University Convocation: Address to the Class of 2020

Class of 2020, welcome to Lehigh.

You are about to embark on a wonderful experience at a great institution. You’ve spent the past four days in the capable hands of your orientation leaders, immersed in all things Lehigh. It might feel a little, or maybe more than a little, overwhelming; but don’t worry, you’ll all be seasoned veterans in no time. In fact, some of you, I’m sure, will become orientation leaders for next year’s incoming students.

I want to take just a few moments, on the eve of your first college classes, to tell you something of what you can expect – and what Lehigh expects of you.

You are now part of an academic community. This means much more than just taking a prescribed set of courses that fulfill a requirement for a major. At Lehigh, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive living and learning environment. You may recall, in your admissions offer packet, a document titled, “The Principles of Our Equitable Community.” You will be seeing it in the classroom buildings, residence halls, dining rooms, and athletic facilities. The fundamental message is this: At Lehigh, we celebrate our diversity and inclusion, and we embrace our academic, cultural, economic, and physical differences. We respect one another, we look out for one another, and we help one another succeed. These Principles are not just words on paper; they are what we believe in and what we expect of our entire campus community.

As you pursue a university education, you will certainly gain in knowledge, but you will also grow as a person; you will deepen your own identity and shape your personal values. After all, as David Mitchell writes in one of my favorite books, Cloud Atlas, “There ain’t no journey what don’t change you some.” And you will change during your college years, as you discover who you are and what you stand for. Which brings me to an important point: Lehigh will certainly help you learn how to think, but we will never tell you what to think.

In the course of your time here, you will routinely come into contact with people who think very differently from you – in the classroom, in your residence halls, at social gatherings, off campus in the South Bethlehem community. I’m not just talking about your fellow students – for example, you may find that some of your professors have viewpoints in direct opposition to your own.

You are beginning your college life during a challenging time in America. It’s no secret we are in the midst of a very divisive and acrimonious presidential campaign. CNN recently asked millennials to describe the 2016 campaign in one word. These were the responses:  disappointing … frustrating … uneasy … worried … embarrassing … divided … anxious. This political climate certainly doesn’t make it any easier to find common ground.  

So you will have differences of opinion – with classmates, teammates, hallmates, professors, me, you name it. We are human beings, after all – we can feel as passionately about our favorite pizza topping as we do about health care, education, immigration, and who should lead the free world. The atmosphere will not always be happy, the tone of conversation will not always be friendly. You won’t always be on the same page with the person sitting across from you – in fact, you may not even be in the same book.

It is how you conduct yourself in these situations that makes all the difference.

• We expect that you will be civil and respectful of the other person’s opinion. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his journal: “Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.”
• Be open-minded about the other person’s thoughts, feelings, and world views. Or in the words of Isaac Asimov: “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”
• Remember that it is okay to disagree – but it is not okay to blame, shame, or attack.
• Be ever aware of the impact your words can have. When someone tells you that something you said hurt them, you don’t get to decide that it didn’t.
• Honor confidentiality. If someone takes you into their confidence, they are trusting you implicitly. Don’t betray that trust. 

Mark Twain said, “Our opinions do not really blossom into fruition until we have expressed them to someone else.” So I urge you all: Speak up and speak out. Question things, offer your ideas, let your voice be heard. And always do so in a thoughtful and responsible manner.

A final word about this city I call home and you will also call home for at least the next four years. Lehigh University is not an island unto itself; we are part of the fabric of South Bethlehem. Lehigh students visit the shops and restaurants, they work on local community service projects, they tutor children in afterschool homework clubs. I honestly believe there is no limit to the things we can accomplish when Lehigh University and the City of Bethlehem work together, and I expect you to engage with your community. To talk more about the relationship, it is my pleasure to welcome my friend and partner, the mayor of Bethlehem, Bob Donchez.