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About Lehigh > President Alice P. Gast > Speeches and Writings > 2007 University Convocation

 

University Convocation - August 26, 2007
Address to the Class of 2011
Alice P. Gast

It is my honor and privilege, on behalf of the faculty, staff and board of trustees to welcome each and every one of you to Lehigh University – tonight a bit more formally than last night but with just as much enthusiasm. Today at this convocation, you officially become a member of the Class of 2011. I welcome you to Lehigh, to Bethlehem and to all the benefits and responsibilities that come with being a member of these communities.

I would also like to welcome the staff, faculty and students who are here tonight to join in this celebration.

I extend a special welcome to our Mayor and thank him for his support of Lehigh University and for our collaborative relationship with the city of Bethlehem.

Along with this welcome I will share a few thoughts about Lehigh and about your swift four years here.

You are a very special group of students. You were admitted from the largest pool of applicants ever. More than 12,000 students applied to Lehigh this past year and today there are 1165 of you here. That is fewer than one in ten. You must be feeling a sense of relief – a sense of “I got in, I made it, I am here.”

Well, you are here now. The “getting in” and the “moving in” are over. Relax, a little, and enjoy getting to know Lehigh, Bethlehem and this place you will call home for the next four years. You will have to work very hard while you are here. But be sure to also spend time exploring, trying out things that interest you, and getting to know your fellow students and the faculty and staff.

I worry about how hard you had to work just to get into Lehigh. I worry that maybe you spent so much of your last few years focusing your activities on trying to get into college that you may not have spent time exploring your interests and finding your passion. Now is your chance to explore. Now is your chance to seek inspiration from this great institution and the wonderful people here.

My first advice is to find out what you love to do and do it.

We thrive if we are doing something we love. We excel if we wake up every day and have a passion for what we are doing. Your four years here will allow you to learn much about the world and about yourself. Follow your heart. Do what is right.

Now is the time – and this is the place – for you to explore your interests. Take the time to talk to faculty whose work you admire. Listen to new types of music…read books that are different…have discussions with fellow students. Listen, ask questions and then listen some more.

As you know, Lehigh has a wealth of academic strengths. While you are here you may discover your passion in life. It may come from an inspirational course, a provocative lecture, or a study abroad in a place very different from this one.

My second piece of advice is to work hard and push yourself.

Yes, there will be late nights at the library, long hours of reading, writing, solving problems…And you should try to push yourselves to do things that you might be less sure of. Have you ever wondered about climate change, the history of Latin America, ethics, jazz, nanotechnology, entrepreneurship, molecular biology or macro economics?

Broaden your horizons and enjoy yourself on this intellectual journey.

I hear people of all ages say that they wish they had taken better advantage of their time in college. So I encourage you to get the most out of this time – it will pass quickly.

My third piece of advice is to get to know others and learn from them.

You have already spent four days with your classmates, Gryphons and other students. These are the people who may make the biggest difference in your lives. Enjoy the fact that they are a talented and intelligent bunch. Let them see your talents as well. Your lifelong interests and dreams can be shaped as much by who you know as by what you know. So be curious. Find out what makes people tick. Share your excitement for the things you are learning. Find out who is who and what is what. Believe me, it will be time well spent.

We may be in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania today, but we need to understand and engage in higher education that spans the world and prepares us for the future.

One particularly exciting example is the extraordinary opportunity we have to welcome the Dalai Lama for a series of teachings at Lehigh. He will give a public lecture to our community in July and we hope to welcome back many of you for this historic event. Throughout the academic year, you and members of our Lehigh community will have many opportunities to learn about Tibet and Tibetans, their history, religion, culture, food, music and philosophy.

As part of our Summer Reading Program, you read the Dalai Lama’s autobiography “Freedom in Exile”. I’m sure you found it fascinating. One thing that impressed me greatly is the way His Holiness’ approachable personality and teaching style comes through in the prose.

There is also an important message in the story of the Tibetan exile. Both the Dalai Lama and Pandit Nehru, the leader of India, realized that the future of the Tibetan people lay in the education of their children. They provided for the establishment of schools where Tibetan youth would learn the philosophical foundations of their religion and culture. This foresight has preserved a people.

At Lehigh, we stand for the principle that education frees people to form their own views; make their own decisions: and lead society by developing new ideas and improving the world.

As Lehigh students, you will be doing this: forming your own views, making your own decisions and leading by developing new ideas. You came to the right place to get an education that will enable you to lead in today’s changing world.

I am sure there are many things about Lehigh that attracted you here. We have excellent faculty and staff, outstanding programs, a beautiful campus, and terrific students.

One of the finest attributes of Lehigh University is its clear and unwavering focus on students.

At Lehigh, outstanding faculty, dedicated administrators, and loyal alumni are all equally and wholeheartedly committed to undergraduate excellence.

We are dedicated to making your years here at Lehigh as productive, rich, and valuable as possible.

We are here because of you and for you.

I’d like to close with a bit more about this great institution, Lehigh University and its founder Asa Packer.

When Packer, started Lehigh, he set forth an enduring vision for the university.

He founded Lehigh in 1865 with his own ideas and his own money.

Packer did this at a time when the nation was reeling from a civil war and he realized that the nation needed the connectivity of rail transportation.

He was a leader who founded the Lehigh Valley railroad to link centers of commerce with industry and sources of coal.

He recognized the need for an educated workforce to propel these growing businesses and make our nation thrive.

To quote our retired dean and historian W. Ross Yates, “Like other industrial pioneers in the great land of opportunity, Packer saw a wealth of resources of forest, field, and subsoil, and a poverty of skills to develop them.”

Asa Packer recognized that Lehigh University needed to provide a liberal and scientific education for practical service in order to fill this need.

We can look at the world’s resources today and see a wealth of opportunity and challenge.

We see the chance to tackle problems of hunger, resource distribution, conflict and health. We also see that we need to be sure that now, as in Packer’s day, we have a wealth of skills to meet these challenges and to contribute our ideas to making the world a better place.

At Lehigh, you will have the chance to develop expertise and understanding –to apply to the challenges in your lives and in the world.

You will have the opportunity to become the leaders who change the world for the better through your creativity and new ideas.

I wish you all the very best and I look forward to seeing all of the great things you will do during your years at Lehigh…and beyond.

Thank you.