Office of the President |
||
2006 Convocation AddressThursday, August 24, 2006 Chairman March, faculty and staff colleagues, parents and family members, and finally members of the Class of 2010, this convocation marks the beginning of the 149th academic year in the life of this institution. I wish every one of you could stand at this podium and take in this splendor. It is quite a sight to behold! The purpose of convocation is to formally greet and welcome you to the Susquehanna University community. We also use this occasion to remind ourselves of the extraordinary history and contributions that have resulted from the rise of the modern university. Higher learning as we know it traces its roots to around 1200 AD with the emergence of the first modern universities: Paris, Bologna, Cambridge and Oxford. We are a sister of those hallowed institutions. The promise of the liberal arts throughout history has been to prepare students to live as free persons readied by knowledge, by habits, by commitment, and by character to build just and democratic societies. Signe Gates, class of 1971 and a member of the University's Board of Trustees, has said that a Susquehanna education should help students understand their place in human history. Today you begin your journey to becoming educated women and men in the great tradition of the liberal arts that began so many years ago in Western Europe. You are joining that chain of human events today. In addition to extending a hand of welcome to you and reflecting on our historic foundation, this occasion also provides an opportunity for sharing advice, and Zach (Zachary Rahn '07, president of the Student Government Association) has shared with you some wonderful advice already. This is my 22nd year of living on a college campus and I'd like to think I know a thing or two about college life; but my 13-year-old regards me as an antique and hopelessly out of touch with modern living. Thus, it seemed wise that I might reach out and bring some more authoritative and younger counsel to this occasion. So earlier this week, I enlisted the help of one of our most distinguished groups of student leaders, folks you have already come to know, for those of you who are living on campus -- our Residence Life staff, the Head Residents and the RAs. I gathered some of their insights about how each of you members of the class of 2010 might make the most of your time here. I asked them to share some advice -- pearls of wisdom meant to help you be successful. They provided a mountain of advice. Here is but a small sample. Please heed these sage words for academic success (and the repetition that you will hear from Zach's words is not to be lost upon you):
Another important theme student leaders talked about was change and openness:
An impressive number of students offered lifestyle advice:
More philosophically, several student leaders shared thoughts about purpose. Hear these words:
Perhaps the greatest volume of advice is about being actively engaged in the life of the campus. These may be the most important words:
I greatly appreciated the wisdom of one student leader who wrote: "Change is something that happens with time. It happens from day to day, week to week, year to year. No matter what change you go through it will add up to complete you in four years. You may not realize it right away, but you are in for the ride of your life. Enjoy it." Now, what may sound like common sense from our student leaders is actually confirmed by the research on student learning. Each year, Susquehanna participates in the National Survey on Student Engagement or "Nessie" as it is known. This instrument measures the degree to which students take advantage of the educational opportunities that an institution has to offer. And I should tell you that Susquehanna students are very engaged. Why is that important? The research tells us that what students do during college counts more in terms of desired outcomes than who they are or even where they go to college. That is, the research on college student development shows that the time and energy that students devote to educationally purposeful activities is the single best predictor of their learning and personal development. However, not all colleges and universities provide the same rich opportunities for engagement as Susquehanna. But, as the research and our student leaders tell us, what matters most is getting involved and taking advantage of the opportunities! What I can tell you is that the faculty and staff at Susquehanna will do all that we can to encourage and support you because we know that the more engaged you are the more you will learn and the more you will grow. There is little question that this is a momentous time in the lives of all assembled in this auditorium. And while these students, the members of the class of 2010, are properly our focus, I also want to share some advice with you parents. You, too, are deeply important to the development and education of these students. In fact, we share a special partnership with parents to help students to become independent thinkers and decision makers. It is our goal to prepare students for successful lives after graduation and we work with our students to help them make good decisions and to learn from the outcomes of the decisions that they make. We expect students to take primary responsibility for their education: they're accountable to know and fulfill academic requirements, meet financial obligations, and adhere to the University's expectations for appropriate conduct. Our primary relationship is with your students and they are accountable to you and to the University. Students: hear me loudly! We encourage you to communicate openly with your parents. In fact, I would say we command it. You can play an enormously important role in the development of your daughters and sons by discussing their concerns and needs, helping them to become advocates for themselves and for others, and directing them toward the appropriate resources, rather than acting on their behalf. Please don't hesitate to reach out to the University, but we hope you'll understand that we will almost always want to involve your students in those conversations, as we believe this is an important part of helping them to learn and grow. Last spring I asked a group of sophomores what advice they would share with parents. I learned a lot about parents from them. Here is some of what they shared:
These students also offered a series of "Don'ts" for parents of new students:
Many students said something like the following with one last "Don't:"
To this excellent advice, I would add three nuggets of my own:
ClosingLet me close as I always do, with a story shared by a dear friend that I think captures some of what is bound up in this moment of time. Parents, you need to have the faith of the shipbuilder. Launching a ship is hard: it's full of excitement, concern, doubt, but ultimately the shipbuilder must test the vessel and that test must come at sea. You have worked hard to make your human vessels sea worthy ... You have cared for and loved these persons for the past 17 or 18 years ...You have molded their character and nourished their intellect. Like the shipbuilder, launch your vessel with confidence and faith in your work ... Know, too, that the ship will come back to port ... every few months ... often bearing laundry, to be restocked, to have the sails repaired, to have barnacles removed from the hull ... your work is not done, but for the shipbuilder there nothing like the great pride and joy at watching your ship take to the water. May each of you leave this place today with great pride and joy that your vessels have been launched here at Susquehanna University. Members of the Class of 2010:Our mission is to help prepare you to lead productive, creative and reflective lives of achievement, leadership, and service in a diverse and interconnected world. My prayer for each of you is that you will come to find your place here and in the larger world through the experience, the adventure, and the journey that you begin today.
Godspeed and good luck! |
