Beginning your academic journey

What are you doing here?

Beginning your academic journey

Thank you and good afternoon, class of 2028. I’m Betsy Sandlin, interim dean of the college and also beginning my twenty-first year on the faculty here at Sewanee. I’m honored to be with you this afternoon. It’s been a bit of a long and lonely summer, so it fills me with great joy to see all of your faces.

The topic they gave me to talk about today was: what are you doing here? The timing is perfect, because we just had our faculty retreat on Thursday, and our assignment was to think about college as a time to explore one’s sense of purpose: not just what you are doing here but why you’re doing it.

You might think that a “purpose” is the same thing as a goal, but they’re not the same. Let me give an example. A goal that you all have, I assume, is to graduate with your college degree. But a “purpose” is much broader. You might think of it like a compass – “purpose” is what guides you and gives you direction as you get out of bed each day, as you move through the world and make decisions. Our guest speaker at the retreat, who was a Sewanee alum by the way, suggested that one’s sense of purpose comes from the combination of “self work” + “world work.” In other words, we find our purpose when we find out who we are and what we can do to be a force for good in the world around us.

So what are you doing here? Why are you doing it? Who are you and what can you contribute?

By the way, it’s totally okay if you don’t know yet how to answer any of those questions. It’s also okay if those questions scare you a little bit. After all, our purpose in life does not come to us as an a-ha moment or a lightning strike; it’s not like in the cartoons when a lightbulb goes off over someone’s head. And one’s sense of purpose is not necessarily found at the end of a straight path. The path can be slow and winding; the journey can have fits and starts and wrong turns. All of that ambiguity and uncertainty is not only valid and normal but in a way, it’s exactly what you should be open to and diving into during these next four years of your life.

My own journey hasn’t been easy or straightforward. I was the first in my family to go to college and to earn a college degree, and I certainly experienced doubts and crises of confidence along the way. But I also didn’t give up. Here’s what I did to keep going when times were tough: I got out of my room and got involved on campus. I talked to my professors and got to know them. I explored new subjects that I was a little bit afraid of. I worked intentionally on building relationships with other students who were a part of my community but different from me. Most importantly, I learned to ask for help when I needed it. That was honestly the hardest part for me. But here’s the thing – when I did ask, it turns out people were eager to help me. And there was a great power that came with the realization that everyone around me wanted me to succeed, and they believed that I had something interesting to contribute, in my own unique way. I began believing it too. Now, I didn’t graduate and say a-ha, I found my purpose – right there it was while I was sitting in my Philosophy 101 class. But looking back on my college experience, I see that I was collecting the building blocks to my sense of purpose the whole time. I was learning that I loved learning, that I loved helping others learn, that I had a curiosity about languages and cultures. I was figuring out that honesty, integrity, and responsibility were and would continue to be the most important, guiding values for the rest of my life. My Purpose (capital letter P) wasn’t all there yet, but the pieces were starting to come into focus by the time I graduated with my bachelor’s degree.

So I’m telling you a bit of my story to say this. Whatever doubts you’re having, whatever fears you’re feeling, whatever nervousness, whomever you are, wherever you are from, whatever you believe or think, or know (or think you know) or are passionate about. YOU BELONG HERE. And you can do this.

But back to the prompt. What are you doing here? Some basics: you are at a small, residential, liberal arts college on top of the Cumberland plateau on this absolutely beautiful 13,000 acres of land that we call “the Domain.” You’re at a college that encourages academic exploration, self-reflection, collaboration and dialogue across differences, respect for one another, and dwelling together in unity and in community. A place where the process and journey of academic and self discovery are celebrated, where intellectual risks are encouraged, and where we ask you to embrace challenges and feed your curiosity. Your purpose here, in this place, is not just to get good grades so you can get a college degree and then get a job. If we do our jobs right and you do your jobs right while you’re here, the sum total of your Sewanee experience will be so much more. You will seek, explore, discover the building blocks of your purpose – how you can impact the world by bringing your unique perspective and gifts to it.

Some advice though – you didn’t think I’d stand up here and not take advantage of the time!

First, GO TO CLASS. Sewanee professors will bend over backwards for you if you show up, if you do the work, if you communicate with them. Go to class and also go to their office hours. Those are times specifically meant for you. I was scared to do this at your age, but I plucked up the courage and did it, and it made a huge difference. Presumably, you chose Sewanee because you want to learn from and with real people, not just a computer program or a textbook. So, go to class. Not only do you need class, but your classes need you. Our intellectual community needs your full presence. Learning happens everywhere at Sewanee, but class is truly where the magic happens and it won’t happen if you’re not there.

Second, do your own work. Do your own thinking. You’re not here to take shortcuts or the easy way out, even though the tools are certainly available to do so. You’re here because you want to push yourself, to express yourself and think for yourself so that you can go out and tackle the world’s challenges as only you can. Why would you shortchange yourself when education is such a privilege and you have such an extraordinary opportunity in front of you?

Finally, I crowdsourced some other advice for you from your professors and Sewanee alumni. Here’s what some of them said:

• Take chances, don’t beat yourself up if you fail.
• Read the syllabus.
• Keep up with your work. When you have dug a hole for yourself, put down the shovel and ask for help.
• Come to office hours! You are not “bothering” us.
• Doing hard things teaches you, you can do hard things.
• Make use of campus resources and get help when needed!
• There are people all over campus who want to get to know you; say hello, have a little curiosity, and have a conversation to learn their story and to share your own.
• The best college experience is exploration and taking chances, without regrets and full of belief in yourself.
• Show up.

You’re just beginning your Sewanee journey and academics will play a key role in discovering where you are, who you are, and why you are here.

Congratulations, class of 2028, welcome, and good luck as you begin your first semester at Sewanee.