Office of the Chancellor > Speeches, Columns and Letters > Student Convocation to 5,600 freshmen

Student Convocation to 5,600 freshmen
August 21, 2009
Chancellor Philip DiStefano

Chancellor Phil DiStefano speaks to incoming students at Folsom Field on August 21, 2009. (Photo by Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado)

Good morning. It is a pleasure to look out and see the class of 2013!

I can remember my freshman year at Ohio State. I was the first in my family to go to college. I went from a small steel mill town on the Ohio River called Steubenville to one of the largest public universities in the nation. It seemed that Ohio State was nearly as big as my hometown. At first, I felt lost at times in the sea of students. But early in my college career I took an American Literature class from Professor Macalusco and by the time I finished that class Professor Macalusco inspired me to become an English teacher.

You too will meet people in college that will inspire you in your life's pursuits. That's what college is all about. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.

That's who I am. Now, who are you?

You are one of the largest, brightest and most diverse freshmen classes in CU's 132-year history!

You had an average high school GPA of 3.54 and 112 of you were No. 1 in your high school class. Nearly a thousand of you had 4.0 gpas.

You come from very large schools such as Plano High School in Texas with a graduating class of nearly 1,400. And you come from the smallest of schools such as Hyland Christian School in Colorado with a graduating class of five.

Six hundred forty four of you are from California. Illinois, Texas, New York and New Jersey are also well represented in your class.

Your class includes 172 international students from 37 countries. The country with the most first-year international students is China with 39.

Whether you are a student from Boulder or Beijing, I encourage you to get to know your classmates. One of the beauties of attending school here is that you have an opportunity to meet fellow students from a diversity of cultures and perspectives across the nation and across the world.

Get to know someone not like yourself and share cultures, ideas, thoughts and perspectives.

All of our students have unique talents, strengths and personalities and add to the diversity of our college community.

Who We are Together

That's who I am. And that's who you are. Who are we together?

Together we are a community of learners with responsibilities. You are here at CU among nearly 30,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff. CU is essentially a small town of 37,000 people that is part of a larger town of 90,000 that is Boulder. Together, we are citizens of both the CU community and the Boulder community.

I have lived in Boulder for 35 years. Today, you are becoming residents of my hometown and you are becoming my neighbors. I hope that you are good neighbors.

As a college student you have new freedoms but you also have new responsibilities. Make wise choices about your personal health and safety and participate in the university's safety policies that you heard about at orientation. I hope that you take good care of yourselves and your friends.

While you are joining a community of fellow citizens and neighbors, you also are joining a community of students who relish civic engagement and volunteerism. Each year at CU, more than 13,000 students perform nearly 360,000 hours of community service. That's the equivalent of 170 people working fulltime for a year in the community. That's why your new university was one of only three in the nation to be selected to receive the U.S. President's Award for Community Service.

And just this week, CU was named the No. 1 Green School in the country by Sierra Magazine for reasons you will soon discover.

Today, you are joining a CU community that takes pride in itself.

You will see that our community is characterized by shared goals, shared commitment and shared responsibility.

Colorado Creed

Those three things are articulated in the Colorado Creed. Maybe you've seen the seven principles of the Colorado Creed etched in sidewalk flagstones as you walk around campus. Your predecessors came up with the idea for the Colorado Creed six years ago and students today continue to live by its virtues of Act, Honor, Integrity, Respect, Accept, Contribute and Accountability.

My expectations for each student are summarized in the Colorado Creed. Allow me to very briefly highlight three of them.

• Act: Your actions not only represent you, but also your family, and CU - think before you act. Inside and outside the classroom. Act to add value to our community. Act to help a fellow student in need.
• Honor: In academics, maintain the highest standards of academic rigor; be willing to study and experience the joy of learning.
• Respect: Respect the rights of others and respect their differences. We value diversity at CU. Get to know those that are different from you.

Allow me to close with a short story. Two of your predecessors here at CU met in Professor Don Yannacito's film studies class a few years ago. One was a music major and one was a math major. One was from Evergreen High School and one was from Heritage High School here in Colorado. Both had an irreverent sense of humor and made each other laugh. They studied music, writing, drawing and film study at CU and they decided to make a student film together. Professor Yannacito told them that if they ever got serious they might do something good some day. They didn't get serious but they did do something good. CU students Trey Parker and Matt Stone went on from here to debut "South Park," in 1997.

I tell you this story to encourage you to meet all the people you can - you never know where partnerships might be born - and to encourage you to discover the possibilities in your own college career.

As I began my college career, I often thought of the words of one of my favorite writers, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said, "What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are small matters compared to what lies within us."

Congratulations on becoming a Colorado Buffalo - you are now and forever Buffs. We are glad you are here and I wish you much academic success at CU.