Voyage of Discovery
Stanford Convocation address
President John Hennessy
Each fall as I prepare for Convocation and the arrival of a new class of Stanford students, I contemplate the message I want to deliver and look for inspiration, often among my recent reading.
This summer, I read the first volume of Janet Browne’s biography of Charles Darwin, entitled Voyaging. Most of you probably know the basics of Darwin’s story: his voyage on the Beagle1 at the age of 22, the role of his obrvations in the Galapagos2, and his eventual publication of On the Origin of Species3 more than 20 years after the voyage ended. What I found new and interesting in this biography was how Darwin’s experience and education had prepared him not only for his journey as a naturalist on the Beagle, but also subquently as he developed the ideas that led up to his landmark publication.
From Darwin’s earliest days, he ems to have been preparing for what would become his life’s work. As a young boy, he developed a deep passion for science and the skills of a careful and thorough obrver of nature, as well as an outstanding collector of beetles. Throughout his life, Darwin remained intellectually curious.
You, our newest students, have been lected not only becau you have demonstrated your scholarly ability but also becau of your intellectual curiosity.
Like Darwin, who was a student at Cambridge University, you will have access to outstanding teachers and distinguished scholars. During his student years, Darwin met faculty members who not only taught him important new subjects but also rved as mentors during his early years, and as scholarly colleagues and advisors during the later decades when he worked on his theories.
During your time here, I urge you to follow Darwin’s example and get to know our faculty. Alumni have told us that getting to know a faculty member personally was one of the most rewarding aspects of their Stanford experience, and the university has invested
heavily over the past 15 years to create many opportunities for you to do so.
U every opportunity to discover why our faculty are passionate about their scholarly pursuits. While I love giving an exciting lecture to a packed classroom, my greatest enjoyment comes when students visit my office to talk about rearch, ask career advice or ek help on a difficult topic.
Darwin spent many days and evenings during his time as a student in the company of Professor John Henslow4, who introduced him to many other scientists and later recommended Darwin for the opening on the Beagle. Tho encounters generated a passion for scientific inquiry and debate, as well as developed Darwin’s knowledge in biology and geology, both of which he would put to good u.
Over the next few years you also will get to know students who background, culture or beliefs are different from yours. You may find that your values and beliefs are challenged. I hope that you will discover a new understanding and appreciation of a pluralistic society and develop your skills in interacting with people quite different from yo
u.
Nowadays, we often talk about the need to prepare students to be members of a global community, but this need is not entirely new. In Darwin’s day, knowledge about different peoples and cultures was still limited but was about to grow rapidly, as travel became easier. Indeed, Darwin found a number of surpris as he visited native peoples in South America and the Pacific, encountered slavery and reconsidered his own cultural bias.
More than 150 years later, technology has vastly incread such global interaction. Isolation is not possible for any nation—physically, economically, environmentally or intellectually, and we must all be more knowledgeable of different cultures and societies. Stanford has been a leader in overas studies for more than 50 years, and incorporating an overas studies experience in your education will help prepare you to be a better global citizen.
You have chon to attend a university that is not only a great educational institution b
ut also a great rearch university. At Stanford, you can take cours and attend minars that explore the frontiers of fields where new knowledge and understanding are being created, and you can contribute to that process.
For me, participating in rearch as an undergraduate led me from my major in electrical engineering to my graduate concentration in computer science, and it ignited a passion for being on the leading edge of discovery. Taking part in the creation of new knowledge is an immenly rewarding and life-altering experience.
The joy of discovery also had been part of Darwin’s life since he was a small boy, but it became paramount during his time at Cambridge and on his voyage, and it continued to inspire him as he analyzed his discoveries and formulated his theories.
