College Officials Welcome Freshman Class
Jeffrey Costello
Issue date: 9/3/09 Section: News
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New students were greeted by bagpipes and were handed reusable water bottles courtesy of the Morrisville Auxiliary Corporation. The water bottles, along with the nine free-refill stations around campus, were offered to "cut back on environmental waste," said Cross.
As the convocation began, Cross introduced students to the deans of the schools of Liberal Arts, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Science and Technology, and Business. The deans asked their faculty and students to rise and look at their peers and professors before being seated again.
James VanRiper, interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, led the faculty, staff, and students through the recital of the Matriculation Statement. The gymnasium was filled with a loud chorus of "We know that real success must be based on hard work, mutual respect, and integrity," a theme stressed during the ceremony.
Arnold Fisher, vice-chairman of the college council and a local town judge, congratulated the freshmen for being selected in a record-breaking year for admissions, but also assured them that "we don't take any student for granted."
Fisher briefly touched on the new athletic complex under construction, and the plans for a new equestrian center on Route 20, as signs of MSC being "on the move." Before finishing his speech, he entreated students to stay away from drugs and alcohol.
Kimani Smith, president of the Student Government Organization, discussed the importance of being social, as well as academically-focused, in college. Smith encouraged the incoming students to attend campus activities and defined college as "where you meet new people…try new things," and a time for students to discover who they are.
Smith emphasized the importance of academics by informing students that missing a class is like tossing out $78. He encouraged them to use all their resources, such as the library or the faculty. Smith left the newcomers to ponder a quote by Daniel Sayers: "It's not that you set your goals too high and miss it; it's that you set your goals too low and reach it."
The recipient of MSC's Distinguished Faculty Award for 2009, Dr. Robert Dushay, an associate professor of Social Science, only imparted a small amount of his advice on the audience for fear of, as he said, "exploding your brains." Dushay underscored the importance of developing self-motivation and a willingness to learn in college. He explained that someday what is learned here will be "obsolete" and there will be a need to learn new material.
Cross closed by explaining the uniqueness and importance of MSC's hands-on teaching style to the new students. Cross described MSC as one of the few campuses that uses this teaching method. "We won't just teach you what needs to be done, and why," Cross said. "We'll teach you how to do it." He challenged students to develop confidence from these methods, emphasizing the need for it in our country today.
After a small slideshow consisting of campus sports, campus events, labs and a sneak peek of what winters at MSC are really like, Cross, the convocation panel, and faculty formed a line along the path leading from Hamilton Hall. The freshmen walked down the path, receiving handshakes and greetings from their peers and professors.