哈佛校长毕业演说辞.docx
- 文档编号:25029304
- 上传时间:2023-06-04
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:6
- 大小:74.12KB
哈佛校长毕业演说辞.docx
《哈佛校长毕业演说辞.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《哈佛校长毕业演说辞.docx(6页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
哈佛校长毕业演说辞
哈佛校长毕业演说辞
哈佛校长毕业演说辞,本文收录了哈佛大学女校长2008年的毕业演讲,哈佛历史上第一位女性校长,第一位非哈佛毕业生校长,杰出的历史学家,2001年从宾西法尼业大学到哈佛的Radcliffe学院任教
哈佛校长毕业演说辞
Inthecuriouscustomofthisvenerableinstitution,Ifindmyselfstandingbeforeyouexpectedtoimpartwordsoflastingwisdom.HereIaminapulpit,dressedlikeaPuritanminister—anapparitionthatwouldhavehorrifiedmanyofmydistinguishedforebearsandperhapsrededicatedsomeofthemtotheextirpationofwitches.ThismomentwouldhavepropelledIncreaseandCottonintoatrue“Matherlather.”ButhereIamandthereyouareanditisthemomentofandforVeritas.
Youhavebeenundergraduatesforfouryears.Ihavebeenpresidentfornotquiteone.Youhaveknownthreepresidents;Ioneseniorclass.Wherethenliesthevoiceofexperience?
Maybeyoushouldbeofferingthewisdom.PerhapsourrolescouldbereversedandIcould,inHarvardLawSchoolstyle,docoldcallsforthenexthourorso.
Wealldoseemtohavemadeittothispoint—moreorlessinonepiece.ThoughIrecentlylearnedthatwehavenotprovidedyouwithdinnersinceMay22.IknowweneedtoweanyoufromHarvardinafigurativesense.Ineverknewwetookitquitesoliterally.Butlet’sreturntothatnotionofcoldcallsforamoment.Let’simaginethiswereabaccalaureateserviceintheformofQ&A,andyouwereaskingthequestions.“Whatisthemeaningoflife,PresidentFaust?
WhatwerethesefouryearsatHarvardfor?
PresidentFaust,youmusthavelearnedsomethingsinceyougraduatedfromcollegeexactly40yearsago?
”(Fortyyears.I’llsayitoutloudsinceeverydetailofmylife—andcertainlytheyearofmyBrynMawrdegree—nowseemstobepubliclyavailable.ButpleaserememberIwasyoungformyclass.)
Inaway,youhavebeenengagingmeinthisQ&Aforthepastyear.Onjustthesequestions,althoughyouhavephrasedthemabitmorenarrowly.AndIhavebeentryingtofigureouthowImightanswerand,perhapsmoreintriguingly,whyyouwereasking
Letmeexplain.ItactuallybeganwhenImetwiththeUCjustaftermyappointmentwasannouncedinthewinterof2007.ThenthequestionscontinuedwhenIhadlunchatKirklandHouse,dinneratLeverett,whenImetwithstudentsinmyofficehours,evenwithsomerecentgraduatesIencounteredabroad.Thefirstthingyouaskedmeaboutwasn’tthecurriculumoradvisingorfacultycontactorevenstudentspace.Infact,itwasn’tevenalcoholpolicy.Instead,yourepeatedlyaskedme:
WhyaresomanyofusgoingtoWallStreet?
WhyarewegoinginsuchnumbersfromHarvardtofinance,consulting,i-banking?
Thereareanumberofwaystothinkaboutthisquestionandhowtoanswerit.ThereistheWillieSuttonapproach.Youmayknowthatwhenhewasaskedwhyherobbedbanks,hereplied,“Becausethat’swherethemoneyis.”ProfessorsClaudiaGoldinandLarryKatz,whommanyofyouhaveencounteredinyoureconomicsconcentration,offeranotdissimilaranswerbasedontheirstudyofstudentcareerchoicessincetheseventies.Theyfinditnotablethat,giventheveryhighpecuniaryrewardsinfinance,manystudentsnonethelessstillchoosetodosomethingelse.Indeed,37ofyouhavesignedonwithTeachforAmerica;oneofyouwilldancetangoandworkindancetherapyinArgentina;anotherwillbeengagedinagriculturaldevelopmentinKenya;another,withanhonorsdegreeinmath,willstudypoetry;anotherwilltrainasapilotwiththeUSAF;anotherwillworktocombatbreastcancer.Numbersofyouwillgotolawschool,medicalschool,andgraduateschool.But,consistentwiththepatternGoldinandKatzhavedocumented,aconsiderablenumberofyouare
selectingfinanceandconsulting.TheCrimson’ssurveyoflastyear’sclassreportedthat58percentofmenand43percentofwomenenteringtheworkforcemadethischoice.Thisyear,eveninchallengingeconomictimes,thefigureis39percent.
Highsalaries,theallbutirresistiblerecruitingjuggernaut,thereassuranceformanyofyouthatyouwillbeinNewYorkworkingandlivingandenjoyinglifealongsideyourfriends,thepromiseofinterestingwork—therearelotsofwaystoexplainthesechoices.Forsomeofyou,itisacommitmentforonlyayearortwoinanycase.Othersbelievetheywillbestbeabletodogoodbyfirstdoingwell.Yet,youaskmewhyyouarefollowingthispath.Ifindmyselfinsomewayslessinterestedinansweringyourquestionthaninfiguringoutwhyyouareposingit.IfProfessorsGoldinandKatzhaveitright;iffinanceisindeedthe“rationalchoice,”whydoyoukeepraisingthisissuewithme?
Whydoesthisseeminglyrationalchoicestrikeanumberofyouasnotunderstandable,asnotentirelyrational,asinsomesenselessafreechoicethanacompulsionornecessity?
Whydoesthisseemtobetroublingsomanyofyou?
Youareaskingme,Ithink,aboutthemeaningoflife,thoughyouhaveposedyourquestionincode—intermsoftheobservableandmeasurablephenomenonofseniorcareerchoiceratherthantheabstract,unfathomableandalmostembarrassingrealmofmetaphysics.TheMeaningofLife—capitalM,capitalL—isacliché—easiertodealwithastheironictitleofaMontyPythonmovieorthesubjectofaSimpsonsepisodethanasamatteraboutwhichonewoulddareadmittoharboringseriousconcern.
Butlet’sforamomentabandonourHarvardsavoirfaire,our
imperturbability,ourpretenseofinvulnerability,andtrytofindthebeginningsofsomeanswerstoyourquestion.
Ithinkyouareworriedbecauseyouwantyourlivesnotjusttobeconventionallysuccessful,buttobemeaningful,andyouarenotsurehowthosetwogoalsfittogether.Youarenotsureifagenerousstartingsalaryataprestigiousbrandnameorganizationtogetherwiththepromiseoffuturewealthwillfeedyoursoul.
Whyareyouworried?
Partlyitisourfault.Wehavetoldyoufromthemomentyouarrivedherethatyouwillbetheleadersresponsibleforthefuture,thatyouarethebestandthebrightestonwhomwewillalldepend,thatyouwillchangetheworld.Wehaveburdenedyouwithnosmallexpectations.Andyouhavealreadydoneremarkablethingstofulfillthem:
yourdedicationtoservicedemonstratedinyourextracurricularengagements,yourconcernaboutthefutureoftheplanetexpressedinyourvigorouschampioningofsustainability,yourreinvigorationofAmericanpoliticsthroughengagementinthisyear’spresidentialcontests.
Butmanyofyouarenowwonderinghowthesecommitmentsfitwithacareerchoice.Isitnecessarytodecidebetweenremunerativeworkandmeaningfulwork?
Ifitweretobeeither/or,whichwouldyouchoose?
Isthereawaytohaveboth?
Youareaskingmeandyourselvesfundamentalquestionsaboutvalues,abouttryingtoreconcilepotentiallycompetinggoods,aboutrecognizingthatitmaynotbepossibletohaveitall.Youareatamomentoftransitionthatrequiresmakingchoices.Andselectingoneoption—ajob,acareer,agraduateprogram—meansnotselectingothers.Everydecisionmeanslossaswellasgain—possibilitiesforegoneaswellaspossibilitiesembraced.Yourquestiontomeispartlyaboutthat—aboutlossofroadsnottaken.
Finance,WallStreet,“recruiting”havebecomethesymbolofthisdilemma,representingasetofissuesthatismuchbroaderanddeeperthanjustonecareerpath.Theseareissuesthatinonewayoranotherwillatsomepointfaceyouall—asyougraduatefrommedicalschoolandchooseaspecialty—familypracticeordermatology,asyoudecidewhethertouseyourlawdegreetoworkforacorporatefirmorasapublicdefender,asyoudecidewhethertostayinteachingafteryourtwoyearswithTFA.Youareworriedbecauseyouwanttohavebothameaningfullifeandasuccessfulone;youknowyouwereeducatedtomakeadifferencenotjustforyourself,foryourowncomfortandsatisfaction,butfortheworldaroundyou.Andnowyouhavetofigureoutthewaytomakethatpossible.
Ithinkthereisasecondreasonyouareworried—relatedtobutnotentirelydistinctfromthefirst.Youwanttobehappy.Youhaveflockedtocourseslike“PositivePsychology”—Psych1504—and“TheScienceofHappiness”insearchoftips.Buthowdowefindhappiness?
Icanofferoneencouraginganswer:
getolder.Turnsoutthatsurveydatashowolderpeople—thatis,myage—reportthemselveshappierthandoyoungerones.Butperhapsyoudon’twanttowait.
AsIhavelistenedtoyoutalkaboutthechoicesaheadofyou,Ihaveheardyouarticulateyourworriesabouttherelationshipofsuccessand
happiness—perhaps,moreaccurately,howtodefinesuccesssothatityieldsandencompassesrealhappiness,notjustmoneyandprestige.Themostremunerativechoice,youfear,maynotbethemostmeaningfulandthemostsatisfying.Butyouwonderhowyouwouldeversurviveasanartistoranactororapublicservantorahighschoolteacher?
Howwouldyoueverfigureoutapathbywhichtomakeyourwayinjournalism?
WouldyoueverfindajobasanEnglishprofessorafteryoufinishedwhoknowshowmanyyearsofgraduateschoolanddissertationwriting?
Theansweris:
youwon’tknowtillyoutry.Butifyoudon’ttrytodowhatyoulove—whetheritispaintingorbiologyorfinance;ifyoudon’tpursuewhatyouthinkwillbemostmeaningful,youwillregretit.Lifeislong.ThereisalwaystimeforPlanB.Butdon’tbeginwithit.
Ithinkofthisasmyparkingspacetheoryofcareerchoice,andIhavebeensharingitwithstudentsfordecades.Don’tpark20blocksfromyourdestinationbecauseyouthinkyou’llneverfindaspace.Gowhereyouwanttobeandthencirclebacktowhereyouhavetobe.Youmayloveinvestmentbankingorfinanceorconsulting.Itmightbejustrightforyou.Or,youmightb
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- 哈佛 校长 毕业 演说