|
Pomona College President David W. Oxtoby
I look out at the Class of 2007 on this special day with particular affection,
since I consider myself a member of your class. You and I arrived on campus
together in the summer of 2003; we met each other in dorms and classrooms, at
ice cream socials and senior dinners. Over four years, I have had the privilege
of watching you as you played the clarinet, ran the mile, or performed the role
of Hamlet. I have taught the few of you who had the courage to sign up for
environmental chemistry at 8:10 a.m. I have watched you grow, mature, and become
leaders. In four years you have met the graduation requirements of Pomona
College and will leave today with your degrees. In my case, I have been a bit
distracted by extracurricular activities and will need to stay on a few more
years to complete my work.
In the course of our freshman year on campus, we created the list of 47 Things
that every Pomona student should do before graduating from the College. How did
you do on your lists? I checked recently and, with only one or two slight
stretches, counted 28 of these items since I matriculated in 2003. But since I
am not graduating today, I plan to keep adding to my list; as a matter of fact I
will be visiting Channel Islands National Park this coming weekend.
Senator Graham spoke of the importance of service and of the famous words on our
gates: “Bear your added riches in trust for [hu]mankind.” The Class of 2007 will
be leaders in this regard as exemplified in the record 21 of you who will be
serving the world next year on Fulbright grants, as well as the dozens who will
join Teach for America and other programs aimed at service in this country.
In my four years on campus, I have been struck that so much of the leadership at
the College comes not from the top down but from you, the students. On issues
ranging from workers rights to community development, from race and gender to
political discourse, you have led our conversations on campus. Sustainability
and the environment is one area I would like to highlight.
You recognized that food and sustainable agriculture are critical issues for the
21st century and were not content only with reading books and writing papers on
the subject; you worked to build the organic farm, where these interests become
real in the digging of soil and the planting of fruit trees.
You took the issue of climate change and did not just watch movies and throw up
your hands; instead, you analyzed College practices and proposed specific
strategies to reduce our carbon footprint; you started a campus climate
challenge that lowered dormitory electricity use.
You laid the groundwork for other critical steps ranging from reducing water
consumption to cutting the number of cars on campus through a Flexcar rental
option.
It’s been hard keeping up with you in the last year! The steps that the College
as a whole has taken will move us forward, but we need continued student
leadership. The Sustainability Committee established this year will help to
coordinate and connect activities, as well as to keep our eyes on critical
indicators of environmental performance. Earlier this month, I signed the
President’s Commitment on Climate Change, pledging the College to take serious
steps to reduce production of greenhouse gases. As promised, we also purchased
our first wind farm credits as the College’s response to the success of your
dorm challenge from last fall. This summer, we will begin negotiations with
FlexCars with one goal being to reduce student cars on campus.
But much work remains to be done, not only on environmental sustainability but
more broadly on social sustainability: building a society in which difference is
respected and welcomed, in which everyone has the opportunity to use their
talents to succeed and in turn to give back to the world, in which income is not
the prerequisite for success.
Two weeks ago on this very stage, the College presented the Alumni Distinguished
Service Award, our highest level of recognition, to John Fisher ’67. John spent
his career as a teacher at Colton High School, down the road in San Bernardino
County. His students came from families where no one had been to college, and
over the years he sent many of them on to fine opportunities in higher
education, including several to Pomona College, where they stand among our most
distinguished younger graduates, giving back in turn. In forty or fifty years I
hope we will have the opportunity to recognize a similar measure of
accomplishment from a member of the class of 2007.
I pledge to continue, with the help of future generations of students, with
faculty, and with staff, the efforts on campus that you have initiated. I call
on all of you in the class of 2007 to take the skills, the experience, and the
passion that you have gained on this campus out into the world to make a
difference. It will not be easy. You will need to build your own communities,
find your own partners in initiating change, and overcome an inertia that may
frustrate you at times. But it is a challenge that I have full confidence you
will step up to.
Good luck and best wishes!
|
|
|
Return to Commencement
| Return to The Office of the
President
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quick Links |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Explore Pomona's Web |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Find It |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
