In her convocation address to the Class of 2005 yesterday, President Nan Keohane paralleled the undergraduate education at Duke to that of a sower.
She advised students to take a "pioneering" role and cultivate their lives at Duke. Keohane said this would enable them to flourish, "to build character--to make you a better person... to sow the seeds of a lifetime of growth, safely rooted in fertile soil, ready to blossom and flourish as they are needed and as the seasons of your life will call them forth."
Students should be prepared, she said, to leave the comfort of the University in four years as they have now left their homes, not to fear the future.
To achieve that level of preparation, she advised students to take advantage of the seeds offered by the University.
Freshman Eric Abrams said he agreed with the president's message. "Involvement is critical for students to have a good time
Keohane also stressed the need to make campus climate more welcoming to diversity and spoke of her efforts to achieve that goal.
Those comments come on the heel of broad discussions about diversity on campus, most recently sparked by demands made on the administration by the Duke Student Movement.
Christoph Guttentag, director of undergraduate admissions, noted that the incoming class is the most diverse in Duke's history and that each student was chosen "carefully, deliberately and individually."
Keohane, however, warned that diversity must be accompanied by teamwork across all cultural lines of Duke students.
"Having all those diverse folks around doesn't do your education any good unless you take advantage of it--learning from people whose experiences are quite different from your own [and] opening your mind to the possibilities
Keohane informed students of new initiatives they will have the opportunity to enjoy. The new Robertson Scholars Program bus now running regularly between Duke and Chapel Hill will make taking classes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill easier.
In addition, the Class of 2005 will be the first to move together from East Campus to West Campus, given the scheduled opening of the West-Edens Link next August.
"The speech motivated me not to be part of the crowd because we have the opportunity to do something different," said freshman Sarah Wingate.
Keohane also stressed setting high standards and allowing nothing to interfere with dignity and self-respect.
Honor Council President David Chokshi, a junior, also spoke at the convocation, encouraging first-year students to sign the honor code, citing its importance to "true learning."
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