"As in the past, we face an uncertain and unprecedented future. Actions by the federal government—the elimination of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the near-elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, the desecration of the Kennedy Center, the dismantling of the Department of Education, the attacks on research and universities, and changes to the Federal Student Loan program--could well deny our students the opportunity to study the arts and become scholars, teachers, and artists. This would be a tragic loss for our students, our fields, and the very future of this country.
But I’m here to say we will not let that happen.
We cannot let it happen.
Yes, change is upon us. We’ve had to make difficult, sometimes painful choices. There may be more ahead. But we must remain undaunted. We must remain dedicated to our fields and the development of our students’ talent. We must, in the words of Rollo May, find the courage to create.
It takes courage to face the blank canvas, the empty stage, the unmarked score, the ideas that just won’t gel. It takes courage help our students face the unknown, too. And once the empty stage is filled, it takes courage again to put the work out for an audience, for critics, for fellow scholars. It takes courage to stand before the world and declare this must be heard, this must be seen, this must be felt.
It’s tempting to hunker down, to wait it out, to try to delay the changes that are coming. But as I’ve said—every year—to manage change we must be ahead of it. We must take steps now to meet the rising tides. We must jettison that which drags us down, shore up that which buoys us, and build what will sustain us.
We cannot hide nor shrink from this call for courage. Our tools are our talent and tenacity, our guideposts are compassion and empathy, our success, the rise of the next generation of artists, scholars and teachers.
Every moment in the classroom, in the studio, on stage, in the concert hall is an act of courage—and a victory for our students, for faculty and for the nation. This has always been true; yet in times of uncertainty, it is crucial to recognize and recall these acts of courage-- to stay strong, to stay true, and to encourage strength and truth in others."
--excerpt from my State of the College remarks today, as we begin a new academic year.
Thanks, Paul, well said. And we must be thinking about what we will build when the catastrophe leaves opportunity in it's wake.