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MARLA LOVE: Welcome, Cornell University.
[APPLAUSE]
My name is Marla Love. And I'm your dean of students. Whether you are a first-year, sophomore, or transfer student, we are thrilled you are joining us for Convocation. A special welcome to families and friends joining us via live stream. We are especially glad that this university tradition has returned to an in-person gathering today in Schoellkopf Stadium.
If you are finishing up your orientation week or just moving in today, please take this moment to relax and let us celebrate and welcome all of you to the Cornell community. Cornell is home to renowned faculty, dedicated staff, and passionate students like yourselves. You are joining a Cornell community that is full of endless opportunities. And it is up to you to use your creativity and to challenge yourself to shape your educational experience both in and outside of the classroom.
I, along with my colleagues on the stage today, are here to facilitate the opportunities that will deepen your educational journey at Cornell. We are also committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive campus community that supports your personal, social, and intellectual growth. I would like to recognize those university leaders who are here with us today. I'm going to ask that you please hold your applause until the end. And I'm going to ask my colleagues here-- once I call your name, if you could just stand.
Martha Pollack, President. Michael Kotlikoff, Provost. Ryan Lombardi, Vice President for Student and Campus Life. Lisa Nishii, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Kathryn Boor, Dean and Vice Provost of Graduate Education.
Avery August, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Presidential Advisor on Diversity and Equity. Jon Burdick, Vice Provost for Enrollment. Eve De Rosa, Dean of Faculty. Andrew Karolyi, Dean of the SC Johnson College of Business. Kate Walsh, Dean of the School of Hotel Administration.
Ray Jayawardhana, the Harold Tanner Dean, College of Arts and Sciences. Benjamin Houlton, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Jinhua Zhao, the David J. Nolan Dean of the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Mark Cruvellier, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.
Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert Dean, College of Engineering. Alex Colvin, ILR School's Kenneth F. Kahn Class of '69 Dean and Martin F. Scheinman Class of '75 MS '76 Professor-- so many words.
[LAUGHTER]
Kavita Bala, Dean of the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. Rachel Dunifon, Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean in the College of Human Ecology. Abby Cohn, Professor and Faculty-Elected Trustee. Mary Opperman, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Joel Malina, Vice President for University Relations.
Kelly Cunningham, Chief of Staff and Special Counsel to the President. Robert Abrams, Emeritus Trustee. Yonn Rasmussen, Trustee. Liz Davis-Frost, Graduate and Professional Student-Elected Trustee. Anuli Ononye, President of Student Assembly. Selam Woldai, Student-Elected Trustee. Akugbe Imudia, Orientation Steering Committee,
La'Treil Allen, Co-Chair of the Orientation Steering Committee. Alicia Mathur, Orientation Steering Committee. Janna Zilkha, Orientation Steering Committee. Bennett Garcia, the Orientation Steering Committee. Viraj Govani, the Orientation Steering Committee. Sofia Prieto, Orientation Steering Committee. And Jennifer Grell, Co-Chair of the Orientation Steering Committee. Thank you for your contributions to today's event.
[APPLAUSE]
As the Dean of Students, I have the privilege of working with student leaders who embrace the breadth of Cornell, some of whom you will hear from today. They include your president of the Student Assembly and member of the class of 2022, Anuli Ononye. In addition, I would like to again acknowledge the members of the 2021 Orientation Steering Committee including this year's co-chairs La'Treil Allen and Jennifer Grell-- both members of the class of 2022. They have been volunteering their time this year to help make this orientations week a reality. Now please welcome the Orientation Steering Committee's co-chairs La'Treil Allen and Jennifer Grell.
[APPLAUSE]
LA'TREIL ALLEN: Hello. My name is La'Treil Allen. And I am one of the co-chairs of the Orientation Steering Committee-- a steering committee that has worked to recruit and train all the orientation volunteers as well as plan some of the orientation week social events. On behalf of that committee, I am honored to have the opportunity to welcome all new students to Cornell and to re-welcome all returning students.
As a writer, I often think of my life as a big book-- each phase of my life as a new chapter ready to be written. If you asked freshman year La'Treil about our book, he'd probably tell you two things. He'd say he wrote it all by himself and that it is the best book to ever be written.
As I enter my senior year, the lessons I've learned have completely changed my perspective on my book and how I want to write the rest of my chapters. I have learned that I have never been the sole writer of my book and that I never want to be. As you navigate Cornell, you will search for and find your community.
That community is going to help you every step of the way. Your friends will be there to encourage you to keep writing when you feel like you've got nothing left to say. And be sure to encourage them too, because I've yet to meet anyone who couldn't use a little love from a friend.
Your professors and teachers' assistants will be there writing notes in the margin to help you tell your story the best way you can. Your family will be back home anxiously waiting to read the next pages. But don't be afraid to keep them waiting. This is your story, and that means telling it on your own terms at whatever pace you need to.
There will be countless other people that you meet along the way who will become crucial in helping you write your story. You are never alone even though we all have times when we feel like we are. This past week is a testament to the fact that you are never alone. Every orientation leader that you've got to meet in the past week is a volunteer.
At a time when every student has to make their own adjustment, the student volunteers have taken on the extra responsibility of helping new students make that adjustment too. I hope that this shows you that as you navigate this campus, there are countless numbers of people willing to support you. All you have to do is to be willing to ask for help.
Another lesson that I've learned about my book is that it is not the best one written. But the goal of my book now is not to be the best one ever written, but to be the one that is the best reflection of myself. When I entered Cornell, I had the mentality that I was the best and that I had to be the best to be successful. The reality I've come to now is that there will always be someone out there with a better book, but there is no one out there who can tell my story better than myself.
And it is undeniable that no one can tell your story better than you. The only question that remains is what will that story be. No matter what year you are going into, this upcoming semester will be a brand new chapter for us all. With each new chapter comes a new opportunity to write a piece of your story.
The only advice I have for you is however your story turns out to never forget why you're writing it. My why has always been to make my younger self proud. And I can tell you all right now that my inner child is screaming with joy as a first-generation college student who would have never imagined being accepted to Cornell-- let alone just being two semesters away from graduating.
And the beauty of life is that we all have different whys and different stories. I'm excited and honored to be in the presence of people who I know have amazing stories to tell. And I can't wait to read them. Thank you so much for your time. And welcome or re-welcome to Cornell.
[APPLAUSE]
JENNIFER GRELL: Good afternoon. And welcome Cornellians. It is an honor to be speaking in front of you today at your convocation. My name is Jennifer Grell. And I am one of the co-chairs of the Orientation Steering Committee.
About two years ago, I was sitting in the very bleachers you sit in today. I was attending convocation as a new student, truly taking in the view of Cornell just from Schoellkopf Field. At that point, I know for certain that I was nervous, wondering what the days and next few years ahead of me were going to be like.
What you may not know about me is that I was a transfer student. I came to Cornell as a sophomore. And I had thoughts racing through my head that I'm sure you are all experiencing today. Will I make friends? Will I do well in my classes? And most specifically, you may be thinking, do I truly belong at Cornell?
During my first few weeks at Cornell, I was constantly worried that I was starting too late or that I missed out on making new friends in a freshman dorm or that I was going to be behind in all of my classes because I didn't take my introductory courses here or that I was too old to be joining clubs that I was particularly passionate about. Standing here today as a senior, I wish I could go back in time, give myself a big hug, and tell myself that it is all going to be OK.
While it may not feel like it at first, everything truly does fall into place. Surprisingly enough, the things that end up impacting your Cornell experience often take the shape of things you do spontaneously. For me, it ranges from meeting my closest friends by going on a two-day retreat with my sophomore dorm to standing on the stage as a co-chair of the Orientation Steering Committee just by filling out a Google form on a regular September afternoon.
At Cornell, you will have so many wonderful opportunities and moments within hand's reach. All you have to do is take that leap and trust that you are about to make your time at Cornell that much more meaningful. As you spend your first few days wandering around Cornell's campus, I can imagine you are worried about how large the university is. You may be afraid that you'll never learn your way around campus or that you will constantly get lost. As you spend more time at our beautiful university, I can assure you that things will quickly become familiar. And 2,300 acres will soon begin to feel a lot smaller.
Although a large campus may feel intimidating, there's also beauty in its size. Our large university creates the potential for innumerable opportunities, whether it be through academics or clubs and organizations that you join during your time at Cornell. These next few years will teach you what you are passionate about, and more importantly, will teach you more about yourself.
Although three or four years feels like a long time, I promise it goes by much faster than you would like it to. Looking back on my time here and all that I have been fortunate enough to experience, all I could say is I wish I could have done more. Both Cornell and Ithaca will give you the chance to do anything you put your mind to and provide you with memories that will last a lifetime.
I truly believe that the best way to leave your mark at Cornell is to say yes to the things you may not have thought of doing before. So go to the dining hall with those people on your floor or apply to that E-board position of your club. Go swimming at a local waterfall. Go to the slope to watch a sunset or visit the farmer's market on the weekend. Our time at Cornell is too short to leave opportunities as a what-if. We will never know how wonderful something can be if we are too afraid to try.
I would like to leave you all with some advice. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. As students of an Ivy League institution, we are often afraid to make mistakes or face failures. Without mistakes, we would never be able to grow or continue to learn. Making mistakes is human and there is strength in asking others for help. Your new Cornell professors, peers, and friends are here to cheer you on and help you accomplish your goals while also lending a helping hand if you fall.
Also, make sure to take time to care for yourself. While academics may feel like a priority, it is important to make sure you are resting and balancing your work with things that make you happy. Welcome to our family. We are so excited to see the new person you become and everything you are about to accomplish. Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
MARLA LOVE: Thank you, Jennifer and La'Treil for giving us all of those words of wisdom. I hope we all will take something from what they've said today. And now it's my pleasure to welcome your Student Assembly President Anuli Ononye who represents all of Cornell undergraduates along with 20 elected body members. Come on up, Anuli.
[APPLAUSE]
ANULI ONONYE: Hi, everyone. My name is Anuli Ononye. And I'm a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. I'm serving as your 2021-2022 Student Assembly President. Although I'm standing on this side of the stage, it feels like not too long ago I was sitting across from me in the bleachers during my first week at Cornell.
During my convocation, it was pouring rain. And I, having grown up in Southern California, was not prepared for that at all. Right after the ceremony, my mom and I Amazon Primed my first adult raincoat.
When I think about sitting in those bleachers three years ago, I never would have imagined that I'd be standing here today and welcoming you to Cornell. I say this after losing three student body elections in my high school, coming to Cornell only knowing four other students in my year. Cornell has been one of the most amazing opportunities in my life. I love it so much that I positively peer-pressured my brother to early decision here. And over the last year, it has equally become his home.
When I think about what made my experience great, I have a few don'ts for your time on campus. Don't be afraid to try new things. Student Assembly was not my first home at Cornell. This is actually my first year serving as a voting member on the Assembly. I've had a lot of homes on campus before this one. Some of them worked out, and some of them didn't, but each led me to this moment here.
Like many students, I signed up for 50-something clubs at ClubFest that I couldn't commit to. But going to those meetings and meeting new people led me to the communities that I'm so happy to be a part of. During my first year, I went to two meetings for The Cornell Daily Sun, our campus newspaper, and was too intimidated to come back. A few years later, I now write a weekly bi-column in that same paper.
That being said, take a deep dive and really put yourself out there. Look through the campus roster and choose a few fun classes and departments completely opposite your major. Explore the Ithaca coffee shops and bookstores. Spend a day studying in the Johnson Museum or at the Botanic Gardens.
Cornell is your opportunity to reinvent yourself or to become a better version of yourself that you already are. And the first step to doing that is through trying new things. Don't be afraid to meet new people. I graduated high school in a class of 124 other students. I knew their lives, backstories, medical histories, favorite TV shows, and just about everything else about them. At Cornell, I could meet a new person every day if I really wanted to.
On campus, advisors and professors have become mentors who have given me both career and personal advice. I met my best friend interviewing for my pre-law fraternity. And over just a few weeks, she transitioned from a mentor to the person who I call every day to get my morning started.
I remember being so afraid to meet new friends that on my first day of orientation, I only really spoke to my friends from high school. Within the next week, I had a completely new set of lifelong friends. And each year that list expands.
Don't be afraid to talk to upper-level students, your teaching assistants or TAs, your residential staff, professors, graduate students in your courses, your favorite barista at Libe Cafe, or your boxing instructor for your PE class. Cornell is filled with some of the most amazing people. And if you get anything out of this campus, it should be the people that you meet.
Lastly, don't worry about fitting in. This might come as a natural progression from my last two points, but it's worth saying. Everyone fits in at Cornell. Our "every person, every study" saying really does mean something. When you're thinking about trying new things and meeting new people, don't worry about being too nerdy or not sounding smart enough or coming from a different background.
Cornell is a school that can be as big or as small as you want it to be. And the beauty of it is meeting and bonding with people completely different yet simultaneously the same as you are. Out of my main friend group, I'm the only person not in CALS, which is the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. That means I'm their go-to for recommendations on humanities courses. And those friends single-handedly pulled me through my science courses.
While we are academically so different, there's no one I'd rather be embarking on my senior year with. Whether your major, your research, sport, favorite food, the type of music you love, or your language makes you different on campus, I can promise you will find people who love you just for it. I can also almost guarantee that there's a club or a community on campus with other people who also embrace that side of themselves.
So I'm standing across from you all and welcoming you to this new year, hoping that you take advantage of every amazing opportunity that you have. Tomorrow marks the first day of classes and a door of limitless opportunities.
[APPLAUSE]
MARLA LOVE: Thank you, Anuli. And now it's my pleasure to introduce the vice president of student and campus life, Ryan Lombardi.
[APPLAUSE]
RYAN LOMBARDI: Holy cow. I know it's hot. I know you're looking at the sun. I'm wearing a suit. Maybe that evens it out. Thanks so much, Dean Love.
Good afternoon, and welcome to the start of the new year at Cornell. Feeling good? You're like, no! It is so hot!
Look-- I sincerely hope you've taken advantage of all the great programs over this last week. And I really do want to give another shout-out to the Orientation Steering Committee-- La'Treil, Jennifer. Give them a quick round of applause and thank them for everything.
[APPLAUSE]
I am so pleased to be here today-- and most importantly, to be back in person. We have been waiting a long time for this moment. Yes, thank you. I'm going to thank you in advance for helping to keep our campus safe this year.
We've been so hopeful to have a really robust academic year. And keeping up with the minor public health requirements we've put in place will make all the difference in us keeping this semester going. So please, please, please do your part. We very much appreciate it.
Now, one thing I want to do-- you know this is being live streamed right now and that your families are watching it. There's cameras here. There's a camera looking at me. I know your families have made tremendous sacrifices to help you get to this point. So if you would just give them a really loud, "Hello. I love you. Thank you."
[APPLAUSE]
You can send them a text too if that's better. Now I want to just say two things to you. So hang with me. And then we'll keep going. We'll get to the president. I want to talk about two things-- belonging and success.
Let me first start by reassuring you that you belong here. You've earned your place at Cornell. And you should be very proud of that. You were accepted to one of the greatest institutions in the world-- not only because of your grades and your academic capabilities, but also because of exactly who you are.
Among all the moments you have here at Cornell, you should never question whether you belong here. Resist the temptation to compare yourself constantly to your peers or to others that you meet. Don't think that everybody else has it together. Newsflash-- they don't. Everyone has moments of self-doubt for sure, but everyone in this stadium today is here for a reason and has the ability to be successful at Cornell.
We all have different identities and have had different journeys to get to this point. Every single one of them is valuable-- none more so than the other. Embrace what has been your path. And move forward with confidence that unique elements of your story will help to weave the wonderful tapestry of individuals that comprise this great institution.
The second thing I want to talk about is success. Take one brief moment to think about how you will define success for yourself in the coming years. One brief moment. OK, I'm guessing one of the first things that may have popped into your minds was to get good grades. Maybe, maybe not. That's fair if that was it. It's certainly important for you to do your best academically.
But let me challenge you to measure your success not simply by setting unmovable or inflexible grade-related goal posts for yourself, but rather by acknowledging that a big part of your success here will depend on how you navigate the journey. You're going to face challenges. And you probably won't always get great, or sometimes even good, grades. But you're not simply here to get good grades. You're here to learn.
And sometimes we learn the very most when things are not easy, but when we are challenged. So let me challenge you to think about your own success as your unique path to learning everything you can while you're at Cornell, to being resilient when you face tough times, knowing how to process that difficulty and move forward, embracing this moment in your life that is full of exploration and adventure.
Don't accept someone else's definition of success. Make your own. And know that even when you are struggling or questioning your ability, that too is part of your own learning process. This resilience and growth are what will serve you the best in your life here at Cornell and beyond.
Finally, as our world continues to navigate this global pandemic and the many other challenges we face as a society, please be patient with yourselves and one another. Give grace to your neighbor. Remember that we are allowed to view things differently. And we all have unique lived experiences that define us.
Focus on spreading kindness, love, and support in the coming year. Our world needs much more of this right now. You never know what someone is going through and what a difference that generosity might make in their lives. I hope you have an amazing year. And I look forward to seeing you around campus. Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
[CHORAL MUSIC]
[INAUDIBLE]
MARLA LOVE: Thank you, Cornell Chorus and Glee Club. It's so delightful to have your voices filling our campus once again. Now it's my honor to introduce our next speaker, Martha E. Pollack, the 14th president of Cornell University. Please join me in welcoming her.
[APPLAUSE]
MARTHA POLLACK: Hi, everybody. How are you doing?
CROWD: Good.
MARTHA POLLACK: It's hot, right? We call this New Student Convocation, but this year we not only have our freshmen and transfer students, we've invited all of our returning sophomores, because they didn't have the opportunity to participate in person last year. So returning sophomores, where are you? Stand up, so we can welcome you.
[APPLAUSE]
Freshmen and transfer students. Let's see all the freshmen and transfer students.
[APPLAUSE]
It is really, really wonderful to have you all here in person on this beautiful-- I hardly ever get to say this in Ithaca-- this beautiful, sunny day-- too sunny. I can kind of guarantee that in a few months from now-- right now you're like, oh my god. I'm dying. It's so hot. I can almost guarantee that in a few months from now, you're going to be thinking, was it really hot and sunny in Ithaca?
So who has a phone with them? You have phones with you? Good. Take them out. And take a selfie right now so you remember this day in December. Go ahead. Right now. Real fast. Take a selfie.
Do we have a Twitter handle? What is it? OK, you can send them-- you can tag them @vplombardi. And we'll all get to see them. So do that.
Last year the weather didn't matter. And the weather didn't matter, because, of course, the event was virtual. The event was taped. I taped it here. It was me and two camera people. And that's it. Rows of empty bleachers. And I've got to tell you, it is so much nicer-- even if hot, it is so much nicer to be here with all of you.
And when I was thinking about what to say to all of you today, I thought about the last time that I addressed a bunch of new Cornellians in person. That was August of 2019-- two years and a lifetime ago. And as soon as I thought it, thanks to the beauty of YouTube, it was up on my screen giving my 2021 self a dispatch from pre-pandemic Cornell.
It was a really cloudy day-- or what we call in Ithaca partly sunny. I was standing here right where I am today looking up at a few thousand new Cornellians. And like any university president welcoming new students, I wanted not just to welcome them but also to offer all of them a little bit of advice.
But I knew that when you come to Cornell, you've got a lot of things on your mind. You've got dorm rooms to organize. You've got parents to say goodbye to. You have this really big complicated campus to find your way around. So I wanted to find something that was not too complicated, that would be easy to remember, and clear. And I wanted the advice I gave to be just as relevant to these new Cornellians on the day they graduated as the day they arrived.
So I looked around for a good memorable metaphor. And I found one that I thought filled the bill. It was short. It was only four words. And it seemed like the perfect way to tell all of our new students to take full advantage of this diverse and remarkable academic community-- all the things you've been hearing so far today. It seemed like the way to tell new students to seek out new experiences and build friendships and relationships with people who were different from themselves.
It was an easy to remember way to tell them not to close themselves off to the world, but to listen to the voices around them, and to engage with them, and to learn from them. So what was that perfect metaphor-- the four words that seemed at the time so perfect, so ageless? It was, "take off your headphones." Take off your headphones. And it was apt.
And, I dare say, it was memorable, because for the rest of the semester, at least once a week when I'd be walking around the campus, I'd meet a student coming in the other direction. And they'd point and say, look, look, President Pollack. No headphones. It wasn't ageless, however. Because as we all know, about seven months later, the pandemic hit.
We moved to virtual instructions. And pretty much all of us were experiencing Cornell primarily through our headphones or at least our webcam speakers. Now I still stand by "take off your headphones" as good advice. And I hope to see you around campus saying to me, look, I've taken off my headphones. I still think it's a really good metaphor for opening your mind to the people and to the experiences around you.
But, of course, a lot has changed in the last two years. And along the way, we've learned a lot. So today, I want to share two pieces of advice based on what we've learned these past four years. And I'll be as quick as I can, because I know it's really hot out there.
But these are two pieces of advice that go right to the heart of who we are at Cornell, right to the heart of how we've kept our community together moving forward during this extraordinary era. And what I want all of you to remember from today-- not just through your first years or your first months on campus, but throughout your years on Cornell-- is summed up in two pieces of advice.
The first two words-- respect knowledge. Cornell, first and foremost, is an academic institution. And our mission is to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens, and to promote a broad culture of inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community.
And here's the thing. Over the course of this pandemic, we have found these goals to be intertwined in ways we never experienced before. Remember, knowledge is something that grows and evolves. Sometimes it changes daily. We've relied on knowledge-- OK, what'd I miss?
[INAUDIBLE]
Huh?
[INAUDIBLE]
Oh. I still can't hear you, but I'm just going to go right on as if nothing's happening. We've relied on knowledge and expertise in our community to operate this university safely. And we've committed as well to that knowledge and to contributing to that knowledge. We've found new ways to teach, and to learn, and ways to reimagine what a residential university experience is.
We've relied on that science to keep you safe. And remember, science is an approach to knowledge that says knowledge isn't static. It grows. It evolves. We develop it. And we build on it.
And when we rely on science, knowledge is based on evidence. And as an institution committed to science and to truth, we embrace the idea that as evidence grows, so does what we know. So that commitment that I ask all of you to share-- to respect knowledge, respect science, base your decisions on evidence-- that's been key to our ability to manage the pandemic as it's unfolded.
It means that we make, and sometimes we have to change, our plans, not on the basis of what seems intuitive or what was true last month, but on the best data that we have now. When we chose to open the university last year in a pandemic, we chose to be guided by science, not despite the fact that science is always changing, but because of it.
Because in a world without a map, knowledge and science hand us a compass. They let us discern data from disinformation. They let us evaluate evidence. They let us choose a direction based on that evidence. And when we respect knowledge and science, when we use that compass well, we have the tools to plot the best course of action.
OK, that brings me to my second piece of advice. What was the first piece of advice? Here's your first pop quiz. First piece of advice?
CROWD: No headphones.
MARTHA POLLACK: Respect knowledge, all right. Second piece of advice-- also two words. Two very short words. Short and simple. Be kind. Be kind. Because everything we've learned throughout this pandemic, we've learned one thing that is perhaps most important. And that is that respecting knowledge and science is not enough. We also need to respect each other.
So one person who's wearing a mask, who's vaccinated, who's committed to staying home when they feel under the weather, who does everything that the science indicates, that one person still won't be safe unless the people around them care that they're safe. Unless they care enough also to wear their masks, to get vaccinated, and stay home. Knowledge gives us a compass, but kindness is what gets us down the road.
And to quote an African proverb that one of my mentors was fond of sharing, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." In this volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous world in which we live, there's actually no such thing as going alone.
So as we work together, all of us, to create the science and the knowledge that we'll need in the years to come-- not just to overcome this pandemic, but to slow changes to our climate, and build more resilient societies, to combat the enormous issues of inequality in our nation and globally, to create the art, and the music, and the literature that are helping us get through all of this-- to do all that, we're going to need the compass of our minds and the compass of our soul. Both of them are essential to our future and to our planet. Both of them are essential to your educations and your lives as Cornellians.
So as you start this semester and move forward your degrees, I'm going to ask you to chart your course with knowledge and with kindness. Measure your progress both with the skills you build and the confidence you gain-- and with the connections, and the respect, and the kindness shared between you and your fellow travelers. And one last piece of advice, especially for a hot day like this-- stay well-hydrated. Welcome to Cornell, all of you. Great to see you.
[APPLAUSE]
MARLA LOVE: All right. Cornellians, this brings us almost to the end of Convocation. But I have just a few reminders. If you thought this was a party, there's more action later on today. So we will hope you'll join us this evening at 5:00 PM just outside the stadium for a sunset picnic followed by the Fall concert featuring Cautious Clay. Yay. Exactly. Hype them up.
The concert will be back in here in the stadium from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. And the gates will open up at 6:00. And now to conclude the program, one of our valued Cornell traditions is the singing of the Alma Mater. So please stand as you're able and join us in singing the Alma Mater. You'll find the words in your program. Thank you so much for coming.
CHORUS: (SINGING) Far above Cayuga's waters with its waves of blue, stands our noble alma mater, glorious to view. Lift the chorus, speed it onward. Loud her praises tell. Hail to thee, our alma mater. Hail, all hail Cornell.
Far above the busy humming of the bustling town, reared against the arch of heaven looks she proudly down. Lift the chorus, speed it onward. Loud her praises tell. Hail to thee, our alma mater. Hail, all hail Cornell.
