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"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."That phrase spoken so boldly by the late, greatGreen Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi says anawful lot about our culture today. It seems asthough competition — whether it be for students toattend Cowley County Community College, or in aspirited game of checkers — thrives in all of us.Itcertainly was present in late May of 1997 inGrand Junction, Colo., in the hearts of 26 CowleyTiger baseball players and their three coaches. Thesize of their hearts could not be measured duringtheNational Junior College Athletic AssociationWorld Series. And whether they hit the ball farther,pitched more strikes, or stole more bases, it didn'tmatter. The Tigers, you see, brought back toCowley County the national baseball championship.Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. Tocommemorate Coach Dave Burroughs and his1997 team, the cover of this year's President'sAnnual Report is a photograph that says it all.Congratulations, Tigers. You are winners!And let's not forget Larry Grose and his men'stennis team that finished third in the nation. Larryhas done an outstanding job throughout his careerhere at Cowley.The 1996-97 academic year truly was a special one. Besides the baseball team winning the national championship,here are some other highlights:• Full-time enrollment reached 1,922 for the first time in school history in the fall of 1996. And the 1997spring semester head count of 3,376 students was a record for total students enrolled.• A brand new program — Debate/Forensics — took the nation by storm and performed far beyond theexpectations of coach Tracy Frederick. Cowley's team, comprised of nearly allnovice debaters, was soimpressive that it helped Tracy earn Newcomer of the Year honors.• Community support for the college flourished all year and culminated in an auction held March 14 thatraised $30,000 for a new endowed scholarship.• The college stepped in to offer assistance when Total Petroleum announced it was closing its ArkansasCity refinery in September 1996. More than 20 Total employees earned a degree in six months, thanks to alot of hard work by Charlie White, Dan Squires, and others.• On Oct. 3, 1996, Cowley, along with Zeller Motor Co. of Arkansas City, received Kansas Awards forExcellence. Cowley won the Performance In Quality Award and was one of only nine organizations inKansas that received awards.• Four more instructors earned Master Teacher awards at the National Institute for Staff andOrganizational Development in Austin, Texas.Icould go on and on. We are so very proud of the accomplishments of our students, our faculty, and ourstaff. And we will continue to strive to become the best in all that we do.$ti/ mat