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Dean Stephanie Balmer's Convocation Speech

August 26, 2012


Good afternoon! I extend a warm welcome to Dickinson's class of 2016 and all of our new students! To our first-years, congratulations on your success with the college application, admissions and selection process as you are now college first-years! To each newly enrolled student-first-years and transfers-you made it!

Demand for Dickinson is strong as evidenced by a robust application year—nearly the largest in the college's history. We know that what we offer you—a useful and practical education in the liberal-arts tradition—is ardently desired by prospective students around the world. You should know that the class of 2016 was selected from the most competitive and selective pool in the college's 229-year history. But this statistic only scratches the surface of your achievements. The academic qualifications of the class of 2016 are extremely impressive. And as another critical element of those high qualifications, you represent among the most diverse classes in the college's history. Please know that we have invested significantly in each one of you, and we support and expect you to take full advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.

As Beloit College's class of 2016 mindset list reminded us last week, members of this year's first-year class, most of them born in 1994, have always lived in cyberspace and measured their lives in the fundamental particles of life—bits, bytes and bauds—and have only known Bill Clinton as a senior statesman rather than a U.S. president.

Before I present the class of 2016 to President Durden, allow me to introduce this inspiring class to the Dickinson community:

  • 5,844 students applied for admissions with 40 percent offered a place in the class. There are 603 members of the class of 2016, with nine of you arriving following the completion of a "gap year." We welcome 20 transfers from institutions including:
    • Boston University
    • Broward Community College
    • College of Holy Cross
    • George Washington University
    • Johns Hopkins University
    • Manhattanville College
    • Susquehanna University
    • University of Delaware
    • Villanova University
     
  • Worth special note—four students arrive this fall from our community college partner schools including Howard, Montgomery, and Northampton community colleges.
  • 298 of you—49 percent of the class—made your "first choice" declaration as Early Decision candidates. That also means that 5,546 applicants competed for the remaining 304 spots in the class through Early Action and Regular Decision. In other words, there were 18 applicants for each place in the class, so each student's presence here is an accomplishment of significant merit.
  • For those who come from high schools that rank—about 30 percent of the class—an impressive 48 percent ranked in the top 10 percent of your graduating class.
  • You come from 472 high schools. The smallest high schools attended graduated a senior class of 10 each—The Avalon School in North Bethesda, Md., and Lake Champlain Waldorf HS in Charlotte, Vt.; the largest—New Trier Township HS in Winnetka, Ill., with a graduating class of 1,015.
  • Top academic interests include international studies, international business and management, biology, psychology, and economics.
  • This year's class is among our most diverse, with nearly 21 percent of the class comprised of domestic students of color and international students; 4 percent of the class represents dual citizens; 15 different languages are spoken in your homes.
  • 327 of you are women; 275 of you are men.
  • 7 percent of you are the first in your family to attend college or are first-generation college students.
  • Varsity athletes comprise 28 percent of the class, including state record holders, All Americans and All-State honors to name a few.
  • 22 of you have a sibling legacy and 26 students with a parent or grandparent legacy.

You come together from big cities and small towns—35 U.S. states and territories including Washington, D.C., and 21 countries including New Zealand, Uruguay, China, Spain, Singapore, Switzerland and Vietnam, to name just a few.

Many of your parents were drawn to the same name. A tip for class discussions—if the professor calls on Rachel, Emily, Elizabeth, Hannah, Sarah, David, Andrew, John or Nicholas, look around the classroom before you offer an answer as these names represent 14 percent of the class!

While many of you have held jobs in recent years, a significant number of you answered the call of activism—service highlights many of your applications and interests.

While we know you performed well in the classroom, the class of 2016 boasts students with unique and impressive activities and accomplishments:

  • debate captains
  • scientific researchers
  • accomplished artists, musicians, authors and poets
  • a volunteer with Global Routes, a not-for-profit organization that places tutors in local villages to teach English around the world
  • a U.S. Department of State scholar selected to study in China as one of 650 in the U.S. to participate in the National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarship.

So, as I reflect on these remarkable accomplishments of our new students, I challenge each of you to use these gifts to further strengthen this special community. Look around … each of you is the kind of person your classmates came to Dickinson to meet. May your formative years at this college that believes in you and has such hope for you and your future, inspire you and engage you to live meaningful lives.

President Durden, with great pride and on behalf of my colleagues in admissions, I present to you the class of 2016 and all of our new students!