President Simon's Remarks at University Convocation

Class of 2023, welcome to Lehigh.

You’ve spent the past four days in the capable hands of your orientation leaders. It might feel 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 new students.

As you sit here today, I want you to think for a moment and reflect on this, the beginning of your college experience. You are all bright, talented, and you worked hard to become a student at Lehigh. 
You are here on this beautiful campus, poised to begin a journey that will likely change you in ways you can’t at this moment imagine.

As Lisa Fenn writes in your summer reading, Carry On, “We all live at the intersection of our essence and our experiences.” Over these next four years, you will grow as a person; you will deepen your own identity and shape your personal values. Because, as David Mitchell writes in one of my favorite books, Cloud Atlas, “There ain’t no journey what don’t change you some.” And make no mistake about it, you will change during your time here, as you learn who you are and what you stand for. As you discover your essence. 

You are supported by family and friends, those people who know and love you best. And because they know you, and know what you are capable of, they expect big things from you.

At Lehigh, we have declared this “the year of shared responsibility.” What exactly does this mean, and more importantly, why is it a good thing for you?

Shared responsibility means that you, as Lehigh students, have ownership of this university. This is not my school, this is not the administration’s school – this is your school. And while there is much to love about Lehigh, as I’m sure you realized on your first visit, we do not pretend to be perfect. Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi summed it up this way: “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”

Lehigh cannot catch excellence without each one of you. I want to make an important distinction here: I am not empowering you, this is not authority being given to you. I am not giving you anything you don’t already have. By virtue of your being part of this university, we are invested in your success and you are invested in the university’s successes.

Shared responsibility is about collaboration, about working together to make Lehigh the place we all want it to be. Don’t sit back and wait for someone else to do it. Resist the urge to kick a problem upstairs for that entity known as “the university” to fix. You are the university; each of you can make a positive impact on the lives of your fellow students, on the lives of faculty, staff, and those in the Bethlehem community.            

As you go through your college years, you will come into contact with people who have had different experiences than you and who think differently from you – in the classroom, in your residence halls, at social gatherings, off campus in the South Bethlehem community, during internships and at study abroad locations around the world.

In these situations, it is how you conduct yourself that makes all the difference. In such encounters, we have three expectations of you.

• First, we expect that you will be civil and respectful. 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.”
• Second, we expect you to be open-minded. 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.”
• Third, remember that it is okay to disagree. Another quote from Carry On: “I caught myself thinking the worst of them, which in turn exposed the worst of me.”  

That said, I urge you all: Speak up and speak out. Mark Twain said, “Our opinions do not really blossom into fruition until we have expressed them to someone else.” Question things, offer your ideas, let your voice be heard. It is your – here’s that word again – responsibility to do so.

I want to end by talking about South Bethlehem – for most of you, your new home. Lehigh University is part of South Bethlehem, we are woven into its fabric. You will patronize the shops and restaurants. You can contribute to the community by participating in community service projects. You can mentor and tutor in the local elementary and middle schools. There is no limit to what we (all of us) can accomplish when Lehigh University and the City of Bethlehem work together. This is why I work in close partnership with the mayor of Bethlehem, Bob Donchez. Bob and I have shared responsibilities, namely the safety, the quality of life, and the well-being of the community we call home – and as I said, your home now. To talk more about Bethlehem, it is my pleasure to welcome my friend and partner, Mayor Donchez.