Hassan Raza '11, President, Thelomathesian Society
Remarks at Inauguration of President William L. Fox
October 24, 2009
Chair Rose & the St. Lawrence Board of Trustees, Presidents Emeriti Sullivan & Gulick, Alumni Council President Ken Polk & Alumni, Fellow Students, Faculty, Staff, and Parents – but most importantly on this auspicious day: President & Mrs. Fox.
On behalf of the entire St. Lawrence student body I welcome you to a defining moment in the history of this institution, our beloved St. Lawrence.
As I have watched the autumn leaves come tumbling down this fall, I have continuously pondered the essence of my message to you today. I have struggled much with what I should say to you this morning – struggled between expressing the immediate student needs and long-term ones, struggled between sharing the importance of student input to the university and the status of our student culture as we mark this new era. However, today I am taking this opportunity to express the values that have been and will continue to remain important to the student body as we move forward and work together towards a bright future and bring St. Lawrence to new heights. In representing the student body, I have learned that the challenges that lie ahead are far from easy. However, if we remain true to our values, as I know we will, we will overcome our challenges and re-emerge as a leading force in liberal arts education because this candle in the wilderness only has more light to spread.
Here at St. Lawrence, the free exchange of ideas remains the currency that is never devalued, the stock that has never fallen, the bedrock that is never shaken, and the value that makes all other values and opportunities possible. As long as students continue to come together and measure their minds alongside and sometimes against those of others, we will always move forward, powered by the incredible transformation of a liberal arts education that takes place here in the wilderness. True intellectual engagement, without fear or favor, coupled with the immense opportunities we as students enjoy here St. Lawrence, form the bedrock of this institution. These are the values that help us facilitate thoughtful interaction between students and faculty and make St. Lawrence the peaceful, hopeful, welcoming, and caring place that it is today, a place that many of us call home.
President Fox: Based on these values, we the students of St. Lawrence place our hopes, trust, and faith in you. Your life experiences, as you have and will continue to share, have already taught us that one can always come home again. From frequent lunches at Dana Dinning Center to taking long walks on campus, from attending all athletic and cultural events to offering your words of comfort to parents, from traveling across the country to greet Laurentians from all walks of life to hosting dinners at the Macalester House, from singing “My Girl” by The Temptations to the innumerable thoughtful emails that you send out everyday – your leadership and personality is already reflected in and is wired into the intricate and the thoughtful thread of St. Lawrence that binds us all present here together.
As Eugene Wright ’49 writes and I quote: “Singing our praises to the sky, echoing the love St. Lawrence brings.”
With the utmost respect, trust, and unwavering support, on behalf of the student body I congratulate President & Mrs. Fox. This is a proud day for you and all who love St. Lawrence. Welcome back home and Godspeed on this new journey.
