Opening Convocation celebrates start of 2024–25 academic year at Carleton

After concluding the Class of 2028’s New Student Week, the Carleton campus community gathered to celebrate the start of the new academic year and recognize students on the Dean’s List with Opening Convocation on September 16, 2024. Skinner Chapel was packed with students, faculty, and staff as the traditional Bubble Brigade oversaw the event from the Chapel balcony.

College Chaplain Schuyler Vogel ’07 kicked off the remarks with a warm welcome back to everyone returning to campus as well as a special welcome for the Class of 2028. He emphasized the importance of living into Carleton’s values and principles in the face of new challenges and responsibilities that will arise in the upcoming year.

“The good news, and what gives me hope, is that we are in this year together,” he said. “No matter what happens out there, we can work to make sure what happens in here, on campus, is good, and safe, and just. That no one is left behind; that everyone, especially the most vulnerable, matter; and that Carleton remains a community true to itself and its deepest values.”

President Alison Byerly followed Vogel and began her remarks, as she did last year, with a focus on the tradition of convocation itself. She pointed out that the word stems from the Latin word convocare, “to call together,” which “embodies not only the idea of togetherness, but the importance of bringing different voices together.”

“Carleton’s continuing commitment to creating this shared space for discussion is a core aspect of its identity as a place that values open intellectual inquiry and robust debate. Faculty will model that openness of inquiry and will expect you to do the same,” she said. “Your ability to listen respectfully, engage thoughtfully, and welcome the opportunity for discussion and debate is one of the most important capacities we hope you will hone here and take with you when you graduate.”

Next up onstage was this year’s featured Opening Convocation speaker, Dean Phillips, U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s Third Congressional District. In his address, Phillips emphasized three “universal guiding principles” that he argues are “foundational elements of successful lives, countries, and communities”: Courage, gratitude, and civic participation.

“Courage is not solely the domain of physical and intellectual giants,” Phillips said. “It’s about what kind of heart you have… And it’s not about never being afraid; it’s about being afraid and moving forward anyway… That is where growth emerges.”

“Gratitude is more than an emotion,” Phillips continued. “It’s a practice and a way of being in the world, seeing the many ways we’re supported by others. Not one of us is self-made; none of us got here on our own.”

“Civic participation is the single most integral vitamin for our democracy,” Phillips concluded. “Democracy is not a spectator sport, it is a commitment to the common good, and it requires every one of us to be engaged, aware, and informed.”

Phillips also joined Byerly in encouraging respectful and productive dialogue, urging students to “use your talents, education, and energies to build bridges and not destroy them.” He connected this idea to an event he hosts in his district called Common Ground, where six Democrats and six Republicans share a meal and a dialogue about public policy. That event prompted the “single most profound and extraordinary moment” in his entire political career, when two individuals on completely opposite sides of the political spectrum embraced as friends after their two-hour discussion.

“A rewarding life is not one where you avoid challenges, but embrace them,” Phillips said. “If you allow people to be heard, if you create space and place for them to express themselves, there’s a magic in that… Always remember that optimism is just as contagious as fear.”

Phillips shared the theme of democracy with Byerly, as both focused on the upcoming U.S. election and international current events important to Carleton students.

“The impending election is a valuable reminder of the fact that democracy provides opportunities to translate voices into action,” Byerly said. “As frustrated as we may be about specific issues we care about, we have a concrete means of manifesting our views: we can vote for the candidate or party that we believe is best prepared to address our concerns. While there is no guarantee, there is hope that problems can be solved, injustices righted, and new ideas brought forward.”

Byerly’s full remarks will be posted on the President’s Office website, and a recording of Opening Convocation will be archived on the Carleton Convocations website.

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.