Allegheny College: President's Office

Well, the big day has arrived. Members of the Class of 2006, parents, family, and friends—welcome to Allegheny College! We've been looking forward to your arrival.

To matriculate means to become part of a body—and today with our Matriculation Ceremony, we formally induct you into the Allegheny College family. Parents, we ask that you entrust your children to the faculty and staff for their further growth and development; and students, we ask that you understand both in symbol and in reality the significant change in your lives that this represents.

This ceremony symbolizes and acknowledges many things. The academic regalia tie us to medieval times and the origination of the concept of the modern college and academic pursuits within its walls.

We acknowledge the importance of spirit and hope with the invocation.

Welcoming our newly arrived international students reminds us of the global nature of our learning and the richness of the world's many cultures and traditions.

Students, you will be asked to recite the pledge associated with our Honor Code, promising to abide by a student-designed and administered practice of integrity and trust that is an Allegheny College hallmark.

And we will close with Allegheny's Alma Mater, whose music and words will provide a stirring memory of this special time.

Now here you are, some 550 of you from 24 states, several countries, and 282 high schools. Judging from your school records and standard test scores, you stand well in the upper reaches among your high school peers in ability and motivation.

You have participated in a wide variety of activities, including music, theater, art, dance, sports, debate, school governance, community service, religious groups, and honor societies.

The majority of you have recently held a paying job, something I am certain your parents hope you will repeat upon graduation.

Nineteen of you are the children or grandchildren of Allegheny alumni.

A member of your class has rebuilt computers for disadvantaged children in Jamaica. Another is well on his way to obtaining his pilot's license. One of you has a pet tarantula, another is a certified emergency medical technician. If you brought the tarantula, I hope the EMT is your roommate!

Of the many choices that presented themselves to you in choosing a college, why Allegheny? Each of you has your reasons, I'm sure. And by the end of this ceremony, and certainly by the end of your first semester, we want you to have many more.

Some combination of the admissions staff, school counselors, college guides and ratings, recruiting literature, web site, teachers, parents, and friends has no doubt provided you with a collection of reasons to be here.

Until you actually experience Allegheny, you cannot know if your reasons were accurate. It's possible that you will be concerned initially if some of your projections turn out to be different from what you imagined. But let me assure you, there are potentially many more pleasant surprises and opportunities to take their place.

You already know that Allegheny is an institution of many distinctions, including being among the oldest 1% of colleges and universities. We are also among those select institutions included in:

No other college or university shares this combination of distinctions, and there are many more. But I want to turn briefly to some of the things that lie beyond these recognitions.

Our faculty and staff are among the best anywhere, with their combination of dedication and talent. For example, this fall we welcome back from a year of teaching and research abroad, four Fulbright International Scholars—an unprecedented number for a college this size—and an appropriate reflection of a faculty comprised of respected authorities in their respective fields.

Other faculty and staff members have returned from leading study tours with our students earlier this summer in places as dispersed as Yellowstone National Park, England, France, Austria, South Africa, Greece, and China.

Our new programs in managerial economics and biochemistry, along with programs in areas like neuroscience, values and ethics, professional writing, and software engineering, are attracting students and faculty to the cutting edges of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary work.

We have more than 100 student organizations on campus, providing a rich array of cultural, recreational, social, and leadership opportunities.

This fall, we will dedicate the opening of our new Center for Political Participation, an innovative program of study, research, and action that is already attracting national attention and acclaim. The Lang Foundation has chosen Allegheny as one of only ten colleges nationally to represent the best of institutions offering exemplary commitments to civic engagement.

In January, we will begin an extensive renovation and addition to our campus center, to make it a much more functional and welcoming place for students and visitors. This project is made possible by the generous gifts of several members of our board of trustees.

Later in 2003, we plan to begin the complete transformation of Cochran Hall into an alumni center, a place for returning alumni to feel welcome for special campus events. The restoration is made possible by a $5-million gift from alumna Patricia Bush Tippie '56 and and her husband Henry.

At Homecoming this fall, we will dedicate a major work of public sculpture in Senior Circle. London-based sculptor Danny Lane, of increasing world renown, is completing the eight large pieces as I speak. The work was commissioned by alumnus Silas Mountsier '52, and it will bring distinction to the College and remind us of the importance of the arts in our lives.

Virtually half of our educational programs and all of the special building projects are funded by current gifts and by earnings from the College endowment. We all owe a debt of gratitude to those who have given so generously over the generations for they have made the Allegheny experience possible.

Why do alumni and others give their dollars to Allegheny, provide internships to our students, volunteer for the College in countless ways, and speak so highly of the College? Clearly they love this place and believe in our mission. They also see the College as an essential investment in society's future. But why?

They, and we, know that Allegheny's approach to education is just as important now as any time in our nearly two-hundred-year history. The residential liberal arts college offers a personalized education and wide array of campus activities, but the liberal arts also offers much more. With an emphasis on development of reasoning, writing, and speaking skills applicable in many disciplines and settings, we want you to be both broadly and deeply educated.

Our education will serve you well in the world of work or post-graduate education, a world that is increasingly unpredictable in its twists and turns. Let me cite a specific example, taken from a letter to a national newspaper. A recent graduate from another liberal arts college was feeling on top of the world professionally in her position at accounting firm Arthur Andersen. With the company's recent collapse in scandal, she, along with thousands of innocent others, found themselves without jobs. She writes:

To find another job, I needed to demonstrate that I stood above the others in my field. Reflecting back on my education, I relied on the leadership and communication skills I developed through my liberal arts education. This broad knowledge base increases your frame of reference. It helps you exercise your mind, problem-solve and generate ideas. By seeing solutions from many and different angles, you become an asset to the project, and professionals recognize your creative and subjective abilities. These capabilities instill confidence and promote perseverance. It's true: the strong survive. But those who are also liberally educated go a step further. They adapt and overcome.

She is not alone in her opinion. Listen to what leaders of respected major corporations and service organizations say:

There is a pressing need for people who think creatively, communicate effectively, act ethically, and make good decisions under rapidly changing conditions. These are precisely the qualities that a liberal arts education can deliver. We and many of our employees and colleagues were educated in the liberal arts. We encourage ambitious students, whatever their field of interest, to pursue their aspirations in a liberal arts environment.

For many, perhaps most, of you, securing a good job or graduate school placement is an important motivator for you to obtain a college education. Your profession is important, and I know you are convinced that Allegheny and the education we offer can serve you to good advantage in this pursuit. But if you stop there, you will be missing much of what a great college education is about.

Enron, WorldCom, and a host of other corporate scandals remind us that integrity matters and that self-interest is not sufficient to uphold a system of free enterprise.

Terrorism tells us that without global understanding and cooperation, our own lives are not secure.

Widespread poverty tells us that those of us with relative riches cannot survive in the long run without finding ways for others to have a decent standard of living.

And environmental degradation on a global scale warns us that developing sustainable economies and societies is the only way for us to have a future.

In today's news we see far too much evidence of narrow minds and lives, short-sighted and selfish behavior, lack of responsibility for our democracy and our children, and a disturbing shallowness when it comes to embracing and living by well-grounded values.

All of these challenges and more call for an education for living rather than for just an education for making a living. Values and ethics do matter. Understanding history, politics, economics, literature, and the sciences is essential. Appreciating the arts is part of what makes us human. Using knowledge creatively enables us to solve problems, to be responsible and valued citizens, and to love learning for a fuller and more satisfying life.

A liberal education derives its very name from liberation—freedom from the chains of narrowness and empowerment to exert free will in meaningful and humane ways. You can gain that type of education here and become your best if you seize the many opportunities that this college presents.

Parents, I want to thank you for your confidence in Allegheny College. We want to be partners with you in the development of your daughters and sons. Parents are not only our partners in education, they often become one of Allegheny's greatest assets in telling others about the College. Indeed, some of you are no doubt here today because a parent of an Allegheny student or graduate recommended the College to you or your child.

During their time with us, students will experience happy times and sad, exhilaration and despair, success and failure—a good college is challenging, and sometimes circumstances seem overwhelming. Through it all, please know that we will do our very best to provide both challenge and support—upholding standards of learning and behavior but with a human face. Your understanding and encouragement will be an important part of the process. Parents and families, I appreciate your being here today and your consideration of my remarks.

So today, we welcome all of you to the Allegheny College community. We value the opportunity to join you in learning and in forming life-long relationships with this revered institution of higher education.