President
Alger’s Congratulations to Phi Beta Kappa Inductees
Phi
Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony
March
22, 2013
Delivered
via video
President Alger congratulating the Phi Beta Kappa Inductees
Congratulations
on becoming the newest inductees of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter here at James
Madison University. Today is a very
special moment for all of you, Phi Beta Kappa members and inductees, and
certainly for me, as I reflect on the meaning of our institution and what we
stand for. I can still remember back when I was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as
a student in Swarthmore College back in 1986. In fact, I still have my key
after all of these years. I hope that yours
will stay with you for the rest of your lives as well.
You
probably know that Phi Beta Kappa has a rich history in American higher
education, having started at the College of William and Mary, right here in
Virginia back in 1776, which of course was a very auspicious moment in American
history. So we’re part of a rich tradition here in American higher education,
and that’s what we’re celebrating tonight.
This
honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, represents
the ideals of the liberal arts and sciences at their very best, as an important part of the American tradition in
education. Education in the liberal arts and sciences helps us to develop very
important skills—critical thinking and communication skills—that will serve you
well throughout the rest of your life as a
citizen--as someone who is engaged with
ideas and the world around you.
You
never know where the life of the mind might
take you as a student and as a citizen going forward from James Madison
University. I never knew as a political science major in college that I’d end
up some day as a college president. Certainly, now, I have had opportunities to reflect how—on the different steps along
the way—my liberal arts education helped me. The value of a liberal arts
foundation is something that I’ve seen and heard about time and time again from
our alumni and employers of our graduates. I hope all of you will experience
that same value as you go forward from James Madison University.
You
are starting a journey; you are not ending a journey, as you think about your
graduation from JMU. In a time in our society when some people are questioning
the value of an education in the liberal arts and sciences, I think it’s more
important than ever that we talk about and celebrate the importance of this
kind of education and how it will prepare you for lifelong learning and for how
you can contribute as leaders in our society going forward. So I hope you’re
excited about the education you’ve received at James Madison University and proud of your accomplishments. That is what we are
celebrating tonight.
You
probably know that the philosophy of Phi Beta Kappa is “love of learning is the
guide of life.” And that’s what this is all about tonight, preparing you for
the rest of your life. Especially here at the university named for James
Madison (the Father of our Constitution), I think we can think about what that legacy
means for all of you in your lives going forward. You may know that James
Madison himself was a very active and curious student,
and a lifelong student. He was a voracious reader; many of us were at
Montpelier—his home in Orange, Virginia—just a few days ago and had the
opportunity once again to be reminded of how he had read so much of the great
literature of political philosophy that had
come before him in helping to devise a system of government that would stand
the test of time. Just imagine what you might do, thinking about that tradition
with a liberal arts education. Who knows what contributions the people in this
room might be able to make as we go forward? It’s exciting to think about that
tradition, going back to the person for whom we’re named, James Madison.
I
hope that you’ll also use your mind and use your skills and your heart to think
about modeling what it means to be an enlightened and engaged and educated
citizen—to think about civil discourse; to be open to different ideas and
people from different perspectives; to have those inclusive types of
conversations in our society—that kind of leadership is desperately needed
today and all of you can help to provide that.
You
probably have all heard of what we call our Quality Enhancement Plan, this new
initiative we are calling the Madison Collaborative:
Ethical Reasoning in Action. As we go
forward as a university and as a community, I hope all of you will think about
the importance of ethical reasoning in your daily lives--your
personal, professional and civic lives--and
to help to provide leadership for that conversation, thinking about the
importance of ethics in all of our lives.
Finally,
I think it’s very fitting that we think about the symbolism of the Phi Beta
Kappa key that you’ll be receiving. When you think about what JMU stands for and
our history, opening doors has been a consistent theme.
When you think about that key and unlocking your future, and unlocking the
future potential that all of you have to contribute to our society, I hope that
you’ll all reflect on that symbolism as you
go forward from this event. Think about opening doors, not just for yourselves,
but also for others--using your gifts and
your great education to open doors of opportunity for the next generations that
come after you. That’s one of the greatest gifts that you can give to our
society and to each other.
Thank
you so much for being here tonight. Congratulations to all of you, and I hope
that you have a wonderful future ahead. Please stay in touch with the
university. Again, your induction into Phi Beta Kappa is a great achievement
for all of you. Thank you very much.
