Commencement Remarks
May 27, 2007
by President Catharine Bond Hill
Welcome to Vassar's 143rd Commencement. It is wonderful to be in this beautiful setting for this very special ceremony. One of the remarkable things about Vassar is the beauty of the campus, and this lovely outdoor amphitheater is one of the most beautiful locations at Vassar, especially when it is filled with people celebrating graduation. I first want to welcome our graduates, the very special Class of 2007. This year, your last, has been my first, and it has been a great year.
I also want to welcome the families and friends of our graduates. There are so many of you here today, it is really wonderful. Parents and families, you should be proud of your sons and daughters. They have worked incredibly hard and achieved great things. They have, of course, completed all the academic requirements to graduate, but they have done so much more. They have developed and pursued their intellectual interests, they have worked to discover what excites them and what they care about, and they have been part of a community, working to make it better.
While you should be proud of your sons and daughters, I know they know and value all you have done for them!
Graduates, you've been supported by your family and friends in so many ways, not only while at Vassar, but in the years leading up to Vassar. A phone call or e-mail at the right time, a care package, a visit on Parents' weekend, perhaps a check (now and then) in the mail, they've all been part of making this day possible. In so many ways, you would not be here if not for them, so I think it only appropriate that we all thank and congratulate them as well.
I want also to welcome other members of the Vassar community who are here today, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and alums. The opportunities that our graduates have had while at Vassar, and will have as a result of their education, are the result of your commitment and efforts on Vassar's behalf. We are grateful for all you do.
Today is a day of celebration of a major transition. You have finished your time at Vassar and are starting the next phase of your lives. You may know exactly what is next, or you may have absolutely no idea what is next. In both cases, and all those in between, we know we've prepared you well and you have incredibly exciting times in front of you. When I met with prospective students this spring, I told them that they had four of the most interesting years of their lives before them. You have just finished those four years (or five or six). But, the next steps are wonderful and exciting too! New challenges, new ideas, new communities can all be incredibly invigorating. You have choices to make, and choices can be hard, but we've given you the tools to make those choices, and to adjust if you discover – as you will – that there are opportunities in directions you had never imagined.
I'd like to do three things today. First, after a year on campus, I'd like to talk a little about what I've come to understand makes Vassar so special. This year has marked a transition, both for me personally and for the college, which has had only 10 presidents in its 146 years. Second, I would like to talk about what we've managed to actually accomplish this year and what I hope those accomplishments might mean for the future. Finally, I feel like I have to offer some advice. I think it's a requirement of commencement remarks. My father loves to give advice to his children (yes, even at 53) and now also to his grandchildren, as my children can attest. He is very selective, though, and only offers advice when he thinks it matters. And, he usually prefaces it by saying "Free advice is usually worth what you pay for it," giving us a kind of graceful out if we ignore him. Consider my advice in the same spirit. But I actually promise you, it's really good advice.
I've spent the year getting to know Vassar and the community. I knew for sure about a month ago that Vassar was truly my new home. Many of us I think have certain anxiety dreams that recur in similar form over time. (I did check with some friends to make sure I wasn't the only one who has these mini nightmares.) Having spent much of my life in school one way or another – as a student, a faculty member, an administrator, one recurring dream I have is being unprepared for the final exam. This may sound familiar to some of you – for some, it may not have been a dream. Usually, I'm about to take the final but for some reason I haven't gone to any of the classes, I haven't done any of the work or, in the worst case, even bought the book! The last time I had that dream, just a few weeks ago, I actually did have the book and was frantically studying for the final. But, then some friends came along and convinced me to stop studying and go for a walk, so I threw the big, heavy (I'm pretty sure it was an economics) textbook onto the lawn, whereupon, like Alice in Wonderland, it disappeared out of reach down a hole in the ground. So why did this dream make me realize that Vassar was truly my new home? Because this wasn't just any hole, it was a very specific ground hog hole on the Vassar campus between Cushing and Blodgett! My dog knows exactly where it is and harasses the ground hog that lives there. So that the Vassar campus is now my home seems to be deeply imbedded in my subconscious. Some of the highlights for this year. The Vassar community is amazingly creative. At my inauguration in the fall, I mentioned Star Trek to those in attendance. I thought for sure that when Halloween rolled around a few days later and the students were invited to Trick or Treat at the President's House, that Star Trek might be the theme, but there wasn't a single Vulcan or Klingon in attendance. Instead, the funniest (and perhaps the bravest) were the students who decided to come as me. A nice khaki suit, some pearls, a scarf, and most importantly, sensible shoes. They had figured out who I was, both in terms of the look and knowing that I would laugh, which I did.
The level of academic accomplishment of the class is stunning. The theater, music, dance and other arts productions this year have been just incredible. The academic presentations (URSI and Ford scholar symposia, and course projects) were outstanding. Lots of great athletic events to watch on campus. And, not just varsity athletes, but club teams and intramurals. And, what is both wonderful and amazing, is that these are not different students doing each of these many things, but many, many of our students do several or all of these things. After doing some thesis work, off to the practice fields or to Poughkeepsie or NYC for an internship or to volunteer in the public schools, then back to the Rose Parlor just in time for an a cappella practice, before a few more hours of homework. Vassar students are truly amazing.
I've learned about many Vassar traditions this year, some more traditional and older than others. Many of you here today may have serenaded the class of 2004 when you were freshmen, or may have been serenaded by the class of 2010 this past fall. I suspect this tradition looked a little different this year than it did a hundred years ago. I'm not sure about the creativity involved in the food fight part of this current tradition, but the songs, choreography, and attitude were truly impressive. The Mr. Vassar Competition must be more recent, but it is organized and sponsored by the Daisies, a group that was first founded in the 1890's. And, then there is Founder's Day, which dates to the very beginning of the College as a student surprise party for Matthew Vassar himself. He remarked with tears in his eyes that, "This one event has paid me for every cent I have spent for the college." I'm not sure what he would think of its current version with bluegrass music and water slides and massages. But, on reflection, I think he would be proud, and not want his money back.
One more impression from the year is how much of a community the College is, whether it was coming together as a campus to cheer on the basketball team contending for the league championship, or supporting each other in the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, or making sure that voices of respect and reason dominated any situation, no matter how tense. This strong sense of community doesn't just happen – it is the result of caring, character, and vigilance.
Let me turn now to the second portion of my remarks. In addition to getting to know the place, we've started to think and talk about where we'd like Vassar to go over the coming years. What have we accomplished this year?
We've started a planning process, engaging the entire Vassar community in thinking about our future. Mostly, we've relied on the existing governance structure at the college, but we've also made several changes to that structure to increase its effectiveness. The combination of existing and new structures has put us in a strong position to consider and implement change as we go forward. Not only did we get the planning process going this year, we've already made several policy decisions that are truly important to the college.
We are continuing the renovation of our residence halls, having started with Jewett in 2003. We now have a plan and the commitment to systematically get through all of the dorms over the coming years, starting in about a week, with the first major work in Davison in 2008. While you are graduating today and you may not think this is relevant to you, you WILL be back for reunions living in those dorms again. I think you understand the need for these renovations, and you've been very helpful as we've talked about these plans this year. When you return for those reunions, I think you will be particularly grateful.
We are reaching out to the Poughkeepsie communities. We hope to be a good neighbor to the Arlington district on the north of the campus, and we are continuing to build on our strong relationships with a variety of organizations and schools in the local community.
I am particularly pleased today to make the official announcement of a very significant accomplishment this year in the area of admissions and financial aid. With the support of the entire Vassar community, and endorsed unanimously by the Board of Trustees at its meeting two weeks ago, we have made the decision to return to making admissions decisions without taking into account the financial need of applicants. In other words, we are returning to being "need blind" in the admissions process. Vassar's very founding was based on making a quality education available to those to whom it was previously denied. Starting in 1861, young women, who couldn't go to Harvard or Yale or Princeton, could get a superb liberal arts education at Vassar! And, from the very beginning, resources were available to students and families who needed scholarship assistance. Matthew Vassar's original gift made this possible.
Going forward, we will make admissions decisions solely on the academic and other talents/accomplishments of the applicants, and not on their ability to pay. We are very excited about this change, which is consistent with and a natural evolution of our past commitment of significant resources to financial aid spending. This change has been enthusiastically supported by everyone in the Vassar community. But I want to give special recognition to the students, who early this year, through the VSA leadership, endorsed this policy change.
Now for the free (or not so free, considering 4 years of tuition) advice:
My first piece of advice is simply – If you have the right to, vote. Vote in town elections, at the state level, and in the upcoming national elections. Many of us here today are so fortunate to have this right. Part of our mission at Vassar is to educate people who will make a difference. You will do this in many ways. You will be educators, doctors, lawyers, research scientists and artists. But, whatever you choose to do, you can also contribute to making our society, our world, a better place by having input into who leads us going forward.
About 6% of our graduates this year are from abroad, many from countries where this message is still relevant. But, some of our graduates are from places where this right is limited or essentially non-existent. I know there are ways that you too can contribute to progress in your countries. But, for those of us for whom this is a right, please exercise it.
My second piece of advice is stay connected with other people – your family, your friends, your new communities. A college community is a very special place. It is filled with interesting people and tremendous opportunities to interact with each other in a variety of ways. It may be harder in the coming years. Your first job or graduate school may be very demanding. You may not be living in a dorm with 150 other students looking to make connections, you may be in a strange city, a foreign country, or a sparsely populated rural area. There is tremendous pleasure and satisfaction and support to be had from families and friends and community. Invest in these relationships. They will be investments that will pay returns in so many ways over many, many years. Finally, be reflective about your life – make sure you take the time to ask yourself every now and then, am I happy with what I'm doing, am I happy with who I am? Make changes if you aren't happy with the answers. It is easy to get on a path and then think that you can't change course. You always have options, take advantage of them. One of the things we hope you have learned while at Vassar is that you really are in control of your lives.
Congratulations and remember, you are always welcome at Vassar. We are your new home-away from home.