|
Toward a brighter future for all 1 Good afternoon! As president of the university I am proud to welcome you to this university. Your achievement is the triumph of years of hard work both of your own and of your parents and teachers. Here at the university we pledge to make your educational experience as rewarding as possible. 2 In welcoming you to the university I am reminded of my own high school graduation and the photograph my mom took of my dad and me. "Pose naturally" Mom instructed us. "Wait!" said Dad "Let's take a picture of me handing him an alarm clock." The clock woke me up every morning in college. It is still on my office desk. 3 Let me share with you something that you may not expect. You will miss your old routines and your parents' reminders to work hard and attain your best. You may have cried tears of joy to be finally finished with high school and your parents may have cried tears of joy to be finally finished with doing your laundry! But know this: The future is built on a strong foundation of the past. 4 For you these next four years will be a time unlike any other. Here you are surrounded by great resources: interesting students from all over the country a learned and caring faculty a comprehensive library great sports facilities and student organizations covering every possible interest from the arts to science to community service and so on. You will have the freedom to explore and learn about new subjects. You will learn to get by on very little sleep meet fascinating people and pursue new passions. I want to encourage you to make the most of this unique experience and to use your energy and enthusiasm to reap the benefits of this opportunity. 5 You may feel overwhelmed by the wealth of courses available to you. You will not be able to experience them all but sample them widely! College offers many things to do and to learn and each of them offers a different way to see the world. If I could give you only one piece of advice about selecting courses it would be this: Challenge yourself! Don't assume that you know in advance what fields will interest you the most. Take some courses in fields you've never tried before. You will not only emerge as a more broadly educated person but you will also stand a better chance of discovering an unsuspected passion that will help to shape your future. A wonderful example of this is the fashion designer Vera Wang who originally studied art history. Over time Wang paired her studies in art history with her love of fashion and turned it into a passion for design which made her a famous designer around the world. 6 Here at the university it may not always be pleasant to have so many new experiences all at once. In your dorm the student next door may repeatedly play the one song which gives you a giant headache! You may be an early bird while your roommate is a night owl! And still you and your roommate may become best friends. Don't worry if you become a little uncomfortable with some of your new experiences. I promise you that the happy experiences will outweigh the unpleasant ones. And I promise that virtually all of them will provide you with valuable lessons which will enrich your life. So with a glow in your eye and a song in your heart step forward to meet these new experiences! 7 We have confidence that your journey toward self-discovery and your progress toward finding your own passion will yield more than personal advancement. We believe that as you become members of our community of scholars you will soon come to recognize that with the abundant opportunities for self-enrichment provided by the university there also come responsibilities. A wise man said: "Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." You are the inheritors of the hard work of your families and the hard work of many countless others who came before you. They built and transmitted the knowledge you will need to succeed. Now it is your turn. What knowledge will you acquire? What passions will you discover? What will you do to build a strong and prosperous future for the generations that will come after you? 8 We take great pleasure in opening the door to this great step in your journey. We take delight in the many opportunities which you will find and in the responsibilities that you will carry as citizens of your communities your country and the world. Welcome! 奔向更加光明的未来 下午好！作为校长，我非常自豪地欢迎你们来到这所大学。你们所取得的成就是你们自己多年努力的结果，也是你们的父母和老师们多年努力的结果。在这所大学里，我们承诺将使你们学有所成。 在欢迎你们到来的这一刻，我想起自己高中毕业时的情景，还有妈妈为我和爸爸拍的合影。妈妈吩咐我们：“姿势自然点。”“等一等,”爸爸说，“把我递给他闹钟的情景拍下来。”在大学期间，那个闹钟每天早晨叫醒我。至今它还放在我办公室的桌子上。 让我来告诉你们一些你们未必预料得到的事情。你们将会怀念以前的生活习惯，怀念父母曾经提醒你们要刻苦学习、取得佳绩。你们可能因为高中生活终于结束而喜极而泣，你们的父母也可能因为终于不用再给你们洗衣服而喜极而泣！但是要记住：未来是建立在过去扎实的基础上的。 对你们而言，接下来的四年将会是无与伦比的一段时光。在这里，你们拥有丰富的资源：有来自全国各地的有趣的学生，有学识渊博又充满爱心的老师，有综合性图书馆，有完备的运动设施，还有针对不同兴趣的学生社团——从文科社团到理科社团、到社区服务等等。你们将自由地探索、学习新科目。你们要学着习惯点灯熬油，学着结交充满魅力的人，学着去追求新的爱好。我想鼓励你们充分利用这一特殊的经历，并用你们的干劲和热情去收获这一机会所带来的丰硕成果。 有这么多课程可供选择，你可能会不知所措。你不可能选修所有的课程，但是要尽可能体验更多的课程！大学里有很多事情可做可学，每件事情都会为你提供不同视角来审视世界。如果我只能给你们一条选课建议的话，那就是：挑战自己！不要认为你早就了解自己对什么样的领域最感兴趣。选择一些你从未接触过的领域的课程。这样，你不仅会变得更加博学，而且更有可能发现一个你未曾想到的、能成就你未来的爱好。一个绝佳的例子就是时装设计师王薇薇。她最初学的是艺术史。随着时间的推移，王薇薇2把艺术史研究和对时装的热爱结合起来，并将其转化为对设计的热情，从而使她成为全球闻名的设计师。 在大学里，一下子拥有这么多新鲜体验可能不会总是令人愉快的。在你的宿舍楼里，住在你隔壁寝室的同学可能会反复播放同一首歌，令你头痛欲裂！你可能喜欢早起，而你的室友却是个夜猫子！尽管如此，你和你的室友仍然可能成为最要好的朋友。如果有些新的经历让你感觉不那么舒心，不要担心。我保证快乐的经历会多于不快的经历。而且我保证几乎所有这些经历都会给你带来宝贵的经验教训，从而使你的生活更加丰富多彩。所以，带着热切的目光和欢乐的心情，去拥抱这些新的体验吧！ 我们相信，你们的自我发现之旅和对爱好的寻求带给你们的将不仅仅是个人的进步。我们相信，当你们成为我们的学者群体中的一员时，你们很快就会认识到，大学不仅提供大量自我充实的机会，同时也带来了责任。一位智者说过：“教育代代相传，它就是社会的灵魂。”你们是你们家庭辛勤劳动成果的传承者，也是无数前辈辛勤劳动成果的传承者。他们积累了知识，并把知识传递给你们，而这些知识正是你们取得成功所必需的。现在轮到你们了。你们会获取什么样的知识？你们会发现什么样的兴趣爱好？你们怎样做才能为你们的子孙后代创造一个强大昌盛的未来？ 我们很高兴能为你们人生旅途中这一重大阶段开启大门。我们很高兴你们将获得许多机会，也很高兴你们将作为社区、国家乃至世界的公民承担起应有的责任。欢迎你们！ |
