President McGuire's Remarks

Phi Beta Kappa Initiation, May 20, 2006

Congratulations to all of our new inductees into Trinity's Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa! Congratulations as well to the Epsilon Chapter on the occasion of your 35th Anniversary at Trinity. Our new members today represent the latest in that long line of distinguished women whose seriousness of purpose, hard work and commitment to excellence have earned the right to wear the Phi Beta Kappa key.

What lock does this key open? What barriers will you be able to overcome through the power of this particular charm?

The benefits of the Phi Beta Kappa key are legendary. You are now members of an elite academic society, 700,000 members strong, who will embrace you as fellow scholars on your continuing journey through learning and achievement. This key can truly open doors --- in graduate school, at work, in the community, around the world. Do not put it away in the drawer of your Trinity memories; do hide its brilliance, which mirrors yours; do not let it grow tarnished through neglect or indifference of its meaning.

While the key distinguishes you as someone who has achieved a high academic honor, you would betray its meaning if you let that go to your head. This symbol does not separate you from other mere mortals who struggle with learning. At some point in everyone's life, if you are a serious scholar, you, will struggle with learning. You will encounter an intellectual challenge that you will find nearly impossible to fathom, deeply frustrating, bewildering. You will look for guides to help you through the maze. And that's the whole point of awarding a symbol like this to some, so that other seekers and searchers can find their guides along the way.

Your possession of Phi Beta Kappa key today means that you have mastered certain forms of learning in ways that should now inspire other students to aspire to follow you. The key now makes you guides along their pathways. As such, the key also comes with obligations for the privilege of possessing it: you have a responsibility to respond affirmatively to the challenge of other to be their guides. You also have a responsibility to acknowledge when you do not know the way, the first lesson of true intellectual excellence being that you know what you don't know. The key does not signify that you know everything; the key symbolizes your openness to learning. Without such humility, you will not guide anyone very well, indeed, you might mislead those who look to you for leadership.

The other day I read a story in the New York Times (Nathanial Vinton, "Skiing Beyond Safety's Edge Once Too Often," May 17, 2006) about a tragic accident in the Alps. Seems that a man skied down a very steep mountain and plunged over a cliff. His guide raced after him, and the guide, too, plunged over the very same cliff. This story is laden with meaning --- a tale of tragic deaths, an allegory of risk and responsibility. Whose fault was this great tragedy? Was it the fault of the man who hired the guide to take him to one of the most dangerous places imaginable so that he could enjoy the thrill of extreme skiing? Or, was it the fault of the guide whose brilliance in skiing steep slopes had created a very healthy business to satisfy the cravings of those seeing danger? Perhaps it was no one's fault. Perhaps it was a consequence of the deepest human desire to push the edge of knowledge --- knowing how close you can get to the edge without falling, knowing how fast you can go at what pitch of the slope without going off the edge. How do you know the limits of that question unless you try? But, what risk is acceptable, when does pushing the envelop go from being daring and courageous to being just plain stupid? There's a thin line between brilliance and arrogance. I'm not suggesting the skiers crossed it. Nor am I suggesting answers to these questions. I am suggesting the boundaries of the terrain through which you will guide others. I am suggesting that humility is a necessary part of being a good guide, indeed, a true symbol of brilliance.

Never be afraid to claim your brilliance, to announce your achievement. Never be so arrogant as to assume that there's nothing left to learn. Use your great brains to make wise choices. Share your wisdom with those who cannot see the edge quite so clearly. Remember the teachers who helped you reach this lofty place today. Remember the parents, the family members, the friends and loved ones who were guides for you along the way. Thank them, thank them with your words, your actions, your fidelity to their lessons long after this triumphant day.

Congratulations!