Thank you, Laurie.
May I ask the faculty to rise?
New students, the faculty of North Central College join me in extending a warm welcome to you. Congratulations on joining one of the finest institutions of higher learning. As you transition from high school to college, you will find college life to be different: demanding and challenging. The academic journey you are about to embark on will demand hard work, high motivation, and exceptional discipline. I am confident that with enormous potential and talents, with committed faculty to guide you through the academic journey, your journey will be very enjoyable and fulfilling. I wish you the best in your academic journey.
Will everyone be seated?
Again congratulations, new students. I would like to share with you a few remarks as you begin your academic journey. Let us talk about college life. There is one thing ubiquitous about college life: it is perhaps the most enviable and enjoyable period in one’s life in any part of the world. Whether in Korea, China, Japan or in the Middle East, Africa, or Europe – college life is the best period in one’s life. Why? You live in a supportive academic environment, somewhat insulated from the hustle-bustle of daily routines, bereft of pressures of life. In this life, you have the luxury of doing only one thing: to learn. Let us ask our self: How often in your life you think you will get an opportunity to spend three or four years in an intellectual environment completely surrounded by committed teachers and scholars challenging you to reach your potential? How often in your life will you get an opportunity to take an academic journey around the world for three or four years, to understand and appreciate the flora and fauna, the peoples, their values, and their arts? How often in your life will you get time and space, free of pressures of life, to learn the intricacies of the ever-changing universe? How often in your life will you get an opportunity to spend three or four years to live in an academic village that will give you the basic knowledge and skills to prepare you to become tomorrow’s teachers, artists, scientists, public servants, writers, actors, doctors – perhaps a future Pulitzer-Prize winner, a Fields Medalist, or a Nobel Laureate? Perhaps never! This may be the only opportunity, so I ask that you take full advantage of the opportunity you will have at North Central College.
While college life is the most beautiful period in one’s life, I will admit it is not simple. It is complex, demanding and challenging. Why? Education is not a product one can buy as a customer does; it is not. It is a process – an intellectual exercise. It is a journey—a tough journey—a journey through a jungle – a tropical jungle – riding an elephant with a mahout by your side, wading into the known and the unknown. It is an academic journey in which you learn to adapt to new surroundings, a new community, and a new way of life which is far different from your high school life
Your academic journey at North Central College will not just be confined to the traditional classroom, surrounded by four walls within a finite campus. Beyond the classroom is the Verandah known as the porch. While the house is central to the nourishment of one’s body and mind, the porch—the Verandah–is the bridge between the house and its neighborhood. The Verandah brings the community together. It is always noisy, full of activities, full of people. It makes life full and wholesome.
So what is the Verandah in our context? It is your professor’s office; it is the cafeteria, it is the Rolland Center Boiler House; it is the library; it is the Fieldhouse; it is the hallway where you chat with your professors; it is the Honor Society; it is your residence hall; it is the Chicago Term; it is the sports arena; the list is endless. The verandah symbolizes all the opportunities available at the college. It is everywhere. Your education at North Central will be totally incomplete if you fail to integrate the Verandah into your educational experience.
As I observed earlier, the academic journey is not a bed of roses. The journey will transcend time and space and will test your imagination and intellectual prowess. The journey will expose you to new sights, new sounds, and new ideas, constantly challenging your comfort zone.
The journey can best be described by the motto of my alma mater which reads in Latin, “Purificatus Nonconsumptus.” This means “to purify, not to consume.” It refers to the power of fire. I love to share this story, a fascinating one for me. When I was a little boy, my father has taken me along to jewelry stores where he would buy some jewels for my mother. He will typically sell 4 or 5 year-old 22-carat jewelry and buy new ones. He will take me behind the showroom where the goldsmiths will be working. Please keep in mind that 22-carat gold is not pure, it has impurities. As a young boy, I stood in awe and shock as I witnessed goldsmiths throw 22-carat jewelry into a fire. He would do so to remove impurities. Fire does not destroy gold, but purifies it. Your academic journey will be filled with heat and light, and the metaphysical fire. This fire will help build your character, help you live a principled life. So, new students, start your journey with discipline, motivation, determination to work hard, and a solemn resolution to take full advantage of everything the College offers you inside and outside the classrooms. If you do so, then at the end of the journey, as you walk across the stage to receive your diplomas, you will be ready to face the world with the skills and knowledge you need, you will be free and strong and shining gold. You will be a new you.
Again, welcome new students. I wish you the best as you begin the journey.
SEPTEMBER 7, 2011