Last fall, as my wife and I cruised the Northwest Passage, we saw a lot of totem poles. Carved by natives centuries ago, each pole, with its distinctive carvings, told the story of the family or village it represented. As a stranger approached, he could tell a lot about the community and its inhabitants by the various animals and symbols represented on each pole.

Erecting totem poles has long since gone out of fashion. But we still say a lot about our values and traditions by the things we surround ourselves with, don’t we? The architecture of our buildings, the artwork we display on our grounds. The University of Florida, for example, has its Century Tower and football stadium, more commonly referred to as the Swamp. Rollins College has its Walk of Fame, its Spanish Mediterranean architecture, and modern sculptures displayed about.

What symbols on your campus represent your values, your history, and the essence of what distinguishes your institution? What might you add that can help tell your story?