Aug. 23, 2026: Convocation Remarks

I actually want to begin by asking a question. If you ask young people, what first comes to mind when you say, “Tell me about going to school or going to college,” perhaps something about answering questions, taking exams and getting graded comes to mind. But, in fact, behind that is something that I think is deeper and more important and reflects what it means to be a scholar, at least in my sphere. And I'll ask you to remember that the beginning of wisdom is the admission of ignorance.

And so, let me ask you a simple question, which I think the provost and chair of the faculty asked you, actually, in several ways, but I'll make plain and simple, and perhaps therefore highly personal. There's no opportunity here to answer, but I bet you've reflected on this question many times, and I predict with certitude that you will in the weeks and months and years ahead.

And that question is: Why are you here?

And with that, let me also welcome Bucknell University transfer students and Class of 2030. And a special good evening to my colleagues on the faculty and staff. Now, for many months, we've eagerly awaited your arrival. We learned, of course, all we could, as imprecise as it may have been, through your applications. We learned about your impressive academic records, your notable accomplishments as athletes and musicians, student leaders, community organizers, volunteers and all the rest.

We read about your journeys on which you've traveled and the visions you have for your own futures. We recognized in each of you the values that we look for in every new member of our community, including, but, of course, not limited to, critical thinking, curiosity, character and ambition.

Surely all of you had your pick of schools. And speaking on behalf of all 1,300 of my colleagues, we are grateful and we are proud that you chose Bucknell.

With the provost, you just celebrated your formal induction into the rich legacy of this special place. You will participate in traditions shared by generations of Bucknellians. And as you do, we will encourage you to continue to reflect on the significance of the question I put to you and of this Convocation evening together.

And yet, whatever it means to you tonight, here and now, I am certain that it will mean more in the semesters and years and decades ahead of you. Now, I know the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of last-minute packing, planning and long goodbyes. We certainly have kept you busy, getting you involved in, and up to speed on, all that you'll need to know about life here at Bucknell. But for our time together this evening, please let go of any thoughts about the immediate and the here and now and allow yourselves to settle into the weight of this occasion.

Which gets to my question: Why are you here?

Right here, tonight, you stand on the threshold of one of the most transformative periods of your lives.

Now, I know for some that seems obvious, while for others perhaps that seems a stretch, maybe hokey. Let's see how you feel about that when you graduate 1,366 days from tonight. Up on the quad, where you'll be in just a few minutes.

You are the 17th class I've had the privilege of addressing at Bucknell Convocation, and I must admit, I'm still looking for just the right words to convey the power of this moment.

I think of last year's graduates.

Just a few months ago, they sat on Malesardi Quadrangle, proudly in their caps and gowns. Their loved ones could see that they had new confidence, earned over semesters of accomplishing what they did not think was possible. Their outlook on the world had been enriched by campus activities, experiential learning, semesters abroad, and conversations and classes with our remarkable faculty and staff.

And yet, amidst their overwhelming excitement and joy, they also felt more sentimental emotions. The graduates knew that they were taking their last look, as students, at the campus that had become their second home. They hugged their friends tightly, sometimes with tears in their eyes, knowing that even if they kept in touch, this storied chapter was now closed. Before their caps even hit the ground, their hearts were filled with nostalgia.

How many would have given anything to come back to this night to take this ride all over again?

Perhaps that's the power of this moment.

Or consider just two weeks after graduation, each year in Bucknell's calendar, when we host Bucknell's annual reunion. Among the returning graduates were members of the Class of 1976, this country's bicentennial year. They were celebrating their 50th reunion. Over the last five decades, they scattered across the country and the globe, leading careers, raising families, pursuing passions and creating lifetimes of memories. And yet, when they reached that 50-year milestone, they were drawn back to this special place. With the benefit of time, they could see what I hope to reveal to you at least just a bit tonight: that as you move through this world, so many of the paths that you choose, and so many of the achievements that you celebrate, will have their origins here at Bucknell.

Perhaps that's the power of this moment.

It can all seem hard to grasp as you sit here surrounded by a sea of strangers, but amongst these strangers are future lifelong friends. My best friend in life I met 51 years ago, the day I moved into my freshman dorm. We're still as close as we ever have been. Before you know it, you will be bonding over late-night conversations, dining hall debates, fits of uncontrollable laughter and the adventures of college life. You'll play on sports teams together, start bands and plan road trips. And in this room could be the person who gets you your first job, joins your start-up, helps you run for office or edits the novel you've yet to write.

Maybe that's the power of this moment.

Now, to be sure, there are those in our society who undersell the experiences that await you. By their misguided measures, a Bucknell education has become insufficient for changing our world.

Now, I'll acknowledge that the level of uncertainty about the future is unprecedented. Careers once considered safe are now in jeopardy. I won't dishonor you for a moment by pretending otherwise.

But the idea that a liberal arts education has no promising path forward is narrow in its understanding of the world, ignorant and dismissive of what we do here, and vastly overconfident in its ability to predict what is to come. In fact, in the midst of all this uncertainty, the tenets of the liberal arts are more relevant and vital than ever before.

If you have the ability to think critically …

If your curiosity leads you to explore deep and wide …

If you can learn and lead at the intersection of disciplines …

If you can communicate your ideas with passion and persuasion …

Then, and only then, will you be amongst the most valuable contributors of your generation and the most resilient professionals in a changing world.

Solutions to society's greatest struggles rarely exist in single specialties or academic silos.

Think of any of today's national and global conflicts. They are fueled by compounding issues: the unequal outcomes of globalization, simmering conflicts between religions and cultures, waning natural resources, and the spread of misinformation.

In this environment, economists, diplomats, anthropologists, linguists, scientists, historians, journalists, theologians — they all, and many more, have a role in building a better society and a better life.

Consider our nation's healthcare crisis, fueled by a complex intersection of challenges. They include the rising costs of procedures and treatments, a shortage of doctors and nurses, persistent, and even growing, disparities between urban and rural care, declining trust in science, and a depressing reality that your zip code remains one of the best predictors of your long-term health.

I like to ask those skeptics of the liberal arts, “Which academic specialty prepares you to solve these types of problems? Which single field has the cure?”

This pattern supporting necessity of the liberal arts repeats itself in every great challenge and opportunity across all sectors of our society.

Even some of the most basic considerations of philosophy: “Why are we here?” “What is our purpose?” “What do you owe to ourselves and others?” Wouldn't we all be better off if those with great power and influence wrestled a bit more with these fundamental questions of life?

Bucknell University is renowned for its ability to graduate such well-rounded and thoughtful leaders, with tremendous credit owed to the University's faculty and staff.

Their profound influence on your academic journeys will extend well beyond the classroom. Bucknell has built academic centers and institutes, so that you can enrich your studies with hands-on experiences around civic action, cultural understanding, in-demand skills and within such realms as data science and entrepreneurship, the humanities and social science research.

We are also meeting the expectations of this moment by heavily investing in your career preparation. Rather than designate our career services around just your last few months here as an undergraduate, we are prepared to get you future-ready, now.

It's never too early to visit Bucknell's Center for Career Advancement to learn about the experiences that employers are looking for. You can search our site for internships and employment opportunities. And when you're ready, you can schedule an appointment with a career coach.

Bucknell offers every opportunity you'll need to prepare yourselves for the future. However, all that you've heard about, all that I'm sharing with you, all that you will learn, all that's been described, the success of that is still almost entirely dependent on a single determining factor. And that factor, of course, is you and your personal investment in you and in your education.

College has always been an experience that tests independence and self-discipline. Now, we are in the age of social media and AI, and no previous generation — in fact, no previous class entering these walls — has arrived on campus with so many tempting ways to while away one's time, to take shortcuts and to make ethically questionable choices.

But let me be clear: while there may be shortcuts to mere facts, there are none to true personalized understanding. If you plan to earn a college degree by feeding every academic challenge into a machine, you've come to the wrong place. That approach won't stand up to the expectations we set for you, to say nothing of failing to meet our ethical standards.

What's worse, far worse: You will discover, too late, that the nexus of those failures is staring you in the mirror. Any musician knows that this is about untold hours of practice. Any athlete knows about training regimens and how hard they can be. The transformations that we make at this University are, in fact, akin to marathon training, not a sprint. You can have the best running shoes, you can wear the finest fitness trackers, you can consume every protein-infused snack on the market, but you'll never reach the finish line if you don't put in the miles.

Now, undoubtedly, this transformation will demand hard work. That, in fact, is the entire point. You will face challenges, and yes, you will fail. But the community around you—staff, faculty and students alike—will help you recover, persevere and grow. Through this process, you will develop into a version of yourselves that even you never thought possible.

Class of 2030, as I close, let me reiterate the importance of rising above the narrow expectations that skeptics impose on the future and especially on higher education.

I came of age at a time when the nation was desperate to marshal the skills of scientists, engineers and mathematicians. It's probably why I became a scientist. Just prior to my consciousness, the Soviet Union — seen then as America's greatest adversary — had launched the first satellite into space, followed by the first humans. The United States was rapidly falling behind and panic was setting in.

For you, as our provost said, this is perhaps merely textbook history. For some of us, at least a few of us of a certain age, it's a lot more than words in a book.

President Kennedy, who felt enormous pressure to come from behind in the space race and who issued the bold promise that America would be first to the moon, also reminded the nation that such advancements necessitated a society of fearless artists and empathetic minds.

In a tribute to Robert Frost, he proclaimed, ”Our national strength matters; but the spirit which informs and controls our strength matters just as much.”

And “Art,” said the president, “is a form of truth.” And it is, he said, “the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist to remain true to himself and let the chips fall where they may.”

Students, rest assured that a Bucknell degree will make you employable. 93% of the Class of 2025 had secured a job or place in post-graduate education within nine months of graduation. That's near the top in the country.

But our liberal arts mission is far greater than that.

The next four years will prepare you to be active citizens with personal convictions, just as it will prepare you not just for your first job, but for the several different careers you will likely have over the next 30, and 40 and 50 years. 

And it will prepare you for a lifetime of experiences you are unlikely to even imagine sitting here tonight. 

My colleagues and I seek to instill a lifelong sense of intellectual exploration where you recognize facts over falsehoods and prioritize growth over complacency.

Through Bucknell, you will become aware of the moral and ethical dimensions of life and care greatly for the common good.

You will not only be the critical thinkers of your generation, but you will form its conscience.

The transformation you will make at Bucknell starts tonight — but only if you take advantage of it.

That, I'm certain, is a true expression of the power of this moment.

Welcome, once again, Class of 2030. We look forward to seeing all that you will accomplish and to watching you soar. 

Soar high. 

'ray Bucknell!