Harvard President Alan Garber on Monday welcomed the Class of 2028 with a prediction: You received’t at all times get alongside. This actuality, he mentioned, is an inevitable a part of becoming a member of a neighborhood that strives for excellence by means of the embrace of pluralism.
“We stand for rising in information and knowledge — not solely by means of mental and extracurricular pursuits however by means of on a regular basis interactions, by means of disagreement and argument, by means of battle and reconciliation,” Garber ’76 instructed college students throughout Convocation, the annual welcome of Faculty first-years, at Tercentenary Theatre. “You’ll be taught at the least as a lot from one another as you’ll be taught from anybody else at Harvard — and you’ll be taught extra from tough moments of rigidity than from simple moments of understanding. Be ready to defend your viewpoint. Be ready to articulate factors of view which are totally different from your personal. Be ready, most of all, to vary your thoughts.”
An economist, doctor, and skilled on well being coverage, Garber was named Harvard’s thirty first president final month after serving as interim chief since January. In his first Convocation tackle, he made a forceful case for viewpoint range as one of many College’s core goals — and strengths.
“We stand for in search of, supporting, and sustaining excellence from as broad and as numerous a pool of expertise as potential,” he mentioned. “That’s the great thing about the College. It attracts and helps attention-grabbing and impressive people with totally different experiences and views, people who problem each other by advantage of being collectively in neighborhood. We acknowledge and have fun that magnificence — and the great thing about pluralism — with our willingness to come across beliefs that aren’t our personal, to be curious and respectful, to be genuinely attentive regardless of our tendency to be pulled in one million instructions without delay.”
Garber additionally reminded college students to respect the opinions of others and to welcome and acknowledge each other as a part of the neighborhood. Final 12 months, the College, like many colleges throughout the nation, was shaken by battle and protests across the Israel-Hamas battle.
“Being on this atmosphere — on this neighborhood — means having rights and duties,” Garber mentioned. “These gathered right here have the suitable to specific themselves freely — to dissent and protest. However in addition they have the duty to behave with every of you — and the which means of this event — in thoughts. We’re convened to welcome you. Every of it is best to go away this gathering understanding that you simply’re acknowledged and accepted by our neighborhood.”
In his closing remarks, Garber inspired first-years to be taught from each other and to put money into constructing lifelong friendships.
“I nonetheless communicate with folks I met throughout my first week on campus,” he mentioned. “A lot has modified since I moved into Claverly Corridor in 1973, however there’s one attribute of Harvard those that has at all times stood out to me — and stands the check of time. We stand for excellence. We embrace ‘each/and’ somewhat than ‘both/or.’
“What do I imply by that?” he continued. “Right here, you’ll typically encounter people who don’t settle for the notion that they’ll solely do one factor very well. You might be each a mathematician and a aggressive bike owner, each a folklorist and a dedicated journalist, each an engineer and a sleek dancer. Mixtures and permutations too quite a few to say typically result in inconceivable and really gorgeous successes — and testaments to what might be completed in a single lifetime.”
Different Harvard leaders joined Garber in welcoming the Class of 2028.
The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals on the Divinity Faculty and Pusey Minister within the Memorial Church, delivered an invocation. Danoff Dean of Harvard Faculty Rakesh Khurana provided the Faculty Handle, and Amanda Claybaugh, dean of undergraduate training, delivered the Tutorial Handle. Thomas Dunne, dean of scholars at Harvard Faculty, and Harvard Undergraduate Affiliation co-presidents Ashley Adirika ’26 and Jonathan Haileselassie ’26 additionally took half within the ceremony.
