WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
Thank you, Caroline, for that kind introduction.
Welcome to the parents, families, and loved ones joining via livestream, whether from campus or from around the world.
And welcome: Tufts University Class of 2028!
It is great to have you here. I know that the next four years of your lives will be transformative. Some of you will tell me that when I run into you a decade or two from now, as the alumni do today.
The defining feature of the next four years will be freedom – you will be more free now than before, or even after you graduate. That’s because there are many different freedoms and nearly all of them converge on the university campus: freedom to satisfy your curiosity and explore, freedom to develop your own identity, freedom to worship or not, freedom of expression, freedom to vote, freedom to pursue ideas wherever they may lead without undue interference and, of course, freedom to slake your thirst for knowledge.
So, I thought I will spare you a long speech and simply give a couple of pieces of advice on exercising your freedoms as you begin your journey at Tufts. I do not offer this advice because I am the president and feel self-important. Rather I offer it because I worry that freedom is one thing that students tend to squander most, just as I did when I was your age.
Today, you are on the verge of a new and unfamiliar path. Like starting anything new, it is natural to experience several conflicting feelings: uncertainty and fear of the unknown, as well as curiosity and excitement about the opportunities that lie before you. You are free to explore, stumble, learn.
When you look back on this day in 20 years, trust me when I say that you probably won’t remember how nervous you felt, or how embarrassed you were when your parents cried dropping you off—despite you begging them not to. Instead, what I hope you recall the most is that sensation of pure, unbridled curiosity and excitement. I encourage you to hold on to that feeling and let it be your guiding light—not only during your time at Tufts, but throughout your life. Satisfy that curiosity, live up to that excitement. Fully indulge in your freedom to explore.
This brings me to my first piece of advice: Every now and then, when someone asks you why you are doing something, your answer should be “Why not?”
Right now, you may take pride in feeling like you already have everything mapped out. You may have already decided what to major and minor in, what classes to take, or what clubs to enroll in.
That’s too practical. Explore! Use your freedom! If you’re sitting at this same spot four years from now, having followed the precise plan you had set on day one, then Tufts has failed you.
A freedom we hold particularly dear at Tufts is academic freedom. This is not the same as freedom of expression. Rather it is the freedom to explore and advance any idea that will hold up to the scrutiny of peers, to critical review and debate, and to the standards of evidence in the field. We fully support our faculty who advance ostensibly heretical ideas that hold up to these standards.
Members of the Tufts community hold fundamentally different positions on important issues. You are free to and should engage in debating these issues with those who disagree with your position. But exercising that freedom responsibly also matters. Your freedom cannot come at the expense of another student’s own freedoms. On a college campus, learning to live with opposing views, debating respectfully with each other without being disagreeable, and learning to listen rather than shouting each other down are life lessons that will remain forever valuable.
My closest friend from college is someone I disagreed with vehemently on several issues, and still do to this day. But that never resulted in personal or mean attacks on each other. We remain close friends after all these years because we learned never to doubt each other’s humanity, only each other’s ideas. We visit each other every year and our spouses are tired of our stories. And we disagree every time.
Sometimes you’ll manage to persuade your fellow students of your position. But other times you’ll have deep self-reflection and realize that perhaps you learned something new or have deeper context and nuance about a topic. Finding satisfaction in being wrong is one of the most illuminating ways of personal growth.
Continuing the theme of freedom and exploration:
- Share a room with a fellow Jumbo whom you have almost nothing in common with other than your common love for Tufts.
- Explore Medford, Somerville and Boston.
- Take the Green Line to explore new neighborhoods
- Learn to say Chowdah.
- Pick up a sport or club activity, despite lacking aptitude or ability for said sport or activity.
All of these things have one thing in common—they require stepping outside your comfort zone.
Which brings me to my second piece of advice: while you’re exploring and taking advantage of your freedoms, don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable.
As students, you will often find yourself in new and unfamiliar circumstances. You will be asked to make choices that affect the kind of experience you have and the direction of your life in the future. You won’t always know what to do.
When that happens, remember that you are not alone. Tufts is a caring place full of helpful, thoughtful people who are committed to helping you thrive. Here at Tufts, seeking support is not a sign of failure or weakness, but a sign of strength and self-awareness.
At the same time, I want to draw an important distinction between support and comfort. As a university, it is our responsibility to support you—but it is not our responsibility to ensure that you stay within your comfort zone.
Over the next four years, you may be tempted to choose the most comfortable or predictable route—you may decide to take a course that you know will give you an easy A, or you may decide against studying abroad because you’d be the only one in your friend group to do so.
But new ideas and personal growth rarely come from within your comfort zone. I firmly believe in the value of so-called mistakes and failures. They help you discover deep truths about yourself and your calling.
When I came to the US to pursue my PhD in Electrical Engineering, I moved from Bangalore, India—a city of several million people, to Urbana, Illinois—a city of a few tens of thousands. Up until then, I had never set foot in America and had never even heard of the Midwest. I had never been on an airplane! To say I felt out of place when I arrived would be an understatement.
My solution to this discomfort? I grew a ponytail, bought a twenty-year-old Cadillac, and developed a taste for Midwestern food. Looking back, these were arguably not the wisest decisions I’ve ever made, but the point is that I immersed myself in discomfort rather than shying away from it.
I don’t think I was looking to fit in or be accepted. Rather I was trying to explore being “American.” I learnt a fair bit – I can still find my way to that excellent catfish restaurant in Decatur, Illinois and I still love meatloaf (the dish, not the musician). I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I believe that this somewhat silly and superficial immersion made me a stronger person. And it was fun.
I realize that what I've said so far may give you the impression that I’m preaching. But in reality, I’m also reminding the university—and, by extension, myself—of the responsibility we have to provide you with transformative experiences that will challenge you, broaden your horizons, and question, rather than reaffirm, your beliefs. And we cannot tell you to do these things if we are unable to do the same ourselves.
As I said before, my experience in Illinois was fun. I worry that you are all such earnest and responsible people, who may forget to have fun. So, I would like to announce a call for proposals for funding events for the second year in a row. Successful proposals will have the cost of an event covered if they are:
- Good, clean, and safe
- Not profligate
- Open to any member of the Tufts community
- Have no purpose other than simply being fun.
Last year the two events that were funded were a private screening of the Taylor Swift movie and an EDM competition. I can’t wait to see what you will cook up this year.
Today marks the beginning of an exciting journey, and it is a privilege for me to be part of it. I look forward to getting to know each of you during your time here, and I can’t wait to see what you will accomplish.
What else is there to say but: Congratulations, and welcome to Tufts University!