This is the season when, across the university, we welcome our newest students and faculty members to Yale. From the White Coat Ceremony in Woolsey Hall for our medical students, to orientation at the School of Management, to Friday’s move-in day for Yale College freshmen, it is such a delight to celebrate the annual refreshment of our community by the addition of new members.
Students arriving at Yale to begin a course of study are very busy—and the rest of us are busy with the tasks of preparing classes, orienting students, and ensuring the campus is in beautiful shape—so I will not make today’s message very long. Instead, I wanted to share the remarks that Dean Jonathan Holloway and I gave at Saturday’s Freshman Assemblies. Dean Holloway delivered a touching address about citizenship at Yale, and my talk highlighted a bit of what a Yale education is about, challenging false narratives.
I hope you enjoy these words of welcome, no matter where in the university you study or work. Good luck during this busy week, and best wishes for the new year.