Converse Celebrates Its 134th Opening Convocation
周五，万博地址社区庆祝了第134届开学典礼, 9月22日, 2023, 在特威切尔礼堂. 开学典礼是我们的传统活动，当万博地址社区聚集在一起庆祝学年的正式开幕.
清澈的蓝天和70度的气温为2023年的学生开学典礼定下了基调, 教职员工和校友聚集在特威彻尔礼堂标志性的齐默尔利表演中心.
牧师. Eliza Smith DeBevoise gave the Invocation, 提醒客人，随着新学年的开始，我们正在一起踏上旅程. She reminded guests of one of Converse’s core values, 社区, and how a balance of work and play nurtures the abilities of one another, and ultimately establishes a better world.
Jasmyn Williams ’24 (尼斯贝特认为荣誉), President of the Student Government Association, welcomed guests on behalf of the student body. 她第一次谈起她的事, very unique Opening Convocation, which was held over Zoom in the fall of 2020.
Jasmyn谈到了她在过去几年里看到的许多转变, 从正式更名为万博地址到欢迎在校的男性本科生, 到康弗斯大学学生群体日益增加的种族和文化多样性. Currently, our student body represents 24 states and 35 countries.
“In the past three years, I have been able to witness the evolution of Converse, as we enter a renaissance period,贾斯敏说. “一个更新的时期, 重生, and reawakening as a university, and speaking in a broader sense, 作为一个社会.”
President 霍普金斯 took the stage and was met with enthusiastic applause. 他的介绍承认了万博地址独特的校园，这里“思想汇聚”, 知识共享, and connections are forged.”
霍普金斯随后告诉观众，他的介绍实际上是由ChatGPT编写的，这让听众们大吃一惊.
霍普金斯谈到了世界正在经历的技术悬崖，以及随着人工智能开始影响所有领域，这种力量如何承担重大责任, from healthcare to data to communications.
霍普金斯校长说, “Using this tool responsibly requires a commitment to our core values, 一个开放的承诺, 诚实的对话, 并愿意对这些进步可能产生的影响负责, 有意或无意, on individuals and on society as a whole.”
Converse is ready for this journey of exploration and discovery. 教师们开会讨论人工智能及其对高等教育教学和学习的影响. In the works are AI workshops, educating students on the ethical use of technology, and developing AI guidelines for the classroom. 万博地址最近开设了一门新的数据科学辅修课程和一门关于数据素养的通识教育课程.
Inaugural Presentation of the Dr. 杰弗里·H. Barker Academic Excellence Award
During Opening Convocation, President 霍普金斯 presented the inaugural Dr. 杰弗里·H. Barker Academic Excellence Award to Dr. Neval ert
的博士. 杰弗里·H. Barker Academic Excellence Fund was established in remembrance of Dr. Barker and his passion for academic excellence at 大学交流. The award supports Converse faculty, 谁通过拓宽学生的视野和挑战自己作为教育者来体现教与学的关系, particularly through travel and experiential learning experiences.
President 霍普金斯 spoke to Dr. ert
Dr. Ertürk said, “I am honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Dr. 杰弗里·H. Barker Award for 教师 Excellence. Dr. Barker was not only the quintessential teacher, an accomplished researcher, and a well-respected Provost, but he was also a dear friend and a mentor. 他认为，学术和创造性的经历增强了课堂体验，为学生提供了继续教育和未来职业的关键技能. 他是由教师指导的本科生学术活动的倡导者. 他的支持对成功建立研究与参与办公室和万博地址RISE研讨会起到了重要作用.”
学术认识
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Joe Wilferth欢迎万博地址社区，并颁发了2027届学术表彰.
卡罗尔·麦克丹尼尔·皮特里STEM奖学金是由卡罗尔和米尔顿·皮特里基金会设立的，旨在为计划学习STEM相关学科的州外学生提供奖学金, 业务, 或者人文学科. This year’s recipient is 露西测试仪.
帕迪逊艺术 & 科学奖学金, created in 2007 through a trust established by Ruth Paddison ’47, supports scholarships for students majoring in the arts or sciences. This year’s Paddison Scholars are 克里斯托弗•贝利 (尼斯贝特认为荣誉)、西安娜·戴维森、沙米亚·哈德森、佩德罗·兰德罗斯-埃尔南德斯和基思·罗杰斯 (尼斯贝特认为荣誉).
辛普森奖学金是由一位匿名捐赠者设立的，旨在为学业成绩优异的女学生提供奖学金, extra-curricular activities, and 社区 involvement merit recognition. This year’s Simpson Scholars are Ashleigh Austin and Sloan Kinley (尼斯贝特认为荣誉).
The Weisiger Outstanding Scholar-Athletes, established in 2008 by Agnes Binder Weisiger ’63, 还有她的丈夫, 韦西格爱德华, 表彰那些在学术上取得成功、表现出强大领导能力和社区建设技能的杰出运动员. 今年的获奖者是 Madison Davis and Karly Driscoll.
2023 Opening Convocation Keynote Address
Dr. 乔Barrera), Associate Professor of Mathematics, began his keynote with the quote, “That which is not good for the beehive, neither is it good for the bee.”
Dr. Barrera acknowledged the recent loss of Dr. Shannon Martin, Associate Professor of Psychology, and the loss of Dr. Jeff Barker in July of 2021. 巴雷拉提醒客人，在我们度过充满挑战的时代时，自我照顾的重要性.
He surprised the audience by saying his keynote would not be about math, but instead about society and education. 然而，在他的主题演讲即将结束时，他透露，这实际上一直都是关于数学概念的.
Barerra said, “So I want to know: what is good for the beehive? What are some things that are a net positive for the 社区? So, as with most things, I let math guide my thinking. Yeah, that’s right, this is a math talk.”
Dr. 巴雷拉强调，教育是我们前进的道路，它弥合了差距. 让我们回到他的开场白关于蜜蜂和蜂巢, 巴雷拉说，当他看到参加2023年开学典礼的现有学生时，他充满了希望. “因为你在这里, 做一件你能为自己做的最伟大的事情——你正在接受教育,巴雷拉说. “In the context of education, “蜂巢”这句话也意味着，现在你要致力于一生的学习，并在你的一生中实践这些经验教训. 把你在这里接受的教育看作是我们所有人的社会责任, 在一起, find our way through this still relatively uncharted territory.”
Dr. 巴雷拉激动人心、由衷的演讲赢得了雷鸣般的掌声.
The Converse Chorale performed “Things That Never Die” (words by Charles Dickens; music by Eleanor Dailey), 随后是Emily Ingle 25年领导的万博地址荣誉誓言的重申, Chair of the Honor Board (尼斯贝特认为荣誉).
在场的人热情地表演了万博地址的母校, followed by the Benediction by Anna Patterson ’24, President of the Religious Life Council.
As the ceremony wrapped up, 万博地址社区的人走到前面的草坪上，在约翰逊广场享用午餐, wrapping up an annual tradition in the life of our campus 社区.