Convocation Address

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III
President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
August 28, 2012

Yesterday, in a meeting with a number of new freshmen, I asked them to give me some advice to pass on to all of you.  Here’s what they said:

Think out of the box.
Keep an open mind.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help – we all need help.
Get involved.
Show interest in your classes.
Get to know your professors and ask them to tell their stories.
Take full advantage of opportunities for internships and research.
Challenge yourself by getting out of your comfort zone.
Look for opportunities to network and to connect with other people.
Take responsibility for your mistakes.

One of the students in the group, Dan Stonko, sent me an e-mail at 1:30 this morning.  I want to read to you some of what Dan wrote because he made some important points about what it means to be a freshman at UMBC. 

For about two hours tonight, everyone on my floor in Patapsco got together in our study room to hang out and chat.  Before we knew it, we were getting into deep discussions…  (I just love that we UMBCers are nerds!)  One thing that was common among many on our floor was a feeling that in high school, we did not achieve our fullest potential…College is a whole new world from high school, and we need to keep open minds as well as put ourselves in situations that expand our horizons (even if they are out of our comfort zone).  A lot of freshmen may not realize the once-in- a-lifetime opportunity that is presented here at college.  From the day we unpacked our things, on Saturday, to the next couple of weeks, we will receive a rare opportunity – we get to decide who we want to be…and that’s the person that everyone will know.  As we talked about on our floor, many of us did not aim high enough in high school…We need to not be afraid to reach way past what we see as attainable…Instead of setting low goals for ourselves, only later to look back in regret, we now have the opportunity to change all of that for the better.

In Latin, the word “Convocation” means a “calling together.”   At UMBC, Convocation is that special time each year when the campus community assembles to welcome new students.  We’re excited you’re here.

This fall marks the University’s 46th anniversary – a brief history compared to that of most American colleges and universities.   We’ve been on a fast track and a high trajectory, and we’re quickly becoming one of America’s distinctive public research universities.  This past year, U.S. News & World Report again ranked UMBC the nation’s #1 “Up and Coming” university – the third year in a row – and fourth on its list of top universities “where the faculty has an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching.”  We’re also among the 100 “best values in public colleges and universities” according to Kiplinger business publications.  Most important, we’re nationally recognized as a model for innovation, particularly for supporting students – from first-year seminars, the Honors College, undergraduate research, and course redesign to special scholars programs, service-learning, living-learning floors in our residence halls, and intellectual competition (from Baja and cybersecurity tournaments in engineering and computer science to the ethics bowl and chess). 

Also, let me extend a special thanks to the 100-plus freshmen participating in our course-redesign research project, i-Cubed, funded by the National Science Foundation and designed to provide even stronger support for science and engineering majors.

All of you are entering a new stage of your lives, and it’s important to appreciate the significance of going to college and of attending UMBC.  Most other schools were founded when education throughout America – at all levels – was largely segregated; but when UMBC opened its doors in 1966, the law of the land insisted that qualified students from all backgrounds could attend.  Thus, we refer to ourselves as a “historically diverse” institution – and today we’re one of the nation’s most diverse. 

During the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-war movement were reaching a crescendo.  It was a tumultuous, even deadly, period with the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy and the bombing murders of four little girls one Sunday morning at the 16th Street Baptist Church in my hometown, Birmingham, Alabama.  These horrific events riveted America’s attention and rocked its conscience.  The nation was soon shocked and shamed again – in 1964 by the murders of three Civil Rights workers in Mississippi and in 1968 by the assassinations of Reverend Martin Luther King and Senator Robert Kennedy.  Yet these movements led to sweeping social and political change, including the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – outlawing segregation of public facilities and schools, discrimination in housing, and literacy tests for voter registration – and the 1965 Higher Education Act, which made it possible for many more Americans – of all backgrounds – to attend college and earn degrees.  And shortly after that, UMBC welcomed its first freshman class in 1966.

As a result of the Higher Education Act, over the past nearly five decades we’ve moved from just 10 percent of American adults having college degrees in the 1960s to 30 percent, or nearly one in three, today (34% white, 20% African American, 14% Hispanic, and 50% Asian American).  And in response to the emergence of China, India, and several other countries as global competitors – largely because of the huge strides they’ve made in education and technology – America has substantially raised its educational goals to 55 percent of American adults having two- and four-year degrees by 2025 (compared to about 40% today).  To achieve this ambitious goal and maintain the nation’s global prominence, we must dramatically increase our numbers of college graduates. 

While it’s true that more Americans than ever are attending college, the percentage of American adults with college degrees is not increasing substantially – the opposite of what’s happening in most other developed countries.  Older Americans, 35-60 years old, are the third most educated people in the world, behind Canadians and Israelis.  But younger Americans, 25-34 years old, rank 15th globally in educational attainment, behind their peers in Korea, Canada, Japan, Ireland, and several other nations.  This means that for the first time since the middle of the 20th century, we cannot claim that each generation of Americans will have more education than the generation before it.  In fact, nearly half of all students who begin college do not graduate.  At UMBC, however, we fully expect that you will graduate – and we will do everything we can to support you.  Our goals for you are to graduate and to be able to lead meaningful, productive lives. 

Emphasizing high expectations is one way we will help you succeed – high expectations for you in your studies, and for us in how we support you.  And while high expectations are a core campus value, you have the greatest influence on your own success.  Earlier today, UMBC Psychology Professor Charles Catania brought by a copy of the newest edition of his book, Learning, in which he says, “What the student does is what the student learns.  Students are not vessels into which knowledge is to be poured.”  The point is that you have the power to shape your education.

It’s important for you to reach out proactively for support – and to be supportive of others, too.  As a college freshman in 1966, I remember the Convocation speaker saying to our class, “Look to your left; look to your right; one of you will not graduate.”  At UMBC, we say, “Look to your left; look to your right; our goal is to make sure all of you graduate.”  So, please keep the following themes in mind: you are important to us; we’re determined both to challenge you and provide the support you need; get involved in and outside of the classroom; and you’re here chiefly to prepare for the rest of your life. 

Yesterday, many of you took part in the New Student Book Experience involving The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot – a remarkable book about not only science and medical miracles, but also American history and issues involving race, poverty, and medical ethics.  The book experience, like your UMBC experience, is designed to challenge you intellectually and personally and to take you beyond your comfort zone.  You’ll have opportunities to explore new ideas and meet people different from yourself.  UMBC is a microcosm of the world – our students, faculty, and staff come from every state and approximately 150 countries, and they have wide-ranging backgrounds in terms of academic interests, race, ethnicity, religion, politics, sexual orientation, and culture.  If you keep an open mind and are willing to move beyond your comfort zone, you’ll learn other people’s stories – their cultures and religions, interests and attitudes, strengths and weaknesses.  You’ll also learn about characteristics we all share – our fears, hopes, and dreams – and you will grow. 

Some of you may be a little anxious, which is perfectly natural.  The longer you’re here, though, the more comfortable you’ll become, and you’ll quickly realize that the goal is not simply to earn a degree and then find work or go to graduate school (though those  achievements are important) – what’s most important is that you learn how to learn, and become passionate about learning and life.

Many of you may have decided already on a major or particular field of study, while others are undecided.  Regardless, all of you will benefit from the courses you’ll take in our General Education program, encompassing the arts, humanities, social sciences, and the natural and physical sciences.  This work is as important as the work you’ll do in your major, and it’s a critical part of your education.  What you are receiving is a liberal education. 

What precisely do we mean by “liberal education”?  The word “liberal” comes from the Latin adjective “liber,” meaning “free.”  The word “education” comes from both the Latin verb “duco,” meaning “to lead,” and the prefix “e,” which means “out of.”  Defined literally, then, “liberal education” means “the free act of leading out of.”  Most often, “liberal education” has been associated with free people, who, unlike slaves or indentured servants, had time to cultivate the intellect.  Another interpretation of “liberal education” is education for its own sake – the freedom to think and explore ideas in any direction.  This freedom is the greatest opportunity you will find here.

A few years ago, one of my mentors, the late James Freedman, former President of Dartmouth College, told his graduating class that a liberal education was “the surest source of a satisfying life.” 

A liberal education that lasts a lifetime will inspire you to strengthen the foundation of your moral identity and to explore the ordeal of being human – the drama of confronting the darker side of the self; the responsibility of imposing meaning on your life and society; the challenge of transcending the ambiguity-entangled counsel of arrogance and modesty, egotism and altruism, emotion and reason, opportunism and loyalty, individualism and conformity.

Your liberal education will equip you with the skills you’ll need to grow.  More important, you’ll develop a way of thinking about – and appreciating – your own story and the stories of others.  In the classroom, you’ll practice thinking critically, writing and speaking clearly, and listening attentively.   Outside the classroom, you’ll have opportunities to learn about leadership and team-building, and to practice thinking on your feet and explaining concepts with clarity.

For years, I’ve been telling students about the late I.I. Rabi, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1944.  Rabi taught us that being passionate about learning depends on being passionate about asking good questions.  Rabi grew up in New York City, where, after school each day, the neighborhood mothers asked their children, “What did you learn today?”  Rabi’s mother, however, asked a different question:  “Did you ask a good question today, Izzy?”  Years later, when Rabi was asked how he became a world-class scientist and scholar, he answered that his mother deserved much of the credit: “Asking good questions made me become a good scientist.” The lesson is never stop asking good questions.

Surely, many of you already wonder about “life after UMBC” and where your education will lead you.  You’ll be inspired by what some of this year’s graduates are doing this fall.  Many are beginning graduate and professional programs at top schools across the country – from Harvard, Penn, and Vanderbilt to Johns Hopkins and the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.  Other graduates are launching careers with major corporations, agencies, and public school systems, focusing on financial analysis, software engineering, information systems, education, human services, and theatre.  Most important, if you begin now exploring ways to connect with faculty and staff who can help you identify and get immersed in research opportunities and internships, you’ll have many options as you prepare to graduate a few years from now.  And faculty will know you well enough to write impressive letters of recommendation for you.

The fact that you were admitted to UMBC means you are well prepared to be here.  In fact, you’re part of one of the largest, highest achieving freshman classes in the University’s history.  Many of you are valedictorians or salutatorians with GPAs well above 4.0, with large numbers of AP credits, and with research experiences.  And yet our youngest freshman ever was nine years old, and right now there are a number of upper-class students who finished the calculus sequence by the time they were 14.  What is my point?  The point I’m making is that there is always someone smarter than any of us, but that’s not what’s most important.  What’s important is that we all work to be the best we can be – and to support each other. 

I challenge you to work hard, to be passionate about your education, and to envision and dream about your future.  I also challenge you to be actively engaged in the campus community.  Reach out to others, supporting and learning from them.  Be a part of each other’s success – as partners in study sessions, labs, artistic performances, and civic engagement; as teammates on the court or athletic field; as members of campus clubs and student organizations; and simply as friends – some the friendships you make here will last your lifetime.  Be a part of campus governance through the Student Government Association; keep the campus informed through The Retriever Weekly; elevate student research and creative achievement by contributing to the UMBC Review and Bartleby.  Also, take time to attend and enjoy a wide range of events – from theatrical, dance, and musical performances (from Theatre and Dance Department productions to performances by the UMBC Symphony Orchestra) to Humanities and Social Sciences Forum lectures and NCAA Division-I athletic events (from basketball to soccer and lacrosse).  Be sure, in particular, to explore our new, state-of-the-art Performing Arts & Humanities Building, which just opened.  This spectacular facility has been years in planning and is a campus jewel. Finally, connect with faculty and staff – they are national and international experts in their fields, and they care about you.  Get to know their stories because they, too, will inspire you. 

UMBC is now your home – and you have more freedom than ever to make choices that will affect you and others around you.  It’s important to balance this new freedom with a heightened sense of responsibility.  Data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism tell a chilling story:  each year, while under the influence of alcohol, more than 1,800 college students die (5 per day and nearly 300 more students than are in your freshman class); nearly 600,000 are accidentally injured; nearly 700,000 are assaulted by another student under the influence; and nearly 100,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.  Academically, approximately one out of four college students reports that drinking has adversely affected their performance.  And while surveys show that fewer UMBC students choose to drink than students at our peer institutions – and also that they do so less frequently – we want you to take this matter seriously.  Too often, I hear from other college Presidents about students who have died in alcohol-related accidents or as the result of alcohol poisoning or drug overdoses.  And occasionally I receive e-mails or telephone calls from UMBC staff reporting that one of our students has been rushed to the hospital with alcohol poisoning.  These experiences have been terrifying for the students involved, their families and friends, and campus staff.  We also take quite seriously the illegal use of other drugs, which, though less visible than alcohol, can have a devastating impact on students’ lives.  Make no mistake about it: this is a matter of life and death, and it’s essential that we talk about these issues regularly.  We want you to use your freedom wisely and grow in character.  We believe deeply in the importance of academic and personal freedom and integrity.

You’re beginning college at a time of great uncertainty.  Fifty years ago, in 1962, I was a 12-year-old math nerd and excited about starting high school.  That, too, was a time of great uncertainty.  I could not have imagined that before that year was over, I would be in jail.  The experience of going to jail was not one I felt ashamed about because I participated in the Children’s March in Birmingham, led by Dr. King. We were simply marching peacefully, seeking all the basic civil rights that Americans are guaranteed by the Constitution.  What my schoolmates and I wanted in 1962 is the same thing all of us should want for all children – namely a good education – because where would America be without an educated citizenry? 

After we spent several days in jail, Dr. King led our parents on a march to the jailhouse for an evening vigil of song and prayer for all the children.  I remember looking out the windows of the jail at our parents and hearing Dr. King say, “What you do this day will have an impact on generations as yet unborn.” 

When I think about my involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, I think about BreakingGround, UMBC’s new civic engagement initiative to focus students’ attention on bringing about social change on this campus and beyond.  Through BreakingGround, and in other ways, you have the opportunity to make a difference in the world – supporting a child, helping a senior citizen, reaching out to others in need.

I could never have imagined, at age 12, that one day I would have an opportunity to welcome this very special group of university students from all over the world.  Every year at graduation, I ask students coming across the stage what they plan to do, and the most inspiring response is from the graduate who looks in my eyes and says, “I’m going to change the world.”  That is my challenge to each of you – to dream about the endless possibilities for your own lives and to prepare to change the world. 

Watch your thoughts; they become your words.
Watch your words; they become your actions.
Watch your actions; they become your habits.
Watch your habits; they become your character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.           

                                          Anonymous

Again, welcome to UMBC.  The journey begins.