哈佛大学校长德鲁福斯特在哈佛大学毕业典礼英语演讲稿.docx
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哈佛大学校长德鲁福斯特在哈佛大学毕业典礼英语演讲稿.docx
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哈佛大学校长德鲁福斯特在哈佛大学毕业典礼英语演讲稿
哈佛大学校长德鲁·福斯特在哈佛大学2019年毕业典礼英语演讲稿
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Thankyouallandgoodafternoonalumni,graduates,families,friends,honoredguests.Forsevenyearsnow,ithasbeenmyassignmentandmyprivilegetodeliveranannualreporttoouralumni,andtoserveasthewarm-upactforourdistinguishedspeaker.
Whetherthisisyourfirstopportunitytobeapartoftheseexercisesoryourfiftieth,itisworthtakingaminutetosoakinthisplace—itsshelteringtrees,itsfamiliarbuildings,itsenduringvoices.In1936,thispartofHarvard’syardwasnamedTercentenaryTheatre,inrecognitionofHarvard’sthreehundredthbirthday.Itisaplacewheregiantshavestood,andhistoryhasbeenmade.
WewereremindedthismorningofGeorgeWashington’sadventureshere.Andfromthisstagein1943,WinstonChurchilladdressedanoverflowcrowdthatincluded6,000uniformedHarvardstudentsheadingofftowar.HesaidhehopedtheyoungrecruitswouldcometoregardtheBritishsoldiersandsailorstheywouldsoonfightalongsideastheir“brothersinarms,”andheassuredtheaudiencethat“weshallnevertire,norweaken,butmarchwithyou…toestablishthereignofjusticeandoflaw.”
Fouryearslater,fromthissameplace,GeorgeMarshallintroducedaplanthataidedreconstructionacrosswar-strickenEurope,andendedhisspeechbyasking:
“Whatisneeded?
Whatcanbestbedone?
Whatmustbedone?
”
Here,in1998,NelsonMandelaaddressedanaudienceof25,000andspokeofoursharedfuture.“Thegreatestsinglechallengefacingourglobalizedworld,”hesaid,“istocombatanderadicateitsdisparities.”EllenJohnsonSirleaf,thefirstfemaleheadofstateinAfrica,stoodhere13yearslaterandencouragedgraduatestoresistcynicismandtobefearless.
Here,ontheterribleafternoonofSeptember11,2019,wegatheredunderacloudlessskytoshareoursadness,ourhorror,andourdisbelief.
Andhere,justthreeyearsago,wemarkedHarvard’s375thanniversarydancinginthemudofatorrentialdownpour.Here,PresidentFranklinDelanoRoosevelthadcelebratedHarvard’sthreecenturiesofaccomplishmentinacomparablysoakingrain.
Here,J.K.Rowlingencouragedgraduatesto“thinkthemselvesintootherpeople’splaces.”AndConanO’Brientoldthemthat“everyfailurewasfreeing.”
Here,honorarydegreeshavebeenpresentedtoCarlJungandJeanPiaget,EllsworthKellyandGeorgiaO’Keefe,HelenKellerandMarthaGraham,RaviShankarandLeonardBernstein,JoanDidionandPhilipRoth,EricKandelandElizabethBlackburn,BillGatesandTimBerners-Lee.
IrememberfeelingawedbythathistorywhenIspokehereatmyinstallationasHarvard’s28thpresident,andwhenIreflectedonwhathasalwaysseemedtometheessenceofauniversity:
thatamongsociety’sinstitutions,itisuniquelyaccountabletothepastandtothefuture.
Ouraccountabilitytothepastisallaroundus:
BehindmestandsMemorialChurch,amonumenttoHarvardianswhogavetheirlivesattheSommeandYpresandVerdunduringWorldWarOne.DedicatedonArmisticeDayin1932,itrepresentsHarvard’slongtraditionofcommitmenttoservice.
InfrontofmeisWidenerLibrary,agiftfromabereavedmother,namedinhonorofhersonHarry,whoperishedaboardtheTitanic.Alibrarybuilttoadvancethelearninganddiscoveryenabledbyoneofthemostdiverseandbroadcollectionsintheworld.Widener’stwelvemajesticcolumnssafeguardtextsandmanuscripts—somecenturiesold—thataredeployedeverydaybyscholarstohelpusinterpret—andreinterpret—thepast.
ButthisafternoonIwouldliketospendafewminutesconsideringouraccountabilitytothefuture,becausetheseobligationsmustbe“ourcompasstosteerby,”ourcommonpurposeandoursharedcommitment.
WhatdoesHarvard—whatdouniversities—owethefuture?
First,weowetheworldanswers.
Discoveryisattheheartofwhatuniversitiesdo.Universitiesengagefacultyandstudentsacrossarangeofdisciplinesinseekingsolutionstoproblemsthatmayhaveseemedunsolvable,endeavoringtoanswerquestionsthatthreatentoeludeus.ThescientificresearchundertakentodayatHarvard,andtomorrowbythestudentsweeducate,hasacapacitytoimprovehumanlivesinwaysvirtuallyunimaginableevenagenerationago.Inthispastyearalone,HarvardresearchershavesolvedriddlesrelatedtothetreatmentofAlzheimer’s,thecost-effectiveproductionofmalariavaccine,andtheoriginsoftheuniverse.Harvardresearchershaveproposedanswerstochallengesasvariedasnuclearproliferation,Americancompetitiveness,andgovernanceoftheInternet.
Wemustcontinuetosupportouranswer-seekers,whoworkatthecrossroadsofthetheoreticalandtheapplied,atthenexusofresearch,publicpolicy,andentrepreneurship.Together,theywillshapeourfutureandenhanceourunderstandingoftheworld.
Second,weowetheworldquestions.
Justasquestionsyieldanswers,answersyieldquestions.Humanbeingsmaylongforcertainty,but,asOliverWendellHolmesputit,“certaintygenerallyisillusion,andreposeisnotthedestinyofman.”Universitiesproduceknowledge.Theymustalsoproducedoubt.Thepursuitoftruthisrestless.Wesearchforanswersnotbyfollowingprescribedpaths,butbyfindingtherightquestions—byansweringonequestionwithanotherquestion,bynurturingastateofmindthatisflexibleandalert,dissatisfiedandimaginative.Itiswhatuniversitiesaredesignedtodo.InanessayinHarvardMagazine,oneoftoday’sgraduates,CheroneDuggan,wroteaboutseekingwhatshecalled“aneducationofquestions.”Ihopewehaveindeedgivenherthat.
Questionsarethefoundationforprogress—forensuringthattheworldtranscendswherewearenow,whatweknownow.
Andquestionsarealsothefoundationforathirdobligationthatweasuniversitiesowethefuture:
weowethefuturemeaning.
Universitiesmustnurturetheabilitytointerpret,tomakecriticaljudgments,todaretoaskthebiggestquestions,theonesthatreachwellbeyondtheimmediateandtheinstrumental.Wemuststimulatetheappetiteforcuriosity.
Wefindmanyofthesequestionsinthehumanities:
Whatisgood?
Whatisjust?
Howdoweknowwhatistrue?
Butwefindtheminthesciencesaswell.Cantherebeanyquestionmoreprofound,morefundamentalthantoaskabouttheoriginsoftheuniverse?
Howdidwegethere?
Questionslikethesecanbeunsettling,andtheycanmakeuniversitiesunsettlingplaces.Butthattooisanessentialpartofwhatweowethefuture—thepromisetocombatcomplacency,tochallengethepresentinordertoprepareforwhatistocome.Toshapethepresentinserviceofanuncertainandyetimpatientfuture.
Weowethefutureanswers.Weowethefuturequestions.Weowethefuturemeaning.TheHarvardCampaign,launchedlastSeptember,willhelpusfulfilltheseobligations,andpayourdebttothefuture,justasthegiftsofpreviousgenerationsanchorusheretoday.
Astoday’sceremoniessopowerfullyremindus,wealsoowethefuturethemenandwomenwhoarepreparedtoaskquestionsandseekanswersandsearchformeaningfordecadestocome.Todaywesendsome6,500graduatesintotheworld,tobeteachersandlawyers,scientistsandphysicians,poetsandplannersandpublicservants,and—asourspeakerthismorningremindedus—tobeintheirownwaysrevolutionaries.Readytotakeoneverythingfromwaterscarcitytovirtualcurrencytocommunitypolicing.Wemustcontinuetoinvestinfinancialaidtoattractandsupportthetalentedstudentswhocanbuildourfuture,andalsowemustinvestinsupportingtheteachingandlearningthatensuresthefullestdevelopmentoftheircapacitiesinarapidlychangingworld.
Ifwefulfillourobligation,today’sgraduateswillhavefoundthe“educationofquestions”Cheronedescribed,aplacewhere,assheputit,“ceilingsareonlymadeofsky.”Butlookaroundyou:
wearethere.Thisspaceisa“theatre”withoutwalls,withoutaroof,andwithoutlimits.Itisaplacewhereextraordinaryindividualshaveprecededus,aplacethatmustencourageourgraduates—oftodayandalltheyearspast—toemulatethosewomenandmen,tolookskywardandtosoar.
Thankyouverymuch.
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