As President of Tufts, I get to do lots of fun things - preside over matriculation and commencement, welcome people as varied as Billy Joel and Bill Clinton to campus, help crown the homecoming queen, run with students - I could go on. But one of the most fun things I get to do is to travel around the country to meet with alumni. And, like meeting with students, I always learn something when we get together.
This past year I visited 18 different cities speaking to alumni. I met alumni from the classes of 1931 up through 2001 and everything in between. Exactly 70 years on the Hill, almost half the total time that Tufts has existed.
Clearly our alumni share many common experiences. For each, Tufts has been a place where they grew and matured in many ways - intellectually, personally, emotionally. Most have stories to tell about professors that they will remember for the rest of their lives, teachers who have touched them deeply. Many alumni describe how Tufts prepared them for the world in ways that they could not have imagined while they were students. Nearly all tell stories about friendships forged that have endured for decades. I have also met lots of couples that met each other right here on the Hill and a few who met at alumni events - another reason to stay connected to Tufts.
I think few students pass through Tufts unscathed. All are changed by their experiences here. Mark Twain had a pithy way of describing the college years. He recalled meeting a young man who had just graduated. He asked him what he learned. The response: "Not much, but my parents seemed to have learned an awful lot in the four years that I was away."
Another interesting perspective that one gains from talking to alumni is how much Tufts has changed through the years. We take much for granted about this place, but the only thing that really seems constant is change.
For example, alumni from the period before World War II describe how they routinely commuted to campus. Back then Tufts had very little housing. We were literally a commuter school. While we have not solved all of our housing problems in the intervening years, we have made substantial progress.
I have also heard stories about the reservoir that used to occupy the green in front of what is now Carmichael, the golf course that used to be located down Hill, the Crane Theological Seminary (now the home of the Ex College), the fire that destroyed Barnum and Jumbo ... I could go on.
I have also heard lots of complaints from alumni about things that they believe ought to be changed .... like the absence of a campus center (done), the need for a better library (done), better dorm food (certainly improved), the need for a hockey rink and boat house for crew (both far better than they used to be), etc.
Sometimes people complain not about what hasn't changed, but what has. My favorite is the alumnus who was quite upset about the elimination of the door exiting Ballou that once existed on the east side of the building facing the chapel. I received a long letter on this topic. I guess some people really have a hard time with change.
Some of the most poignant stories have come from minority alumni from years past. Perhaps because I am Jewish, I have heard quite a few stories from Jewish alumni who describe a campus in which Jews were once limited in number by policy, often required to live together, and not always welcome in all living groups. These alumni are pleased to hear about the important role that Hillel now plays on campus. Our alumni of color are also pleased to learn how their numbers have grown in both our student body and the faculty. While we still have issues to deal with, Tufts is a far more diverse and welcoming place than it was in years past, including the relatively recent past.
For those of you who are graduating, I suspect you too will grumble to future presidents (maybe even me) about changes that need to be made or that you believe should not have been made to your beloved Tufts. When you return here for your fifth reunion, the campus will look different. By then, we should have a new music building, a new dormitory, a new biomedical research building in Boston, some additional housing for graduate students - all of these projects are already in the works. No doubt, there will be other physical changes, and also changes to the curriculum, to student organizations, maybe even to some long standing traditions.
Great universities are vibrant and organic institutions. They must adapt and change if they are to continue to thrive. I hope for those of you who are graduating when you return to campus you will both recognize the familiar, but also be pleasantly surprised by the new. And please don't be too hard on the president. She will be doing the best job she can.
I have truly enjoyed getting to know you this year. Best of luck to all of you, and please keep in touch.
Lawrence S. Bacow is finishing his first year as president of Tufts University.
