Monday, August 26 was the first day of CC’s 150th academic year. And, as is campus tradition, the morning began with Opening Convocation in Shove Memorial Chapel.
The ceremony began with the processional of faculty and campus leadership, led by English Professor Steve Hayward and Classics Professor Richard Fernando Buxton. The land acknowledgement was read by CC’s Elder in Residence, Debbie Howell and the Invocation was given by Chaplain to the College, Kate Holbrook, who spoke to the promise of the coming year and the “endless possibilities unfolding in our lives and each other’s.”
The Welcome was given by the new CC Student Government Association President, Koray Gates ’25. Gates began his speech by greeting the Class of 2028 and then addressing the collective student body.
“As we come together today, I want to not only celebrate the start of the new school year, but also to acknowledge the unique challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for us,” Gates said. “When we look around at the world, we see a landscape marked by conflict and a questioning of our values.”
Amidst the tension facing his generation, however, Gates spoke to the strength and potential he sees in his fellow students. “We can invest our energy in our community and environment, engaging with those around us and contributing to the change we want to see in the world,” he said. “Being active in the community and pursuing our interests not only allows us to contribute positively, but it is also incredibly rewarding.”
Gates also spoke to the intensity of the Block Plan and advised his classmates to find space and time for rest. “It is equally important to balance things out and to leave time for the unplanned and unexpected,” he said. “Unplanned time can lead to some of the most memorable and creative moments of our lives. When we allow ourselves to step out of our comfort zones, we open ourselves up to new experiences and opportunities.”
The Welcome was followed by the Presidential Address, delivered by Dr. Manya Whitaker, CC’s new Interim President. Whitaker began by addressing the newest members of the CC community.
“You all are about to embark on an academic adventure like none other,” she said. “But over the next four years, you will come to understand that what you learn and experience here at CC will benefit you for the rest of your life.” She added that time at CC “may not always be an expected experience, but it is a transformative one.”
Whitaker spoke to the luxury of focus allowed by studying at CC and the value of the education students receive on (and off) campus. She also pointed to one of her main institutional goals of reclaiming the liberal arts. “We know that because of the Block Plan, we do the liberal arts better than most,” she said. “We create educational experiences where we apply in-class learning to the real world, fostering skills like synthesis and evaluation to solve tomorrow’s problems. This is not your typical experiential education.”
It is this atypical experience and style of learning, she noted, that leads graduates of CC to be strong leaders who grapple with the issues of today and tomorrow. “None of the pressing issues facing our world today – geopolitical wars rooted in hundreds of years of conflict, the fight for human rights and justice for all, an environmental crisis, and an increasingly divided political landscape – none of these issues will be solved in a silo,” said Whitaker. “So that is not how we work.”
Whitaker then spoke to the power of community and how CC students are “the kindest, most compassionate, and caring people” she has ever met. She stated that “a community born of co-created experiences is the perfect environment for deep, sustained conversations where we speak to and listen to one another with care. The world moves at a fast pace. Yet, effective leaders must balance the need to act quickly with the danger of making rash decisions that do not reflect the whole of who we are.”
Whitaker briefly touched on the past year at CC, and some of the issues that touched campus. “Being a supportive community doesn’t mean we don’t have problems,” she said. “Like any family, we will have conflict that strains relationships and forces us to pause and reset. Last academic year was challenging. We all had to think deeply about our individual values and the values we collectively hold at CC. Sometimes it felt like acting in service of a personal value that disregarded our shared values. We had and will continue to figure out how to manage the dissonance of simultaneously holding seemingly contradictory ideals. Working through this is how we learn to be active participants in our community, in our society, and in a democracy – which is the goal of a liberal arts education.”
Whitaker closed with a positive and passionate outlook for the coming year. “I believe in our ability to center humanity amid disagreement,” she said. “We know how to keep learning about each other, about ourselves, and about the history, context, and impact of what’s happening across the globe and in our own backyard. We have the skills to lead with empathy. We just need to keep practicing… It is a privilege for each of us to be here, but it is also a responsibility – the weight of which we must all bear together.”
The Presidential Address was followed by the presenting of the President’s Just World Awards. The Just World Awards recognize alumni, students, staff, faculty, and retirees who demonstrate their dedication to principles that create a more just and equitable world. This year, the awards were given to Dr. Maybellene Gamboa (Mike Edmonds Igniting Students’ Potential Award), Dr. Vivian Ota Wang ’83 (Dr. Margaret Liu ’77 Health Justice Award), Yolanda Avila ’85 (Adrienne Lanier Seward Bold and Courageous Actions Award), Rose Harvey ’77 (Ken Salazar ’77 Stewardship Award), and Gregor Robertson ’86 (Val Veirs Environmental Justice Award).
The ceremony ended with Kate Holbrook giving the Benediction and concluding with, “Go now, Tigers, and let your lives speak.”