Greetings from president of the Class of 2008
REBECCA HARVEY: Thank you and welcome. I would like to begin today by reading an excerpt from the text in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. "The real university has no specific location. It owns no property, pays no salary and receives no material dues. The real university is a state of mind. It is that great heritage of rational thought that has been brought to the student for centuries and does not exist in any specific location. It's a state of mind which has been generated through the centuries by a body of people who traditionally carry the title of professor, but even that title is not part of the real university. The real university is nothing less than the continuing body of reason itself."
In examining the concept of knowledge of the continuing body of reason, Pirsig describes a trilogy. I might call Wheaton a College of Reason, based on Socrates' goal of attaining truth, rationality and quality. I think of Wheaton as an example of College of Reason, because Wheaton fosters these same qualities of truth, rationality, and quality.
Truth at Wheaton begins with our experience with our Honor Code, continues with our exposure to knowledge, encourages us to question every bit of information we receive in order to unearth the real truth.
Rationality at Wheaton is demonstrated in our pursuit of knowledge. We have all developed a strong ability to weight facts and understand the difference between truth and fiction. I would argue that change goes hand in hand with rationality. Understanding the blunders of current policies and plans can lead to change and improvement.
The word "improvement" inherently implies a sense of quality. Pirsig says of quality, "If you want to build a factory or fix a motorcycle or set a nation right without getting it stuck, then classical structured knowledge of necessary isn't enough." You have to have a feeling for the quality of the knowledge. You have to have a sense of what's good.
Evelyn Fox Keller addresses this sense of quality in her work on the life of Nobel Prize winning geneticist Martha McClintock. When Keller asked McClintock, "How did you come up with such bright, breathtaking insights into genetics mysteries of ears of corn," McClintock replied, "You have to have a feeling for the organism." When pressed further, McClintock continued, "You have to learn how to lean into the kernel."
This same inner feeling of goodness and quality is felt every day at Wheaton. The quality of our education begins with the relationship we build with our faculty and staff. I am sure each of us has had a meaningful experience with a professor or staff member. Mine began with the administrators in the Office of Student Life, and continued to my mentors in the chemistry department. These people have allowed me to lean toward my kernel and feel the quality of my time at Wheaton.
The quality of the knowledge that we acquire also deserves to be addressed. In reference to Pirsig's discussion of the College of Reason, our knowledge is a product of our own engagement. To put it simply, the tool used to find knowledge is this education.
Our degree comes from this institution, from these professors, from this faculty and staff. But our knowledge, our success at the College of Reason, has come from within, and will continue past Wheaton. We have been armed with all the tools Wheaton can give and have paid our dues. Chances are we will be paying for years to come.
The College of Reason gives no diploma, holds no commencement ceremony, and definitely has no disorientation. But through my interactions with the Class of 2008, I am confident that we have all struggled through the College of Reason, and I would like to give recognition to my peers for their many accomplishments at this College of Reason.
In closing, I ask you all to keep reasoning, keep asking questions, and by all means, keep in touch. Congratulations, Class of 2008.
(Applause)