Welcome Home

On developing the habits of the engaged citizen

by Lori Walters-Kramer

Note: Dr. Lori Walters-Kramer is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh. Originally from Fond du Lac, Dr. Walters-Kramer earned her bachelor's degree in communication studies at UW-Oshkosh. She delivered the following Convocation Address on August 24th, 2002 before an audience of new Plattsburgh students.

Good Afternoon! Congratulations on your new status as a Plattsburgh State University student and Welcome to Plattsburgh. At our May commencement, the student speaker was Leslie Dame, a Plattsburgh native. In her speech Leslie stated that Plattsburgh was her home, not because she was born and raised here, but because she CHOSE to be here. You also have chosen to be a member of this university and it is now YOUR home. I understand that on this, your first day as a member of this community, you may not be able to imagine the day when these now-unfamiliar surroundings provide you comfort. But it will happen for you - just as it did for the returning students and faculty and staff who experienced the same anxieties when they were new to this campus. May I be the first to say - Welcome Home.

What you do in this city matters. We ARE neighbors and as such, we influence each other, we learn from each other, and we have a responsibility to each other.

A home is more than a building or a spot on a map. A home is made up of connections, of relationships, and it is a space that you help shape. And there are many spaces that you will help craft while you are here - the campus, your residence halls, the larger Plattsburgh community, and your classrooms. I'm not saying that you MIGHT influence these various spaces - I'm saying you WILL. The direction and degree of your impact, however - big or small, positive or negative - can only be determined by you. Whether you choose to be engaged - which demands connecting with people AND ideas - or choose to be passive - you WILL affect the lives of those around you and the climate of these spaces in which we all work, live, and learn. You have already opted to pursue a liberal education and your decision has brought you here. A wise choice, I believe, and quite a big step. Now that you are here, you need to decide if you will dedicate yourself to your education by becoming invested in the life of the campus, the community, and the classroom. I believe that your choice to be passive or engaged is the primary determinant of your satisfaction with your university experience - and it is a decision that might influence you - and even others - long after you leave Plattsburgh. I'd like to spend the next few minutes considering what engagement means and how and where it can be practiced.

Participation in campus and residence life is one way - perhaps the most obvious way -- that you can immerse yourself in and gradually find respite in your new home. I know that the Admissions Office sent you beautiful descriptions of campus life and the opportunities that await you. I am confident that you know that there are numerous clubs and organizations that you can join - from academic associations to cultural and social organizations. Again, joining is the first step. Choosing how you will shape that organization is the next. My own undergraduate education was made complete due to my involvement in university-based organizations and activities. It also was made complete by living in a residence hall. I was assigned to an all-female dorm. My father was thrilled. On the day I moved into the dorm I experienced the emotions and chaos that you likely experienced today. I remember that I was quite nervous - maybe as nervous as my parents. Despite my anxiety, on that first day I met women with whom I still have strong friendships. I do hope that while you are here, you also establish bonds with others that are rich and enduring.

Along with campus and residence life, there are other ways, too, and other spaces in which I hope you appreciate your role -and one of them is the community of Plattsburgh. There are many people who value community and campus partnerships, and because of their collaborative efforts over the years, boundaries between this campus and the community in which it is embedded have collapsed. So today, your relationships with the citizens of Plattsburgh have also begun. Inevitably, you WILL play a role in shaping the climate of Plattsburgh. On Thursday, I was at a luncheon attended by people from government, business, and academic sectors (including faculty and students from Plattsburgh State). As we gathered to celebrate the diversity of the North Country, several community members commented that Plattsburgh State faculty and students are valuable resources, proving that your positive contributions as workers, volunteers, and interns will be appreciated. What you do in this city matters. We ARE neighbors and as such, we influence each other, we learn from each other, and we have a responsibility to each other. Perhaps nothing illustrated this more than our reaction to September 11. This campus responded immediately by organizing vigils and, about a week after the event, hosting a teach-in for which people developed and participated in numerous panels and discussions. In all cases, students, staff, faculty, administrators, and community members contributed. I was proud to be a member of this community in the aftermath of Sept. 11. It reinforced my belief in the power of the university to serve the public, to be a space of critical thought to everyone in its community.

If you choose to invest yourself in your education now, you can develop the habits of the engaged citizen - thinking critically and creatively, speaking ethically, listening with an open mind, embracing the spirit of democracy. If you learn how to connect with people and ideas in order to positively shape this space that is now your home, I am confident you will do the same in other communities that someday you call home.

I must address one more space - the classroom (which I'm sure you'll all find with ease on Monday!). One of my favorite scholars, bell hooks, writes about the engaged student as one who is excited about learning, who thinks critically about the material he/she consumes. This student comes to class, ready to share, willing to listen, committed to being fully present, expecting - maybe even hoping -- to be challenged. This student connects with the people in the room AND the ideas that are circulated within it. You may consider the university classroom to be a space where knowledge is disseminated and received, where the professor professes. Sometimes, it is that. But, more often it is where knowledge is shared, extended, challenged, and constructed by everyone in that room. Your voice is valuable in the classroom. In the end, to be other than an engaged student is to discard the opportunity to develop your sense of self, to deny yourself an education. As well, to be other than an engaged student is to disregard and disrespect those with whom you share a potentially powerful, energizing and transformative classroom space.

With all this said, I acknowledge that I may be speaking to people who already know the benefits of engagement. After all, you made the choice to be present at this annual ritual. Not all of your peers made that choice. By being here, you are making public a desire to immerse yourself in the university experience. I certainly hope you maintain that desire because EACH DAY you will be faced with choices that will impact the life of this community and your experience in it. Rest assured, you are not alone. Faculty, staff, administrators, too, are faced with these same decisions. We ALL have to acknowledge that the choices we make and the actions we take - and don't take - function to shape our classrooms, the campus, and the community .

Earlier I stated that I believe that your decisions you make while enrolled here may affect you long after you graduate. I understand that as a student, you may be tempted to focus on what you will be - a nurse, a video editor, an accountant. Of course, we WANT you to quickly find a position when you graduate, one for which you will have been prepared at PSU. But, while you are here, I hope you frequently reflect on your choice to receive a liberal education. I believe, as does author and professor of Education Terri Seddon, that higher education institutions are, not where we learn what to be, but "where we learn [how] to BE."…. If you choose to invest yourself in your education now, you can develop the habits of the engaged citizen - thinking critically and creatively, speaking ethically, listening with an open mind, embracing the spirit of democracy. If you learn how to connect with people and ideas in order to positively shape this space that is now your home, I am confident you will do the same in other communities that someday you call home. It is my most sincere hope -as well as my goal as an educator - that long after you leave, you will remember Plattsburgh as the place where you learned how to be.

Again, congratulations, and welcome home.

Return to Commentary