THESE VITAL SPEECHES

50
CICERO SPEECHWRITING AWARDS
makes sense for Furman. Recently, we
celebrated a $500,000 gift from Susan
and Alec Taylor to support the engaged
learning aspects of our Poverty
Studies minor.
Why do we consider it important
to offer a minor in Poverty Studies,
and why is it now the largest and most
popular minor among our students?
What is in our ethos that drives us to
develop a national model for innovation
in sustainability education, with
its cross-disciplinary approach that
encompasses the sciences, humanities,
social sciences and the fine arts, and involves
nearly one third of our faculty?
How have we attracted over 1,400
of the state’s civic, educational, and
business leaders to the Diversity Leaders
Initiative of the Richard Riley
Institute, whose graduates are making
tangible progress in addressing important
issues of opportunity and economic
development in their communities?
And how does a leading national
liberal arts university sustain a program
like Bridges to a Brighter Future, which
is raising the sights of underserved high
school students and making the seemingly
impossible dream of attending
and graduating from college a reality?
And then it became clear. Underlying
the courage and creativity that
have previously defined Furman are
an abiding compassion for humanity
and a clear sense that the work of
Furman University is inextricably tied
to community—be it the larger community
outside our gates, or our own
academic community and its daily
presence in our lives.
From our very first day, we have
been in the business of hope—the
promise of what education coupled
with a commitment to transforming
lives can accomplish.
So today, we must turn our attention
with the same seriousness of purpose,
the same courage and compassion, to
the important work of carving out our
own ambitious legacy. What imprint
will we leave behind for those who follow
us in the next 200 years?
Maybe it’s time to rethink engaged
learning. Not the pieces that enhance
a student’s education beyond the
classroom, but rather the focus. For
much has changed in the world, and
today’s students have grown up in a
time markedly different than many of
us experienced.
Rapid advances in technology, the
increasing interconnectedness of nations
and economies, the rise of terror
as a political weapon, and deep-seated
disagreements over ethnic, social and
cultural mores have created a context
that is confusing in its pace, and
deeply complex.
Is it any wonder that today’s students
show a marked inclination to
volunteer service? Just consider that
the Heller Service Corps attracts over
1,800 student volunteers every year to
its expansive array of community service
programs in the upstate —making
it the largest student leadership
group on campus.
Today’s students are seeking meaning
in a world that is fractious.
So how do we balance the desire to
make a difference with the messiness
that we face when it comes to the challenges
of the 21st century? Maybe it’s
time to move from the idea of service
and service learning to equal partnerships
and mutual stewardship of
place. Our place is Greenville County.
Whereas we were once a part of
downtown Greenville, where there was
no distinction between where Furman
ended and the city began, we should
strive for that same co-existence.
My predecessor, Rod Smolla, articulated
this sentiment in the Vision 2020
Strategic Plan developed four years ago:
“The relationship between Furman
and the surrounding community ought
not be articulated as relations between
“town and gown,” as this phrasing accents
separateness, as if the University
and the community are neighboring
countries. The better imagery is to conceive
of Furman as an integral part of
a complex and vibrant community.”
As this week’s faculty-led series of
discussions about Public Engagement
have demonstrated, our work in teaching,
research, service and institutional
partnerships represents an already rich
tapestry of involvement with the community
in which we live and work.
We should, as my colleague and friend
Nancy Cantor said in her thoughtful
and inspiring talk, begin to formalize our
work, and embrace the power of our
place in this community and our capacity
to contribute to meaningful change
and the democratic ideal of America.
When I consider the spectrum of
minds at work at Furman—faculty and
students from the humanities to the sciences
to business and the arts—I think
we miss the mark if we do not tap the
richness of their expertise, insight, and
dedication. We fall short if we fail to
create avenues by which our intellectual
capital can be applied to solve our
common burdens.
However, for public engagement
to work, we need shared conviction
of mutual benefit. Are we ready to be
equal partners in identifying the questions
worthy of study? Are we ready
to pivot the expectation that engaged
learning is designed to benefit the
student and focus on the benefit to the
community? Either way, the student
will benefit. The question is, are we
committed to our place, to our community?
If so, we must change the
focus of our engaged learning efforts.
I’m not suggesting anything that will
be a problem for our students. Students
tend to take more pride in their work
and the outcome when they become
important contributing members of
groups working together towards common
goals, and ones that will contribute
to something much larger than self.
To the students who are here today,
I challenge you to imagine your own
legacy of engagement—not only at
Furman, but in whatever endeavor
you decide is worthy of your time, and
your passion.
The world is full of need, and you
are being equipped with the knowledge
and skills to meet challenges.
How you go about it is up to you. But
my fervent hope for you is that you
think beyond yourself.
There is power in leaving a legacy,
no matter how small it may seem.
You may leave a legacy of engagement
with seven streetlights in the New
Washington neighborhood that makes
it safer for residents to walk at night.
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