The 168th year of Austin College is officially underway after the ceremony and tradition of the Opening Convocation held August 24 at 7 p.m.in Wynne Chapel. Led by College marshal Dr. David Baker, professor of physics, new freshmen and transfer students headed the academic procession into the event at which they would be officially matriculated into the College.
Behind the new students were members of the Class of 2017, wearing caps and gowns in recognition of their senior year at Austin College, Faculty donned the colorful academic regalia that denotes their area of expertise, their place in line determined by their years of service to the College.
Dr. Marjorie Hass, president of the College, traditionally enters at the end of the procession.
Additional faculty marshals are Dr. Nathan Bigelow, political science; Dr. J’Lee Bumpus, mathematics; Dr. Lisa Brown, psychology; and Dr. Kevin Simmons, economics. Dr. Lisa Thomas serves as the College organist. .
After presentation of the Class of 2020 by Dr. Dawn Remmers, registrar, Dr. Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres, vice president for Academic Affairs, named the students officially matriculated and ready to begin coursework. “The teaching/learning enterprise is based on a relationship of trust, hard work, and commitment,” she said. “Absolutely central to this is academic honesty.” New students attend a workshop on academic integrity and endorsed the principle of academic honesty with their signatures. The signed page was presented to President Hass at the Opening Convocation by student body president Andrew Dudasko, a senior from Irving, Texas.
Along with performances by the Austin College A Cappella Choir, music came from a faculty “barbershop quartet” the ACademics, delivering a new take on the Austin College Alma Mater. The group is comprised of Dr. Mark Hébert, associate professor of philosophy; Daniel Dominick, associate professor of music; Dr. Wayne Crannell, associate professor of music; and Dr. Keith Kisselle, associate professor of biology and environmental science. The new rendition was arranged by Chris Hébert, brother of Mark.
Two freshmen—Rikki Lam of McKinney, Texas, and Lois Bronaugh of Buda, Texas, were selected to hang the banner for Class of 2020. Rikki, a graduate of McKinney Boyd High School, was acknowledged as the first student to secure a spot in the class. Lois was recognized for the most extensive legacy among her peers. She is a third-generation Austin College student whose grandfather Bert Bronaugh graduated in 1959. Her grandmother Joyce Schmalstieg Bronaugh graduated in 1962 and her aunt JoBeth Bronaugh graduated in 1986. Alumni Board representative Britton Brooks, Class of 2004, presented the banner to the students.
Other convocation participants included senior Sarah Monroe and chaplain Dr. John Williams, Class of 1984.
President Hass offered words of welcome and encouragement to all upon the opening of the year in a brief address titled “Fear and Fearlessness.” She said she always enjoys the opportunity to speak to students to mark the end of summer and the beginning of a new academic year. “This kind of in-between, liminal, moment is understood as magical in many human cultures and traditions,” she said. “In the midst of change and on the cusp of transformation, we create rituals for protection and blessing. Tonight as we contemplate many transitions, from high school student to college student, from college to career, from summer inward absorption in creative projects to the outward energy of teaching, we enact our own ritual gathering.”
“We sense there is something at stake for us in this threshold—something that inspires fear and for which we must gather our courage,” she continued. “We recognize our vulnerability at this moment. If we are to be a community together, if we are to learn together and inspire each other to do great work, then we must take off much of the armor that keeps us feeling safe. We have to be willing to start with a beginner’s mind, with not already knowing what will happen, and with an open heart.”
She described sharing some of her own writing this summer with Peter Anderson of the College’s English faculty—and finding the experience a frightening one with Peter in the role of scary monster, with fangs and claws wielding the “dreaded red pen of death.” That fear, she said, didn’t feel good. “But it was grounded in two good things: the hard work I did on this writing and the tremendous respect I had for Peter’s judgement as a writer and a teacher.”
“When Peter took my writing in his hands and his mind, his fangs disappeared,” Dr. Hass said. “And what he returned to me was wisdom, advice, some praise, and some criticism. He affirmed my work and he challenged me to do it even better. He showed me some next steps I could take and left it to me to decide what to do. … He offered teaching. And in taking it up, I learned.”
“If you are not a little bit afraid of showing your work to others, it might be that there isn’t enough of yourself in it,” Dr. Hass continued. “You may have opted for a pretty safe project, one that you can do in the dark or at the last minute, one that didn’t come with deep learning or enhanced self-knowledge. The good news is that our faculty know how to suss that out. They are experts not only in their fields but in knowing how and where and when to push you to take a risk. You might already feel a gentle claw—I mean hand—at your back. Your fear is not a sign that you are not ready to be here. It is a sign that you are ready.”
She said she very much likes the Buddhist practice of simply noticing fear and seeing it as a gate to be walked through rather than a monster to be vanquished. “I also appreciate the insight of affect theory, which understands fear at its most basic as a patterned physiological response to a too rapid influx of sensation. We need to make fear our friend so that we can transform it into learning. We have seen all too clearly this summer what happens to fear when it is left to rot into violence or hate. “
Her final words were those of challenge to faculty, students, and friends. “Our Austin College community is one where our armor can come off, where our fears can be shared,” she said. “Take a moment to find the fear that is within you—fear of separation, of independence, of failure, of loss, of change. And recognize within that fear the seed of the learning you will do this year. The gift of teaching and learning that lies just before you is a treasure. Make the most of it.”
Tim Millerick, vice president for Student Affairs and Athletics, delivered the Convocation Address, reflecting on his 25 years with the College. While he has seen many changes, he said many things at the College have remained the same. With a look toward the future of colleges and universities, he quoted Dr. Peter Lake, professor in higher education law and policy at Stetson University, saying that the idea of in loco parentis and the legalistic era that surrounded it has died to be replaced by a facilitator era, in which colleges guide students to persistence and graduation. At the core of that are strong mentors and a master plan.
“This moves our energy from creating rules and legalistic disciplinary models toward plans embracing values, standards, and principles for each student,” he said. “Seems to me, we as a small liberal arts school, with a faculty committed to student success, and staff working in various ways with students, are best poised for such an intentional, focused effort.”
In closing, Millerick spoke about the obvious—and not so obvious—difference in the Austin College community. “While we are all unified in some way as a member of this community, we are different in our own ways,” he said. “Therefore, I ask everyone to be slow to judge or label and quick to become curious, tolerant, and supportive. Seek first to understand others. It will make your life better and this liberal arts community will be stronger for it.”
He offered an admonition for students: “Class of 2017, plan your exit; prepare to apply all that you have learned here. Class of 2020, plan your start; choose to get engaged in experiences that challenge you and help you grow.”
“For all of us, as we go from here, I offer the words of the late Fr. Tom Reddy, my uncle who for most of my childhood worked in the Vatican representing his order Oblate Mary Immaculate to the Pope. In his 50+year career, he ended the masses he celebrated by saying, ‘Be kind. Express love to those who need and deserve it and be very, very good to each other.’ Go ’Roos!”
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 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.