Your Journey Begins Here
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Dressed in their academic regalia, Professors Jon Keenan, Rebekah Tolley and Bert Yarborough head for the faculty procession at Convocation. |
Colby-Sawyer welcomed more than 225 new members of the class of 2010 to the college community during Convocation on Friday afternoon, Sept. 8. Kimberly Slover was there and filed this report.
The Gathering Together
Before the Colby-Sawyer's 169th Convocation, Orientation leaders, wearing bright red T-shirts, waved their arms or colored posters to grab the new students' attention and shepherd them into their various Orientation groups gathering across the quad.
Standing with a gaggle of new students, whom he'd met just minutes ago, Scott Overlock of Hope, Maine, said he felt “pretty relaxed.” He learned about Colby-Sawyer from a current student who's a friend of his from Maine. “I like the structure—the small classes, the intimate campus,” he said.
Magbe Savane, a new student whose homeland is much more distant—in the Ivory Coast of Africa—surveyed the scene from a stone bench in Pierce Park. One of several new students who arrived on campus with crutches, Savane had one leg wrapped in large brace.
Savane, who left her war-torn country in 2003 to attend a year of high school and then college in the United States, said she felt at once anxious and comfortable in her new setting. “I wanted to be in a small college and study nursing. It's what I've always wanted to do,” she said, acknowledging that she's always been a caregiver.
During her year at Sant Bani School in Sanbornton, N.H., Savane worked on her English language skills and began to get accustomed to a vastly different culture. Of her homeland she could only say that “everything is so different.” There she was one of six children who lived in a coastal village in a tropical climate.
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The traditional bagpiper (Frances Rich of Thetford, VT) leads (from right to left) College Marshall Prof. Marc A. Clement, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ann Winton Black '73 '75 and President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. to the 169th Convocation of Colby-Sawyer College. |
Soon the bell began to toll and a procession of faculty and staff, dressed in full academic regalia, flowed from the portico of Colgate Hall. Led by the traditional bagpiper, the new class—less formal in their T-shirts, shorts and sandals—joined the procession into the tent, where their families and friends had gathered for the ceremonial opening of the 2006-2007 academic year.
Step Up to the Challenge
The incoming class, who occupied front row seats in the massive white tent, was greeted by representatives of nearly every important college constituency—the Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, the student body, and the new president himself.
Chairman of the Board Anne Winton Black '73,'75, who described herself as a “two-time graduate” (Associate of Arts from Colby Junior College in 1973, Bachelor of Arts from Colby-Sawyer College in 1975) said she was proud to see the college's legacy renewed in each new student. She warned the class that their college years would fly by all too quickly and advised them to “craft chapters in your life story that will make you proud.” In closing, Chairman Black left them with the following thought: “Never forget that you have the potential to do more and be more than you ever imagined.”
Deborah Taylor, vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the faculty, welcomed the students on behalf of the faculty. She wove her remarks into the Orientation theme of “Passport to Colby-Sawyer: Your Journey Begins Here.”
“Colby-Sawyer has been here for generations since 1837, but despite its history, it isn't quite fully formed yet,” she said. “Why? Because…your Colby-Sawyer College is waiting to become what you will make it,” she said.
Dave Sauerwein, vice president for Student Development and dean of students, called on students to “step up” and get engaged and involved in every aspect of college life. “This is a place to come alive in a way you haven't ever before,” he told the class.
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Samantha Godfrey '07, president of the Student Government Association urges incoming students to speak out. Deborah Taylor, vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the faculty, looks on. |
Samantha Godfrey '07, president of the Student Government Association, reminded the new students that their concerns are vital to the community. “SGA officers are the voice of the students and act as liaisons between them and the administration,” she said. “As a fellow student, I'm letting you know that your voice is important to us…Don't think that because you are first year or transfer students that you are not in a position to voice your concerns; you are!”
Celebrating the Class of 2010
In her brand new role, Interim Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations Judy Muyskens stood up to present and celebrate the class of 2010.
“The enrollment staff knows you as individuals…as bright, capable, accomplished, involved, curious, healthy and active,” she said. “They know that you are scholars, performers, artists, athletes, parents and Eagle Scouts…You have distinguished yourself in the admission process and now join a legacy of students who have benefited from Colby-Sawyer's distinctive curriculum and caring faculty and staff.”
To conclude the ceremony, President Tom Galligan confessed that he, like the incoming students, was new to the college and on the “verge of the great unknown.” “Change can be exciting and invigorating and growth-provoking,” he said, “but it can also be a little unsettling.”
In times like these, President Galligan said he turns to others whom he trusts and respects for guidance and inspiration. He cited many examples, including that of his young daughter, Jennifer; of Amir, the narrator in The Kite Runner; and of Alyssa LaBelle '06, one of the Commencement speakers in May; as people who have learned and grown through change.
“So don't be afraid of change. It opens the door to new experiences and relationships, greater knowledge and enormous personal growth,” he said. “The change you and I are going through now presents us with wonderful opportunities. I know we will take advantage of them.”
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Incoming students join their Orientation groups on the quad. |
