As the members of the largest-ever freshman class sat in the Chapel during Wednesday’s Convocation ceremony, they heard about the economic downturn, a “Star Wars”-obsessed roommate and tales of travels from Prague to Pennsylvania.
For President Richard Brodhead, though, the arrival of the freshmen could be described in one word.
“If you know me, you... know how seldom I use the word ‘awesome,’” Brodhead said in his address. “What’s awesome is what begins on this day. You came here to grow into the person you have the capacity to be. Welcome to this great sea of becoming.... Welcome to Duke.”
Using the words “unusual uncertainty”—a phrase coined by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke—Brodhead encouraged freshmen to “ride the waves of change” and use their talents to make a difference in the world.
“‘Unusual uncertainty’ is not some transient condition that can easily be fixed by the Dow,” Brodhead said. “Learn to love it. ‘Unusual uncertainty’ is the normal condition of our interactive and metamorphic world. All this change will indeed be very challenging for people who have few skills for adapting. But all this uncertainty will not necessarily be bad, and it could even actually be fantastically stimulating, if you approach it in a different way.”
And if the diverse talents of the freshman class are any indication of their success, the University’s newest members should have no problem making a difference.
Before Brodhead’s speech, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag presented the “particularly talented and probably the most interesting class” to Brodhead, which he said includes a student who herded yaks in Tibet, a co-author of a book used as required reading for a Duke course, a refugee from a Sudanese civil war and a student who shares the record for the youngest male to bowl 299, a feat he accomplished at age 11.
The class—which consists of about 1,750 students—went through “the most rigorous selection process,” Guttentag said, adding that the admissions office received almost 27,000 first-year and more than 800 transfer applications. The class also represents 48 states, 49 nations and almost 1,000 cities and towns, Guttentag said.
Traveling was a theme in one of the speeches, as well. Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education, compared the Duke experience to a GPS device and used two personal examples to highlight the benefits of traveling “off the beaten path.” Speaking after Brodhead, Nowicki recalled a drive in rural Pennsylvania that led him to the site of the first commercial oil well in the United States and a recent trip to Prague when he and his wife stumbled upon the theater where a Mozart opera premiered more than two centuries ago.
“I am not suggesting that you think of your education as a leisurely drive along back roads and aimless wanders through an unknown city,” Nowicki said. “But I am suggesting that if you set your Duke GPS only to calculate the most efficient route to get you where you think you want to, and if you never deviate from that direct route, you stand a chance of missing out on the unexpected pleasures and treasures this University has to offer.”
Most freshmen and parents spoke highly of the speeches. Many students watched Convocation from the Chapel, while some latecomers watched a video broadcast of the speeches with their parents in Page Auditorium.
“I surreptitiously saw a lot of people brushing away tears, so I was glad that I was not the only one,” said London-native Kristina Borsy, the mother of a freshman.
Borsy added that she liked that the speeches emphasized that students should not merely focus on attaining a degree. “I think it gives a very good impression of how this education here is different from [the education of] England.”
Although visibly excited about their arrival at Duke, many freshmen said they are also feeling anxious—a concern included in Duke Student Government President Mike Lefevre’s speech.
“When I was sitting where you are three years ago, I was five days away from complete and total meltdown,” said Lefevre, a senior, who went on to discuss how he was disappointed during his first days at Duke.
Lefevre added that he was initially concerned about his roommate, who was a “Star Wars” fanatic at the time. “But I realized that the reason you remember first impressions is because they are so often wrong.”
For freshman Maria Romano, hearing Lefevre’s story was helpful.
“It rang true that everyone is kind of masking their anxiety,” Romano said.
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