Austin College officially opened its 172nd year Monday evening with the traditional Opening of School Convocation. Things looked a bit different than usual, with the ceremony held on the Clyde Hall Graduation Court rather than inside Wynne Chapel so that seating for the faculty, seniors, and freshmen gathered could be set six feet apart to maintain social distancing.
Seniors did not wear caps and gowns to signify their final year at Austin College as is the tradition at Opening Convocation. The August weather made that less appealing. Faculty, too, with the exception of the marshals, left their robes in their offices. Masks were in evidence everywhere.
Speaking to those gathered, President Steven O’Day said that other things about campus look different this fall too, including important and exciting renovations to campus facilities from the dining hall in Wright Campus Center, to projects in Mason Complex, the “stunning” creation of the Sally and Jim Nation Theatre and Learning Commons, and the construction of the North Flats. “Yes, things do look different,” O’Day said. “I hope you will go explore.”
Conversations around campus were different this weekend as new students arrived on campus, he said. In addition to the course and program details new students receive every year, this weekend, instructions about how to live and study together safely were repeated often.
“These rules are in place to try to keep everyone safe and to make it possible for us to continue being here,” O’Day said, acknowledging that some in the audience might believe they are not at risk, or may be willing to play the odds. “We’re asking you to wear masks, stay distanced, do daily health checks, use hand sanitizer, use certain doors, don’t gather in groups, for reasons that go beyond you,” he said. “You’re doing it for your professors, your classmates and roommates, your coaches, your advisors, the staff, Cece, and me. It’s not just that you might contract the virus; it’s that you might transmit it to those who might get really, really sick.”
Not everything has changed, the president reminded listeners. “Amidst all that is different, at least one thing will stay the same,” O’Day said. “We will continue to look out for each other. We will continue to be good to each other. “
“If you pause for a second and think about it, everything boils down to that,” President O’Day said. “Every decision you will face, during the day or at 2 in the morning, will boil down to a question of being good to each other. Each of you knows in your head and your heart what that means. If you are good to each other, just about everything else takes care of itself.”
His address included encouragement for the talented and diverse Class of 2024. ‘To all our new students, there are a few more things I hope you’ll remember,’ he said. “You come to us with rich backgrounds and experiences. You are entrepreneurs, singers, dancers, and performers. You have taught refugee children and learned sign language. You have created technology to assist the visually impaired. You’ve competed in robotics, in the pool, on the court, and on the field.”
“I know you may be feeling a little nervous,” the president told them. “Don’t worry! This is an exciting time of renewal, reinvention, and possibilities. You have this opportunity but once in your life; many never have it all. You bring to us so much and, in return, we have big plans for you.”
O’Day told the audience that he enjoys reading speeches from important moments in history. “Throughout human history, words have been spoken at significant times by significant people,” he said. “Those words have been intended to bring out our best selves, to reach higher, to go further, or sometimes, to just hang on.”
As near darkness fell around his audience, O’Day said he was reasonably sure this address wouldn’t be remembered with the great speeches of Lincoln, Churchill, or Martin Luther King Jr., but “I would offer these words to us, in our corner of the world here on our campus, at this significant time.”
“We are faced with something the world has not seen for a hundred years,” he continued. “We can lament all that is different and feel sorry for ourselves, or we can acknowledge the hand we have been dealt, step forward, and do what needs to be done. We have to look out for each other. I believe we can rise to the occasion. Let us show the world how it should be done. Let us be equal to our moment in history … Let’s have a great year!”
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and more than 100 expert faculty members allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.