Allegheny College: President's Office

Members of the Class of 2007, parents, family, and friends -welcome to Allegheny College! We've been looking forward to your arrival.

To open our ceremony, campus pastor and chaplain Reverend John Colatch will offer the invocation.

Welcome to the Allegheny College 2003 Matriculation Ceremony. The word matriculation is derived from the Latin matriculare, meaning to register or enroll. So today with this Matriculation Ceremony, we formally induct new students into the Allegheny College family.

This ceremony represents several time-honored traditions:

While I am on the subject of history and tradition, let me read to you an excerpt from a letter by Allegheny's founding president Timothy Alden, descendent of well known historic figure John Alden. Alden wrote this to his grandson upon his enrollment at Allegheny College in 1838:

My dear Grandson,
Daily strive to exhibit a character of which in riper years you may not have occasion to be ashamed. Improve your precious time diligently. Avoid all vicious company, seek that of the virtuous and pious, and strive so to demean yourself wheresoever you may be as to afford comfort to your anxious Mother, to become an honour to all your relatives, connections, and friends and a blessing to the world.

That timeless passage probably says most of everything that needs to be said today, but that won't stop me from adding some contemporary remarks.

First, some facts about the entering class.

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 your first semester, we want you to have many more.

Allegheny is an institution of many distinctions, including being among the oldest 1 % of colleges and universities nationally.

We are also among those select institutions included in:

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

With their combination of qualifications and dedication, Allegheny's faculty and staff are among the best anywhere. Our faculty members are respected authorities in their fields and are known for their highly effective teaching.

And staff members receive rave reviews from students, parents, and alumni for their extraordinary dedication to students and student development.

With me on the platform today are two people who symbolize the integration of our academic and residential lives; they lead by example, and I hope you will get to know them: Professor Linda DeMeritt, Dean of the College; and Mr. Joe DiChristina, Dean of Students.

On the co-curricular side, Allegheny has more than 100 student organizations on campus, providing a rich array of cultural, recreational, social, and leadership opportunities.

Last fall, we dedicated 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.

This academic year, we will complete an extensive renovation and addition to the campus center, making it a superb facility for students. This project is made possible by the generous gifts of several members of our board of trustees.

Later in 2004, we will begin the complete transformation of Cochran Hall into an alumni center, a place for returning graduates to feel welcome and for current students to be invited for special occasions. The restoration is made possible by a $5-million gift from alumna Patricia Bush Tippie '56 and her husband Henry.

At last fall's Homecoming, we dedicated a world-class public sculpture in Senior Circle to honor each senior class. This work by London-based artist Danny Lane was commissioned by alumnus Silas Mountsier '52, and it reminds us of the importance of the arts in our lives. I should also add that Mr. Lane's final design was influenced by the many conversations he had with students.

These initiatives and more are part of an ongoing $105- million fund-raising campaign entitled Tradition & Transformation.

Virtually half of our educational program and all of the special building projects are funded by current gifts and by earnings from the College endowment.

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 its 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 perspective, reasoning, writing, and speaking skills applicable in many disciplines and settings, we intend that you to be both broadly and deeply educated.

One measure of how we are doing is what our graduates say about their experiences here:

A graduate e-mailed me the following message just last week:

I want you to know that Allegheny had a tremendous impact on my lfe during those four years, and the lessons I learned there remain with me every day. I would be hard pressed to find a college or university that provides its students with such a memorable and positive experience. Please let me know if there is anything I can ever do for Allegheny.

And what do others say about us?

From an educator:
As a high school teacher, I recommend Allegheny College to all my students. Allegheny helps to shape young adults into motivated, giving, intellectually active adults who contribute to society.

From those in the business world:
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.

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.

Our alumni body is replete with those who have achieved great professional success. For example:

Each of these accomplished alumni and countless others attribute their success to the start they got at Allegheny.

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 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.

A lack of political participation and other forms of civic engagement warns us that our republic is at risk of being overly influenced by special interests and misguided expediencies. Democracies require constant vigilance and knowledgeable participation.

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.

Students, upon joining us, you will have more freedom than you are likely accustomed to, and you will also assume greater responsibility for your choices -choices associated with your education and with how you conduct your 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, and only if, you yourself seize the many opportunities that this college presents.

Now I would like to direct my attention specifically to the parents:

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.

During their time with us, students will experience happy times and sad, exhilaration and low points, success and failure -a good college is challenging. Your understanding, cooperation, and encouragement will be an important part of the educational process.

Parents, please stand and be recognized for your essential role in making this day possible for your sons and daughters.

Before turning to the rest of our program, let me close by welcoming 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.