printable versionJohn Hennessy welcomes new students to Stanford
Following is the text of President John Hennessy's Convocation address, as prepared for delivery on Sept. 16, 2008:
Parents, transfer students and members of the Class of 2012: Good afternoon and welcome to Stanford University.
Each fall as I prepare for convocation and the arrival of a new class of Stanford students, I contemplate the message I want to deliver and look for inspiration, often among my recent reading. This spring I read an inspiring and unusual book titled Three Cups of Tea—the true story of Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber who barely survives a climb on K2 and is rescued as he stumbles down the glacier in a daze by a local resident of Baltistan. Mortenson recovers and promises to build a school for the village in remote northeastern Pakistan. The book is the story not just of Mortenson's struggles to build the school in this remote village with no road access, but his subsequent dedication of his life to building schools in remote Pakistan, primarily for girls, who often did not have access to education. This true story has many themes that directly relate to the time you will spend here and how you spend it.
First, of course, is the importance and transformative power of education. Mortenson's message is that education has the power to change the world for the better, offering the people of Baltistan a better life for their children. I trust that as you prepared for this day, you also took some time to contemplate what you are searching for in your undergraduate education.
We face many challenges around the world, and new knowledge and educated individuals will be key to addressing these challenges. New discoveries in science have the potential to revolutionize the way we treat human disease and will challenge us with deep and complex ethical questions. The changes we have wrought in our environment—from global warming to the reduction and extinction of various flora and fauna—force us to face the question of how we will build a model for sustainable existence: What are the roles of science, new technologies and informed policy? Events around the world remind us that we share a small planet among peoples with different beliefs, hopes and cultures, and that understanding and appreciating their ambitions and their history will be critical to building a better world for all.
The goal of educating young people on their journey toward becoming thoughtful and active participants in our society was in the minds of Leland and Jane Stanford when they founded this university. The Stanfords boldly stated their goal of producing "cultured and useful citizens." We still strive for that more than a century later.
Today, you join a community of scholars, organized to pursue truth, knowledge and understanding. And I would begin by repeating Vice Provost [John] Bravman's question: "Who are you becoming?"
Your acceptance letter was an invitation to join a community of scholars founded on principles established by the university's founders, early leaders and the first students.
By Jane and Leland Stanford, who—in the aftermath of the tragic death of their only son at the age of 15—established this university to benefit other people's children and, as it says in the founding grant, "to exercise an influence on behalf of humanity and civilization."
By Stanford's first president, David Starr Jordan, who chose the motto "The Wind of Freedom Blows" to remind us of the importance of free and open inquiry.
And by the first faculty and students of this university, who in 1896 created the Fundamental Standard, which emphasizes personal integrity and respect for each and every member of the scholarly community. It is the standard under which we still operate more than 100 years later.
These themes are universal, and Mortenson's story of his efforts to build schools in remote communities in Pakistan echoes the same themes: Knowledge is better than ignorance, education should be provided to all, and respect should be accorded to all individuals.
Now that you have accepted the invitation to join this university and to live by these principles, the question I hope you are all asking is, "How should I make the most of my time here?" I can offer a few suggestions based on my 31 years as a member of this community.
My first suggestion is to get to know the faculty, who have chosen to pursue the academic life because of their passion for learning and their desire to share their knowledge with others. Alumni have told us that getting to know a faculty member personally was one of the most important components of the Stanford experience, and the university has invested heavily over the past 10 years to create many more such opportunities.
The hallmark of our innovations has been Freshman and Sophomore Seminars, which are all taught by Stanford faculty and each of which enrolls no more than 16 students. This year there will be more than 100 Freshman Seminars on topics including genomics, haiku, human performance, the Civil War, robotics, Shakespeare, the welfare system, nanotechnology, energy and the environment, Charlemagne, race and ethnicity in America, the Enlightenment, and lasers. These seminars are a wonderful opportunity to get to know a faculty member and a new subject.
Get to know the faculty outside of the classroom as well. While I love giving an exciting lecture to a packed classroom, my greatest enjoyment comes when a student visits my office to talk about my research, to ask career advice, to talk about a topic that she is interested in or to seek help on some topic he cannot grasp. We have an extraordinary faculty—get to know them and discover why they are passionate about their scholarly pursuits.
Second, I encourage you to take advantage of the wonderful diversity of experiences and backgrounds of your fellow students.
Over the next few years, you will get to know students whose background, culture or beliefs are different from yours. You may find that your values—and your prejudices—are challenged. Indeed, one of Mortenson's biggest challenges in gaining the trust of the remote communities where his schools will be built is to develop an understanding and appreciation for their culture and beliefs. It is only with this step that he can gain the trust of these communities.
During your time at Stanford, 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. The opportunity to learn from your fellow students is an important part of a Stanford education.
You have chosen to attend a university that is not only a great educational institution but also a great research institution. I encourage you to take advantage of that. Take courses and attend seminars that explore the frontiers of fields where new knowledge and understanding are being created. For me, participating in research as an undergraduate led me from my major in electrical engineering to my graduate major in computer science, and it ignited a passion for being on the leading edge of discovery. This passion sustained me through my PhD and continues to excite me after 31 years as a Stanford faculty member. Being at the forefront of discovery and taking part in the creation of new knowledge is an immensely rewarding and life-altering experience.
One of Greg Mortenson's discoveries is that through his efforts to give something back in return for the help he received, he learns, grows and eventually succeeds far more than he anticipated. As you think about the road ahead, realize that much of what you learn will occur outside the classroom—not just with fellow students, but also with the broader community. I encourage you to consider service learning as one vehicle for broadening your experience. Stanford's Haas Center is one of the oldest centers for public service in any college or university. It offers hundreds of opportunities for you to learn and contribute through community service.
Experiment and take intellectual risks. Challenge yourself with courses in disciplines that are new to you. And should you occasionally not succeed, do not become disillusioned—just be sure to learn from your mistakes. When Mortenson begins his first school, he finds that he has vastly underestimated the difficulties from buying and transporting materials to getting the help of the local villagers. But he is absolutely committed, and his determination is key to overcoming the challenges.
As you begin your time at Stanford and plan your four years here, I would urge you to remember that your undergraduate education is a foundation for life. It is a once in a lifetime journey. It is much more than your ticket to your first job. It is an opportunity to develop the skills and passion for being a lifelong learner in areas related to and outside of your future career.
Now that you have arrived at Stanford, our request is simple: We ask that you become an enthusiastic member of this academic community. We ask you to take advantage of this opportunity—just as the children in the remote villages in northern Pakistan have embraced the new opportunity that Mortenson made available to them.
To the parents in the audience, I assure you that Stanford will provide your children a variety of possibilities for growing and learning during the next few years. But it is your children, as individuals, who will choose what excites them, what generates intellectual passion and what engages their very able minds. I hope that you will support that choice.
During your sons' and daughters' time at Stanford, we will do our best to create opportunities for them to learn and discover, but it will be each student's task to look for those opportunities and to pursue them with determination and energy.
Mortenson begins his efforts on a shoestring, with the goal to build a single school. Through his efforts and those of the foundation he started, more than 78 schools have been built in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan and more than 28,000 students—including 18,000 girls—have been educated. But, that came about only because he pursued a vision with incredible determination.
So it is with your time here at Stanford. You will have many opportunities, but it is incumbent on you to catch them. Indeed, 112 years ago, Sen. Leland Stanford reminded the very first class of Stanford students of that necessity with these words:
"Upon the individual efforts of each of you mainly depends his or her future success in life. … 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 to the Stanford family, a family that consists not only of the 25,000 students, staff and faculty on campus, but also of more than 100,000 alumni around the world. Students, I hope your time here transforms your lives, just as it has transformed the lives of so many alumni. Alumni like George McCown, a Class of 1956 graduate in mechanical engineering, who has served as president of the alumni association board and on the university's Board of Trustees, and who was one of Greg Mortenson's early supporters and joined him on a number of school building trips, helping to inject energy and financial support at a critical time.
Finally, I hope your time here will help to provide a foundation on which you will make your contributions to a better future for yourselves and the generations that will follow.
Welcome to the Farm and welcome to the Stanford community.