community College faculty and students in the natural resources conservation program conduct a variety of environmental studies for the local and regional community.

Greater Rochester’s colleges and universities fill much more comprehensive roles than many realize.

Academe, in general, may have a staid, conservative, one-dimensional reputation. However, Greater Rochester’s colleges and universities are much more broad in scope and mindset. Our communities must recognize the value of our presence, our diversity and our entrepreneurial spirit.