斯坦福大学校长开学讲话

Voyage of Discovery

Stanford Convocation address

President John Hennessy

Each fall as I prepare for Convocation and the arrival of a new class of Stanford students, I contemplate the message I want to deliver and look for inspiration, often among my recent reading.

This summer, I read the first volume of Janet Browne’s biography of Charles Darwin, entitled Voyaging. Most of you probably know the basics of Darwin’s story: his voyage on the Beagle1at the age of 22, the role of his observations in the Galapagos2, and his eventual publication of On the Origin of Species3more than 20 years after the voyage ended. What I found new and interesting in this biography was how Darwin’s experience and education had prepared him not only for his journey as a naturalist on the Beagle, but also subsequently as he developed the ideas that led up to his landmark publication.

From Darwin’s earliest days, he seems to have been preparing for what would become his life’s work. As a young boy, he developed a deep passion for science and the skills of a careful and thorough observer of nature, as well as an outstanding collector of beetles. Throughout his life, Darwin remained intellectually curious.

You, our newest students, have been selected not only because you have demonstrated your scholarly ability but also because of your intellectual curiosity.

Like Darwin, who was a student at Cambridge University, you will have access to outstanding teachers and distinguished scholars. During his student years, Darwin met faculty members who not only taught him important new subjects but also served as mentors during his early years, and as scholarly colleagues and advisors during the later decades when he worked on his theories.

During your time here, I urge you to follow Darwin’s example and get to know our faculty. Alumni have told us that getting to know a faculty member personally was one of the most rewarding aspects of their Stanford experience, and the university has invested heavily over the past 15 years to create many opportunities for you to do so.

Use every opportunity to discover why our faculty are passionate about their scholarly pursuits. While I love giving an exciting lecture to a packed classroom, my greatest enjoyment comes when students visit my office to talk about research, ask career advice or seek help on a difficult topic.

Darwin spent many days and evenings during his time as a student in the company of Professor John Henslow4, who introduced him to many other scientists and later recommended Darwin for the opening on the Beagle. Those encounters generated a passion for scientific inquiry