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• Chronicling the Process
• Strategic Planning Committee
• Mission Statement
• HISTORY
• MISSION STATEMENT
• ACCREDITATION
• TRUSTEES
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• PRESIDENT'S MEDALLION

Convocation Address

President Anthony S. Caprio

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome, students, parents, family members, faculty, and staff. Fall Convocation is a very special day for all of us at Western New England College.

Academic convocations are held to convene students and faculty at the beginning of the academic year—to bring them together to start a new year of learning and of intellectual growth. But at Western New England College our academic convocation is much more than a calling together of the members of the academy; it is an opportunity that causes us to be motivated and inspired in the traditions that hold us together as a group. Tradition is the glue that bonds us. This very convocation is one of the College’s many traditions, as is the practice of inducting at this convocation our now second-year students into Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society; we are recognizing these students for having achieved academic excellence during their freshman year. It is also our tradition to be role models for each other, and honoring these sophomores helps our new students envision what they too can aspire to and achieve in the course of their first year here at Western New England College.

Let me tell you a little about who you are as new students. You were selected for admission from the largest applicant pool in the history of the College. You follow in the footsteps of 40,000 graduates of the College who attribute their success in large measure to Western New England College.

You number about 775, 690 first-year students or freshmen, and 85 transfer students. You have come from 423 public and private high schools with graduating classes ranging from 20 to 900. Several of you have been home schooled. Our transfer students have attended 39 different colleges in 12 states. You hail from far and near—from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada to Pawtucket, Rhode Island; from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Fort Collins, Colorado; from Arlington, Virginia to Avon, Connecticut; from Cedar Park, Texas to Chestertown, Maryland; and from San Gabriel, California to our own Springfield, Massachusetts. 43 percent of you are from Massachusetts; 28 percent from Connecticut, and 16 percent from New York. About 16 percent of you list yourselves as African American, American Indian, Hispanic, Asian, or multiracial.

You have expressed interest in 51 separate majors or concentrations. Forty-nine of you are beginning your studies in our newly-reestablished Pre-pharmacy program. Thirty-six of you have been admitted into our five-year joint bachelor’s and MBA or MSA degree programs (up from 18 last year). Seventy-nine of you (compared to 55 last year) have expressed interest in our 3+3 Law Program through which you seek admission and enter into the Western New England College School of Law upon completion of your junior year at the College. I am pleased to say that this year a record number of Western New England undergraduates have begun their legal studies at the Western New England School of Law. One quarter of you are unsure about a major. Not to worry—we will help you explore and choose.

Your academic credentials are impressive. Your average SAT scores are significantly above the national average. Five of you were high school valedictorians or salutatorians. Almost 20 percent of you who are freshmen have completed college courses while still in high school or have college credits through Advancement Placement (AP) courses. In fact, two new students in the audience are actually matriculating with enough credits to be classified as sophomores, and 14 other freshmen are matriculating as second semester freshmen.

Many students have received academic honors or personal accolades. For example, at least 132 of you were members of the National Honor Society. Many have been in other honor societies related to many academic areas including science, art, and foreign languages—more on that shortly. Eleven of you are MassMutual Academic Achievers, and the College partnered with MassMutual in providing programs and scholarships to Academic Achievers. Five of you are recipients of ARMY ROTC Scholarships. Many of you were awarded John and Abigail Adams Scholarships from the state of Massachusetts; I am glad you recognized the value of a Western New England College education and chose to pursue your education at this private college rather than using the scholarship at a Massachusetts public institution.

You bring many diverse experiences to Western New England College. At least 12 of you are Eagle Scouts. Sixteen of you served as president or officer of your class, while one hundred served as president or officer of various organizations. Two hundred students served as captains of athletic teams, with 43 serving as captain of two or more teams. Many of you have been involved in vocal and instrumental groups, including one who took first place in a national piano competition. I hope you will continue to pursue your musical interests here. At least four were editors of their school newspaper or yearbook, and three of you have had your writing published. Many have been involved in student government, peer mediation, coaching, Model Nations, and many other notable activities. Five have been serving as volunteer firemen and one is an EMT. Several have attended national youth conferences including the National Youth Forum on Medicine. One participated in a world competition as an Irish dancer.

A number of you have already studied or traveled abroad; and I hope that all of you will participate at some time during your enrollment in one of Western New England College’s many Study Abroad programs, which are either yearlong, semester-long, or of short duration. Each year we provide an ever increasing number of international opportunities with more and more students going abroad. I commented earlier on the honors some of you have received in foreign languages, particularly Italian, Portuguese, and French. I am happy to hear that. I have a doctorate in French Studies. So, if you invite me, I will accompany you to any French-speaking country you may choose to visit. Actually I will go anywhere in the world, and I hope you will also.

Most of you have been involved in a variety of volunteer activities including national programs such as Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity. One of you was introduced to Western New England College as a high school freshman when your high school competed in our School of Engineering’s regional solar car competition—where you were a top place winner for your design.

You are to be complimented on your many accomplishments, awards, and activities, and I have cited only a small number. Yes, you are an accomplished, diversified, and interesting group! I am so glad that you are here.

Some of you are carrying on a family tradition. Thirty-two of you have a parent who graduated from Western New England College. Others have a grandparent, sibling, or other relative who is an alumnus. So, as I welcome our new students to Western New England College, I also welcome back our alumni parents, grandparents, and siblings who have wisely guided you to the College and who have shown in a very concrete way the extent to which they value the education they received at Western New England by having you follow in their footsteps.

New students, I’m pleased that you have chosen to be here in this community which will support your individuality but which requires that you uphold the principles that will ensure that the very environment needed for every one of you, as individuals to flourish will exist here for you. Representatives from among you will shortly come forward to sign the Community Covenant containing the very principles representing the commitment you yourself crafted this summer at Summer Orientation and Registration (SOAR). Their signing is symbolic, demonstrating before all of us here today your commitment to these principles. You determined, and have agreed to be held accountable to, six principles. Let me share them with our guests here today:

• I will protect the safety of both persons and property.
  This means, among other things,
        -   You will not intimidate or threaten anyone, and
        -   There will be no physical violence in this community.
• I will safeguard the practice of free and open expression without ridicule.
  This means, among other things,
        -   We will all demonstrate tolerance of and affirmation of every person
             on this campus regardless of differences in appearance, manner, ideas,
             culture, ethnic heritage, sexual orientation, or personal belief. This principle
             affirms the inherent right and privilege of personal beliefs.
• I will maintain respect for the dignity of each person.
• I will safeguard personal integrity.
  This means
        -   You will exhibit sportsmanship in competition, and
        -   You will reject cheating, deception, and plagiarism.
• And lastly, I will maintain personal accountability for my decisions and choices and I will accept the laws of responsible citizenship.

And I pledge to you my commitment to assuring that this will be a campus where everyone of us—campus leaders, faculty, staff, administrators, coaches, students, all of us—will foster these principles and hold each other accountable according to them. We can succeed here only when we have agreed upon the principles that guide us as a community, when we know our individual responsibilities as a member of our community, and when we feel secure in this environment, knowing that we will not be derailed by intolerance, intimidation, or irresponsibility on the part of anyone in our community.

To our new students, I say that much has been given to you and you will receive more, but from you much is expected. You must seize the opportunity, you must be prepared to work, to be responsible, to develop good habits of mind, to pursue your education actively, to seek great personal fulfillment, to appreciate your professors, and to work in partnership with us at the College. And remember that it was your own accomplishments that brought you here in the first place . . . and it is with a belief in your promise that we welcome you. When all is said and done, you will be judged against your own accomplishments, and you will judge yourself against these. So push yourself, stretch, grow. Avail yourself fully of the many opportunities that this College will afford you.

It is a pleasure for me to welcome our new students today. On behalf of the College community, I welcome also the parents and family members of our new students, for you too are a vital part of who we are. While we at the College play an important role in the development and growth of our students at Western New England, our influence is only partial, for if the light shines, it had to begin at home with you. Parents and family members, your influence, your support, your caring, and your wise counsel are essential for the success of our students. Please do not relinquish your personal responsibility. Stay linked to your sons and daughters whom you are entrusting to us, so that the light will continue to shine, perhaps even more brightly than ever.

On this day, August 29, 2009, I officially open our 58th academic year since our establishment in 1951 when we were accorded our charter as Western New England College. And I acknowledge all those who have set the foundation for us over these years, actually since 1919 when we began as the Springfield Division of Northeastern University. Only through their and our efforts are we so fortunate to live, study, and work in this great university.

Thank you. Welcome. And may this year be one of growth, good health, and fulfillment for each and every one of you.