“Doing Good with What You Know”

President's Convocation Speech
Beverley J. Pitts
April 28, 2008

Thank you and a warm welcome to all of you who are beginning your studies at UIndy. I hope this first week has been exciting and fun. We are so glad you have decided to shape your lives here, for that is exactly what you are going to be doing for the next four years.

You have been asked over and over what you are going to major in, or what you want to do with your life. It can happen so often, that it's easy to forget that the next four years of your life aren't just for planning your future.

You are not going to start living your life then; you're living it right here, right now.

I want you to think about this: You are going to spend the next four years living here, learning and studying and spending most of your time here. It's as important to think about how you live every day as it is to think about what you will be doing in four years.

This is a place where you are going to grow and change, make lifelong friends, and make decisions about your life that will shape the direction your world takes you.

Think of UIndy as a significant place in your life—a physical space as well as a place in time that will not be lived again.

Everyone has told you over and over that you are now in charge of many decisions that may have been made for you before. Every day you are making decisions about social engagement, friendships and even your lifestyle—what you are going to eat, how you're going to exercise, when you are going to sleep, and how you are going to use your time.

All of those decisions add up. They can be good decisions, or they can be bad. There can be some disastrous consequences for making what seems like a small decision. Even like whose party you decide to attend.

Think about the choices you are making, even when they seem small. Choose wisely and carefully based on what is best for you—not what everyone else thinks you should do.

It is a time for weighing every new experience you have against what has already happened, and determining how each will shape your world view and influence your actions.

This is a time for deliberate thought and action. Today you have heard many students talking about the opportunities they have taken advantage of to learn beyond the books and the lectures, and to share their skills and education with others.

What they have told you—and what I'd like to emphasize now—is that this is a place that can provide you with all kinds of support and opportunities to grow for four years—to change, to learn what your life is about, and what you value, and how you'd like to live your life.

You know that we are a United Methodist institution. I'd like to mention two very important values that come from that affiliation. First, we value and respect everyone.

We have room for, respect for—and actually celebrate—our differences. We are Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and many other faiths. We come from all over the country and from all over the world. We learn from each other and we respect each other.

A second strong value that we hold is that we should all use our talents in service to others. Our motto is Education for Service, and we are committed to creating a learning environment that links learning and a commitment to using our knowledge to better the human condition. You will see that there are hundreds of ways you can be a part of that commitment to use our talents in service to others. And we practice what we preach.

You will soon discover that there is no single area of study that has a corner on service. Spanish students volunteer their time as interpreters for new immigrants, and in teaching English as a Second Language. Physical therapy students conduct exercise classes for older adults.

We have education majors who tutor inter-city schoolchildren, and nursing students who provide immunizations for residents in Fountain Square, which is just up Shelby Street a bit.

You've heard a lot about our values today. You've heard that we value learning through active engagement—engagement in class projects, in internships, and in service.

I hope you also know that we value personal attention and strong connections with students and faculty.

With those faculty members, you will become fascinated with new fields you never knew existed. You will be exposed to knowledge that will change your mind. In your own field, you are going to learn more than you ever imagined you could.

You are now also a part of a new community. We are not just a school where you are studying. We are more than the sum of our parts. Together we are a very special community, we have shared values, shared experiences, and shared goals.

Literally thousands have come before you to build this institution, and they take great pride in what it has become. Use your talents to grow personally and use them to support each other and build this community, your university.

But it is the link between your academic studies and the choices you make about how to use your life and talents that is the most important lesson for us all.

So what's the bottom line here? Here is what I'm trying to say: all of us should have a commitment to do good with what we know.

Let me say that again, because it is so very important: Do good with what you know. Think about that for a minute. What that means is that there is a direct relationship between learning a discipline--learning how to be good at something—and learning how to use your skills and knowledge to make the world a better place.

At UIndy, we expect that connection to be made and we will help you make it. You have been given a gift. You have the ability to learn, and you have the good fortune to be able to attend college.

If you take advantage of these opportunities to learn, expand your horizons and serve others, when you leave here in four years, not only will you have all of the knowledge you've gained in your field of study, you will have learned how to use it wisely. That is our hope and our expectation of you.

Four years from now, we will send you out into the world to do good with what you know. That tradition started 100 years ago when the first graduating class, the class of 1908, left a then very small campus to do good in this world.

We have developed great traditions over the last 106 years, and one is a very special send-off for our graduates. I want to tell you about that tradition.

At Commencement, as you are walking out with your diploma in hand—the faculty will be lined up on either side of the walkway, sending you on and showing their pride in you by congratulating you and clapping for you and your accomplishments.

We also have a tradition at UIndy that is a wonderful way to welcome and recognize your class. We are going to “bring you in to UIndy” the same way we will send you out.

We are going to play our Alma Mater, which is—as you may already know— the university anthem, played to show respect for our school. As college graduates will tell you, hearing the alma mater evokes warm memories long after graduation. We always stand when it is played.

So please stand when the anthem begins, and while it plays you will file out through the doors at the rear of the auditorium.

Now this is where our welcome ritual will take place. As you exit those doors, many of our faculty and staff will be lining up outside to give you a warm welcome and mark the beginning of your college career.

The next time you walk through rows of faculty, you will be graduating, and we will be proud to congratulate you that day as we welcome you today.

Thank you, and have a great four years!

[Alma Mater begins]