Speeches & Statements
Reflections on Living
- Date: 08/25/2007
- Author: Dr. Luis M. Proenza (President, The University of Akron)
- Location: UA Commencement (a.m.), E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall
Well, you made it, and today we honor you and celebrate your accomplishment.
For many of you, as part of this celebration, a graduation gift likely will be a small book selected with great care and often a favorite of those who give it, hoping that the book's message speaks as clearly to you as it does to them.
For those friends and relatives of graduates who are still looking for that last-minute gift, some of my favorites include, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran; A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, which, by the way, I give to our student responders; and, of course, there is that all-time Dr. Seuss classic, Oh, The Places You'll Go.
Not so long ago, another favorite of mine appeared in the form of Richard Bode's First You Have to Row a Little Boat.
The title drew my attention to the bookstore shelf because I am, at heart, a sailor who finds great energy in the aesthetic combination of wind, water and sail. For me, sailing does take me away to where I am going. And what I found was that the book uses those sailing metaphors to capture the basic principles of living exceptionally well.Our lives are filled with sailing metaphors. Some of the more familiar include: Learn the ropes; Take the helm; In the doldrums; Even keel; or not so good, "Keel over."
Richard Bode based his book on the everyday experiences of growing up on Long Island Sound - experiences which ultimately were the formative aspects of his life.
Eager to learn to sail, Bode was told by a seasoned and somewhat legendary sea captain that before he could sail, he first had to learn how to row a little boat.
And as our author soon discovered, the resulting lessons went far beyond the nautical.
"...Under the captain's tutelage," Bode writes, "I acquired a skill which...remains fundamental to my view of the world."
"What I learned wasn't mastery over the elements; it was mastery over myself, which is what conquest is ultimately all about...In life...our victories are almost always the ones we forge alone."
(Bode, Richard, First You Have To Row a Little Boat; Reflections on Life and Living, New York, 1993, p.11)
(Bode, Ibid, p.13-14)Without a doubt, navigating the wind and the water quickly exposes our limitations and helps us to develop an acute awareness of the environment; it also gives us an understanding that in our relationship with these elements we have to learn what we can and cannot control if we are to reach our destination.
According to Bode, "...we (as humans) live with the constant presumption of dominion. We believe that we own the world, that it belongs to us, that we have it under our firm control. But the sailor knows all too well the fallacy of this view."
(Bode, Ibid, p.3)"The hurricane, the typhoon, the tsunami, the sudden squall - they are all sharp reminders of (our)...puniness...when measured against the momentous forces of nature. We aren't in total charge of our fate..."
(Bode, Ibid, p.3)"Day-to-day life is like the wind in all its infinite variations and moods. The wind is shifting, constantly shifting, sometimes happy, sometimes angry, sometimes sad. As the sailor sails his winds, so we must sail our moods."
(Bode, Ibid, p.4)In our daily lives, our migrations won't always have "...the fluency of the sailor. Time flips us rapidly from place to place and role to role...Each milieu has its own conventions and makes its own demands. Sometimes the changes occur so fast we lose our bearings...We lack a sure sense of the appropriate because we haven't taken the time to figure out where we are."
(Bode, Ibid, p.12)
Indeed, finding our way requires not just the skills of sailing, but the precise assistance of a navigational mentor."Life is an apprenticeship;" Bode concludes. "...We are standing on the shoulders of giants who helped describe the character of our universe long before we came along."
(Bode, Ibid, p.181-182)"We may like to think we are born knowing all we need to know and that what we don't know will come to us through happenstance. But if we want to learn, truly want to learn, we must break through the protective veneer of false pride and allow the masters of the past and present to enter our lives."
(Bode, Ibid, p.181-182)"We need to find those special people who contain the lore of the race and can pass along what we yearn to know. They may be individuals we meet personally in the classroom or the shipyard or the office down the hall. Or they may be individuals we never meet and never can meet because they belong to another age - although we know them (very) well by the works they left behind."
Each of you has had someone who has made a difference in your life: a relative...a good friend...a faculty member.
(Bode, Ibid, p. 182)Most likely it has been many individuals who created a tapestry of influence that has guided you, and who will be there for you as you set sail on future adventures. They have provided that inner spark that helped you earn your degree at The University of Akron and the privilege to walk across this stage.
As you move forward, however, please understand that not everything in life is smooth sailing. Storms and setbacks will occur, but they have much to teach you.
My hope for you is that you will pursue your future as diligently as you have pursued getting to this day of commencement.
In the words of the German author Goethe who, indeed, is a mentor speaking from another age: "Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic to it. Begin it now!"
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- Relevance, Connectivity and Productivity: New Strategies for Success in Higher Education 11/08/2009
Remarks Abstract:
"Seismic rumbles of change" are transforming traditional paradigms for research and higher education-to say nothing about the relationships between academia, industry, government and the public. The sources of cataclysmic pressure are many, including competition among universities, shifting demographics and their accompanying shifts in priorities, resource constraints, public/government scrutiny of productivity and accountability in universities, the evolution of a global economy and the innovation ecosystem, and, most recently, the worldwide economic downturn. Like many industries, higher education is on the threshold of major, complex changes that must be directed to optimal outcomes. The University of Akron is innovating through a continuous process that seeks to enhance its relevance, connectivity and productivity.
Relevance: Institutions of higher education generally are place-based, and this means that the competitive and comparative advantages of universities are inextricably linked to the vitality and sustainability of their surrounding communities. Thus, universities must act to optimize their impact upon the regions in which they reside, and would be wise to extend their efforts collaboratively into like regions internationally. The complexities of the 21st Century knowledge and conceptual economy require that every academic discipline be collaboratively engaged with the relevant questions of the day in concert with other disciplines and partners on and off campus. In other words, relevance requires the integrated application of all disciplinary knowledge for the public good.
Connectivity: Connectivity is an extension of relevance and refers to engagement with others by universities in the myriad forms represented by partnerships and collaboration that are not limited by institutional, sector, geographic or disciplinary boundaries. In other words, connectivity means relevant engagement among some combinations of other academic institutions, government, business and industry. This becomes essential as governments become a smaller and smaller financial partner, requiring universities increasingly to generate their own financial revenue opportunities.
Productivity: Finally, higher education must move from measuring "excellence" by exclusion and expense to a set of productivity-based metrics that reflect outcomes and achievements in solving "real-world" problems and in enabling student success.
Universities now are being called upon to explore opportunities that will create innovative educational processes and campus cultures congruent with new realities. This will require a close and deep collaboration between universities and other public- and private- sector organizations, along with a willingness to experiment with new models and new alliances. As we increasingly work with partners accustomed to aggressive delivery schedules and product mixes that rapidly change according to market demands, the core of academic processes will be challenged, and adaptability must become integrated into institutional culture.
Filed in: Speeches - Revisioning the University 10/28/2009
As part of his 10th State of the University address, University of Akron President Luis M. Proenza promised to send this letter to the university community to ask that faculty, staff and students to "engage in timely and necessary conversations to bring... about (a mission- and vision-based university organizational structure). He said, "I am sure many lively and constructive ideas will be brought forward, but we must approach this with a sense of urgency because, as I have said before, doing business as usual is not an option."
Filed in: Statements to the Community - 2009 State of the University Address 10/27/2009
University of Akron President Luis M. Proenza underscored the successes of the past year and set in motion the process of steering the university toward the future during his 10th State of the University Address. As promised during his 2008 address, Proenza provided a progress report on the formal 10-year strategic plan, which he said "will chart the course to our new destination." As he outlined these plans, Proenza encouraged the audience to think about the origin of the name "Akron," derived from the Greek "akros," meaning "high place," in setting and achieving those goals.
Proenza outlined five strategic goals that will guide the university through the next 10 years and beyond:
- Strengthen Akron's historical commitment to inclusive excellence to enhance student access, transformation and success.
- Create vibrant, healthy, and diverse campuses that are deeply engaged with their surrounding communities.
- Establish selected cross-disciplinary clusters of academic distinction that are recognized nationally and internationally.
- Achieve national recognition for a curriculum in which entrepreneurship and 21st century global competitiveness skills are comprehensively embedded.
- Be a primary driver of economic competitiveness in northern Ohio and a leading contributor in the state.
Proenza also said that, in addition to budget challenges, an increasingly competitive environment for higher education and universities can't continue to operate with an educational model that is more than 200-years-old. He said he believes that the university must try even harder to be to bring down academic silo walls and build connections--emphasizing UA's relevance, connectivity and productivity.
Filed in: Speeches Statements to the Community - Five Myths of Entrepreneurship (morning commencement address) 08/15/2009
Filed in: Commencement Addresses - Challenging Fear (afternoon commencement address) 08/15/2009
Filed in: Commencement Addresses - Universities and Their Regions: The Akron Model 06/03/2009
Filed in: Speeches - Quarterly Letter to the Community 05/19/2009
Filed in: Statements to the Community - Connecting the Dots (May 2009 Commencement Address #4, Sunday) 05/10/2009
Filed in: Commencement Addresses - Graduation Advice (May 2009 Commencement Address #2, Saturday Morning) 05/09/2009
Filed in: Commencement Addresses - The Six-word Story (May 2009 Commencement Address #3, Saturday Afternoon) 05/09/2009
Filed in: Commencement Addresses
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