The College's 202nd year began with a convocation at which faculty, staff, and students learned about the F. W. Olin Foundation's gift for a new building. Here are the president's remarks.
It isn't often that a college president has the privilege of announcing major gifts. Fortunately, in the past two years, I have had that opportunity on four other occasions. Now, with the magnificent announcement that Larry Milas just made, I have the incredible pleasure of thanking publicly, as I have several times during the past three months done privately, Larry and the F. W Olin Foundation for its investment in Union.
The F. W. Olin Foundation's commitment to fund construction of a high-technology classroom and laboratory building will truly transform this historic campus. Siting the building has been a challenge, both because we wanted to insure that the Ramee
plan which created the first planned campus in America-would be kept whole and because we wanted to place the building at the academic crossroads.
As I said to Larry earlier, it is hard to transform an institution that has entered its third century of service. However, as historic as we are, and as strong as we are, the fact remains that we are not where we should be so far as our classroom and laboratory facilities are concerned. In one fell swoop, the F.W. Olin Foundation has rectified that situation, and, accordingly, it truly is not hyperbole to say that this grant will have a transforming effect on Union.
When one speaks of a transforming effect on a campus like Union, one has also to take into account Joseph Jacques Ramee's planned campus. The F.W. Olin Center does both, for it preserves the past by honoring the integrity of the Ramee campus and prepares Union for the future by giving the College a facility for the twenty-first century.
At Union, we are also interested in a different type of transformation, a personal transformation. That transformation, I hope, has the same impact on individual students that the F.W. Olin Center will have on Union, and it is, I think, a transformation that will help meet the needs of our society.
During the past several weeks, we have been exposed to a great deal of political rhetoric. From Democrats and Republicans and Reformers, from liberals and conservatives, we have been told, conflictingly, that we are a nation at risk and that our greatest and brightest days are ahead of us. Whatever the rhetoric, one thing is clear: Washington is pushing programs to Albany, Albany is looking to Schenectady, and Schenectady is turning to individuals for implementation of programs that in the past have been carried on by government.
I have strong political views. However, my personal views are irrelevant-except to the extent that those views can influence positively the course of Union and its students.
I personally believe that we must all take stands and that we must all stand for something. As I mentioned at graduation in June, I care less-despite my strong personal views-what one stands for, than I do that Union students-and graduates-stand for something. Stand for children, stand for the homeless, stand for the poor, stand for the environment, stand for education, stand for the disabled-but stand!
Some might argue that education ought not to include-indeed, should not include-encouraging students to serve others. I disagree. Although neither the trivium nor quadrivium makes reference to service, there is ample expression in Plato's writing about the need for people to be involved. Indeed, Plato said that “the punishment which the wise suffer, who refuse to take part in the government, is to live under the government of worse men.”
A case in point, therefore, is for each of you-each of you-to be registered to vote. It is your duty, your obligation, and you can fulfill that civic responsibility now either where you grew up or here. From my perspective, I would hope that you would register in Schenectady, since it is here that you will spend the lion's share of your time during the next years and here that you can stay most current with respect to the issues at stake.
Voting, however, is not enough. For that reason, we began this year a program that I hope provided a sense of satisfaction to the young men and women in the class of 2000 and that will encourage future involvement in Schenectady by you. Your efforts-in planting shrubs and trees, in painting bridges, and in cleaning parks and streets-have made a difference already in this community. I hope that you will do more.
During the time that I have been at Union students have rebuilt houses on Hamilton Hill, been the backbone of Big Brothers-Big Sisters in Schenectady, tutored grade and high school students, raised funds for a variety of organizations in Schenectady, held a special Olympics annually at the College, and taught in area schools. For those of you who have been a part of these efforts, I congratulate you; for those who have not, either because you did not at the time have the interest or because you are new to Union, I urge you to get involved-now.
Again, some might question why a college president would spend time trying to urge student-and faculty and staff-participation in the community. For me, though, the answer is crystal clear: As John Adams said at the time this college was founded in 1795, and it should be noted that the founding of Union was due to the perseverance of nearly 900 Schenectady citizens, “the end of study is to make you a good man (and woman) and a useful citizen.”
No one-at least in my mind-can be said to be liberally educated unless he or she recognizes that there is an obligation to contribute something back to the society in which one lives. Since you
now live here, I hope that you will vote and volunteer here and that you will make this community a better one-for you and for all those who live in it who are less fortunate than you.
It has been said, by many observers, that knowledge is power. Perhaps. But it is the application of knowledge, the use of power for proper purposes, that most interests me. While I share with many here the belief that the search for knowledge is a laudatory goal in and of itself, I still prefer the use of that knowledge for the benefit of others.
Service, then, learning the need to serve, is part of what education in general and Union in particular is all about. Apply now what you learn here; apply it tomorrow; apply it always.
Aristotle said nearly 2,000 years ago, that “the roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” While I doubt that you will find much that will taste bitter in the course of your studies at the College, I know that the fruit-both of your studies and of your labors-will be sweet if you include in your efforts work on behalf of others. More importantly, if you will learn that lesson and learn it well at Union, it will serve you well in the years ahead, give you pleasure, and make your mentors and this institution proud.
As we begin this new academic year, we do so with an unbelieveable sense of excitement. Institutionally, Union will-through the magnificent F.W. Olin Center-be moving with great enthusiasm into the twenty-first century; and individually, we will-if we fulfill our civic responsibilities to vote and serve others-be able to lead good and useful lives.