Good afternoon, everyone! To every parent, family member, and most of all, members of the Great Dartmouth Class of 2030 … Welcome to Dartmouth!
I know you’ve waited a long time, and worked very hard, to hear those words. Whatever nerves you’re feeling … ‘first day jitters’ … and believe me, we’ve all had them — they will very soon give way to excitement as you start this great journey. It may be tempting to look around and feel a certain degree of self-doubt — to wonder if you belong, in this class of the best and brightest from all over the world. Let me assure you: You do.
You are here, out of tens of thousands who wanted to be in these seats, because you earned it. Because each of you has the potential to offer something unique to this community. Be bold enough to find it and share it.
I’ll remind you, too: Those feelings of self-doubt are a good thing. My research as a cognitive scientist has been in the field of performance anxiety — for athletes, CEOs, performing artists, and yes, students. Asking questions like: Why do we feel like imposters sometimes? How do we know whether we’ll perform well in high-stress situations — for example, an Ivy League midterm?
The truth is … those feelings of self-doubt actually predict success. The science tells us: The only avenue to success is accepting that we will sometimes doubt ourselves. The key is to use it as fuel: gather more information, learn from your experience, and seek out different points of view.
There is no better place to do that than Dartmouth.
You have chosen to attend a university that is singularly focused on its mission as an educational institution. We exist to be a beacon of knowledge and discovery.
Speaking of discovery, the field of AI was launched at Dartmouth – right here in Hanover – 70 years ago. So we take very seriously our responsibility to prepare you for a changing world and workforce. That’s why we are teaching students how to think alongside AI – not letting the tools think for you.
At Dartmouth, you will learn to exercise sound judgement, navigate ethical complexity, grapple with uncertainty, and take responsibility for your decisions – skills that have always been a part of the Dartmouth experience and are now more important than ever.
At the same time, we are living through the most polarized moment in U.S. history since the Civil War. I’m sure you have felt it growing up — in our politics, in our media, and online. Overcoming what divides us is essential to solving the biggest challenges of our time. Leaders in every field tell us: We need young people who have the empathy, courage, and intellectual humility to move us forward.
Take a moment to look around. You are surrounded by extraordinary peers from all over the globe — people from every background, walk of life, ideology. We have brought the best and brightest together, in the same room, so you can speak your mind and challenge each other — so you can learn how to think, not what to think. That’s what makes Dartmouth unique.
Over the next few years, you will have extraordinary opportunities.
You will build special bonds with our faculty, who are deeply involved in life at Dartmouth — including in your house community. This will give you the chance to get to know your professors outside of the classroom — whether through dinners at their house with guest speakers; weekend hikes and apple picking; or trips to New York and Boston.
You will contribute to research that is changing the world. Right now, Dartmouth undergrads are working directly with our professors – developing AI-powered technology that can support student well-being… visiting D.C. to explore how to bridge the partisan divide…and mapping new solutions in energy and climate science. There’s no better place than Hanover to study cold weather.
You will have academic flexibility to chart your own path — whether you want to take a business course from our professors at Tuck; write and stage a new creative work at the Hopkins Center for the Arts; or start work on the next great start-up through our Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship.
Most of all: You will learn the skills to help change our polarized world. Starting at Orientation, through Dartmouth Dialogues, you’ll take part in a series of sessions and workshops designed to help you live out the values that make Dartmouth so special … how to tell your own story, and listen deeply to those of others … and how to forge real connections with people who may hold views different than your own.
To do all of that requires an environment with shared community principles — and an expectation everyone will uphold these principles.
We believe in diversity in all its forms — from lived experience to political ideology. This means putting a premium on free expression, but being clear that you can’t rob others of their free expression based on race, religion, viewpoint, or something else.
We practice institutional restraint so that you, your fellow students, faculty and staff can express your own views.
Here’s what restraint means: When I speak on behalf of Dartmouth … I will do so in a way that refrains from picking sides on contentious debates. I will always defend our academic mission, but, as Dartmouth’s President I will try not to put my finger on the scale around contentious issues not directly related to our academic purpose.
This is because I don’t want to stifle voices on our campus — especially those willing to voice opinions different than mine, or who may not be in the majority. These opinions challenge us and make us better.
My commitment to you is that we will create the guardrails — clear rules and guidelines — so that you can lead the debate – whether through civil discourse and dialogue, protest, or other forms of free expression.
In turn, here is what we ask of you: Embrace it when a classmate or professor pokes holes in your theory, questions your way of thinking, and presents new evidence that completely dismantles a foregone conclusion.
Seize those moments as an opportunity to engage in productive dialogue and debate. Use them to sharpen your argument or to allow your thinking to evolve. That’s what learning in an academic community is all about.
Finally: Always act in ways that make all your classmates feel welcome on our campus. This is who we are – even when we vehemently disagree.
To the parents, family members, and supporters here tonight: Thank you for entrusting us with your young people. I know there are some mixed emotions right now. Excitement, nervousness … trying to remember if you ever taught them to do a load of laundry.
In between all those feelings … take a second and celebrate this achievement, which belongs to all of you. And know that your young people are going to be great.
This is Dartmouth, of course, and we will push them with a demanding curriculum, rigorous coursework, and challenging discourse. But my promise to you is this: We will be there for your child at every turn.
If they find themselves struggling from time to time, be it physically, emotionally, academically, or socially, we will always be there to help — whatever challenges may arise.
We will also be there for the long-haul — to support students in their careers from day one, to connect them with our incredible alumni network, and to help them seize the incredible potential we all see in them. After all: Dartmouth is for life.
Members of the Class of 2030, you earned your way to Dartmouth because each of you has the potential to become leaders in your fields … to initiate advances that will lead to breakthrough discoveries and improve the human condition.
Your journey here will be challenging, rewarding and, at times, downright difficult, as any worthwhile journey should be. Know that as a community, we’re excited to see where it takes you and are here to support you every step of the way. Best of luck, and welcome to Dartmouth.
And now is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Students, it’s time for you to process together to the very first meeting of your class. Families and supporters — deep breath — I’d like to ask that you remain seated as our first-year students depart the stadium. Here’s to a great year!