The
following remarks were delivered by the President of
Stanford
University at the Opening Convocation
on September 21, 2001.
Parents
and students of the Class of 2005: Good afternoon and
welcome to Stanford University. Today, we celebrate
the arrival of 1,717 new freshmen and transfer students.
I
have struggled with the format of this Convocation and
the content of this speech for the past 10 days. Since
the morning of Sept.
11, the campus has been uncommonly quiet.
Except for two memorial services, all major events were
cancelled. As we considered how to start a new academic
year, we decided that a Convocation was, in fact, the
most fitting way to resume our normal activities.
Students,
you represent our best hope for the future and for peace
in our world. Americans and good-hearted people of all
ages throughout the world will mourn
this tragedy and carry the memory of that terrible day
in their hearts. But it is your generation —— more so
than mine or your parents' —— that will face the challenge
of building a world in which such inhuman
acts can never again occur.
In
your time here, you will get to know people whose background,
culture or beliefs are different from yours. You may
find that your values —— and your prejudices —— are
challenged. I hope that you will discover a new understanding
and appreciation for the pluralistic
society in which we live and find constructive ways
to contribute to the world.
For
each of you, this moment is the beginning of a new chapter
in your life. Let it also be a moment you remember as
the initiation
of your journey into the larger world, a time when you
consider your role as a citizen and what your future
contribution might be.
You
will not be expected to undertake this intellectual
journey on your own. We have an exceptional
faculty and staff, dedicated to the search for knowledge
and understanding, who will support and encourage you
in your journey.
I hope you are proud of the accomplishments that have
brought you to this important transition inyour lives.
I know that all of you have worked hard to get here,
but let me also acknowledge the contributions of your
parents, family members, teachers, mentors and friends
who have supported you on your road to Stanford. Without
them, the journey here would have been more difficult
and less rewarding. In recognition of the tremendous
support and encouragement you have received from these
important people in your lives, let me invite our new
students to show their appreciation with a round of
applause.
Students,
I urge you to pursue your journey at Stanford with vigor.
I hope that this beautiful campus will provide an ideal
space for contemplation
and inspiration
to aid you in that journey. And I hope that you will
find an intellectual pursuit that excites you and engages
you so much that it will keep you up at night and get
you out of bed early, even on the weekend! I hope that
you find a passion that matches your own talents, so
that you may discover, as I did, something that you
can pursue for the rest of your life with enthusiasm
and joy.
Students,
while I cannot make any predictions about what paths
each of you will take in your journey at Stanford, I
urge you to begin this process of intellectual discovery,
just as Sen.
Leland Stanford urged at the opening day
ceremonies for the first freshman class in 1891:
A
university may be founded for you; in it, you may study
for many years with all the advantages of learning.
All that we can do for you is to place the opportunities
within your reach; it rests with you to grasp and improve
them.
I
welcome all our new students and their parents, not
just to the campus but to the Stanford family. Students,
I hope your time here transforms your lives, just as
it has transformed the lives of so many alumni. And,
finally, I hope your time here will help to provide
a foundation on which you will make your contributions
to humanity
and to a better future for yourselves and the generations
that will follow.
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