Well, good morning, Buckeyes! I’m excited to welcome one of the largest incoming classes in our university’s 150-year history.
Like all of you, this is my first fall at Ohio State. I began my tenure here in January. So, it’s an honor to share this incredible experience with each and every one of you.
OK, you’ve been sitting here, had a couple speeches. We’re going to do a little audience participation to get the morning going here.
First, just show of hands. I’d like to see all of our students from the great state of Ohio. Raise your hand. Wow, look at that! Ok, you can put your hands down.
If you’re joining us from out of state or overseas, raise your hand. Alright, welcome to Ohio.
If you are the first in your family who is going to earn a college degree, raise your hand. Congratulations, that’s awesome.
And, finally, I want to see a show of hands if you’re excited for the Buckeyes to beat “That Team Up North” in football this November!
The university you are joining today is one of the finest public institutions of higher education in the world.
We have great academics — I could run through every one of the rankings — but just as much of your education will be earned outside the classroom. We offer opportunities for hands-on learning here in Columbus and around the globe. As Dr. Shivers mentioned, over 1,400 student organizations help connect you with your fellow Buckeyes and find out what inspires you. Ohio State’s size, scale, and scope — along with our affordability — gives you opportunities that few schools can match and an advantage that will last you a lifetime.
I want to talk a little about safety and support here on our campus.
You’re going to experience a lot during your time at Ohio State. And as you begin your studies here, I want to highlight two things that are really important.
First, I want you to know that this university is committed to fostering safe and supportive campus environments. I’ve said that since they day I got here, and it’s still at the top. Safety is our number-one priority. It’s an area we will always focus on, and something we should all keep top of mind as we start the semester. The university has resources to support you in this space. I hope you’ll learn about them and use them when you need to.
I also hope you’ll learn about, and honor, the laws and university rules and standards designed to keep all of us safe — and to ensure we can learn and discover as we all came here to do.
The second thing I want you to know is that this university aims to challenge you. We’ll challenge you academically, of course. But you’ll also be challenged to engage with new ideas and new points of view, to think critically and, sometimes, disagree — respectfully.
One of the great strengths of Ohio State is the incredible range of backgrounds and perspectives we bring together. It gives us opportunities to expand and deepen our understanding of the world. This diversity also means that events across the globe and close to home affect the members of our community differently, and deeply.
So, as we share our views, it’s important to do so with civility and respect — a skill that will serve you well on all of our campuses, and as you graduate and as you head out into the world. The education you will earn at Ohio State will help you hone this ability. In fact, citizenship is embedded in our curriculum.
This fall, we’re also launching a new initiative called Listen. Learn. Discuss. It’s a centralized resource to help us develop skills that promote civil discourse, while providing opportunities to practice them.
Remember — each of us has chosen to be a Buckeye. And we should have the highest standards for how we treat one another.
Let’s talk a little bit about traditions.
Buckeyes, you have an incredible journey ahead of you, full of new knowledge, new friendships, new traditions.
You heard our wonderful national anthem played by the Ohio State marching band — affectionately known as The Best Damn Band In The Land. And weren’t they just great today? You’re going to see them in action during football season.
I know you’re going to be excited — and I never get tired of seeing them do — Script Ohio in the ‘Shoe and then hear them at the Skull Session pep rallies this fall.
These are just two of the many traditions that underpin the remarkable Buckeye community — a community that each and every one of you are now a member of. Your connections to it may be most obvious while you’re on campus. But I assure you, they will last for the rest of your life.
The words of the song “Carmen Ohio,” our alma mater, make that clear, and you’re going to hear a whole lot more about that here in just a few minutes:
Through summer’s heat, or winter’s cold,
the seasons pass, the years will roll;
Time and change will surely show,
how firm thy friendship, O-hi-o.
It’s now my pleasure to introduce someone who can tell us a little more about what your lifelong membership in this Buckeye community actually means.
Please help me welcome the president and CEO of our alumni association, Molly Ranz Calhoun.
Thank you all, and Go Bucks!