Today marks a transition or passage in my own life and in that of my family, and it may also evidence a further evolutionary stage in the life of this great University, an accelerated evolution toward higher levels of excellence and service to this state and nation. I certainly hope so. I will do my absolute best in the years ahead. I approach the 150th anniversary of the University with a confidence borne of deep respect for our government leaders, the Board of Regents, and our splendid faculty and staff. Most importantly, I have faith in our students, those sons and daughters of Minnesota, who are our sole reason for being.

But the year 1997 marks more than a personal triumph or an institutional milestone. We are only a few short years away from a new century--the birth of a new millennium.

Only one other University president faced a new century. That man was Cyrus Northrop, the second president of the University of Minnesota, for whom this auditorium was named.

Northrop was a lawyer, editor-in-chief of the New Haven Connecticut Daily Palladium, and a teacher of rhetoric and English literature at Yale College. He was said to be conciliatory and congenial and ecumenical in his approach to education. He owned no "pet theories" and distrusted intellectual visions not rooted in educational realities. (Gray 53) He also loved practical jokes, and he was caught one night "lying on the floor of the library blowing the smoke of a forbidden cigar up the chimney." (Gray 71) The appointment of a lawyer-president is itself a once-every-100-year occurrence; one can only speculate about the reasons for this gross underrepresentation!

President Northrop treated the faculty like family, and they never needed an appointment to see him. (Gray 55) But he was a man of action. During his presidency, the number of buildings on campus grew from 3 to more than 30--many of which we now seek to preserve for posterity. Those buildings housed an increased number of colleges and professional schools--and a newly established Graduate School. He expanded the faculty, and under his leadership the student body grew from 310 men and women to more than 5,000. His administrative needs were minimal: he shared his office with the registrar (the only other University officer) and employed a half-time secretary. Total University expenditures were less than $300,000 in 1897, and there was a handsome surplus. This "golden age" of University governance, described by one historian as a "benevolent dictator[ship]" and characterized by peace and humanity, like the Garden of Eden itself, would soon pass. (Gray 73)

In other respects, Northrop's problems sound familiar. General Henry H. Sibley, the president of the Board of Regents that hired Northrop, spoke at the inauguration and admonished the audience that under the new administration "there will be no excuse for a citizen of Minnesota to send his sons and daughters to other states to finish their education, when equal advantages are proffered them at home, freely and without price." The message is the same today except for the reference to "freely and without price." Another big controversy on campus and across the state was the need for a "power house." The matter was settled (but only for 90 years) by a new steam plant constructed on the Mississippi River in 1903. A new football coach was appointed in 1896, but in 1897 the team won only one game. The blame was laid at the doorstep of "management"--and we all know who that was!

Northrop had another problem I do not expect to face, and I quote:

When I came, I found the University was not especially popular in the state, and in its relations with the Legislature it was somewhat in the position of a man on trial for some criminal offense. (Meler E1)

The University has become a much bigger enterprise since the halcyon days of Northrop in 1897--one of the nation's most comprehensive land-grant institutions: nearly 49,000 students on four campuses; 3,300 or so tenured and tenure-track faculty; 351 buildings; and more than 10,000 graduates a year. The annual budget is more than $1.5 billion, compared to $275,000 a century ago.

If Northrop presided over a small family band, generally playing the same melodies in the same keys, the president now presides over a symphony orchestra, with occasional periods of cacophony. I office alone. It takes several office generals to keep me marching to tightly scheduled appointments. The budget is not only formal but also formidable in length and complexity. And dictatorship, benign or otherwise, is well beyond my grasp.

The faculty is a full participant in a shared system of governance--and rightfully so. And students? In Northrop's time it was said that the students had "their own opinions," never rebelled against the authority of the University. Alas.

The state of Minnesota has changed dramatically as well. We have grown from 1.7 million souls to more than 4.6 million--although the rest of the country has kept up, and we still rank 20th. But where we were once rural--40 percent farmers and loggers--we are now largely urban and less than 5 percent of our jobs are with the land.

Our economy and our people are increasingly diverse, working in service jobs, well-educated, healthy, and long-lived. While agriculture and manufacturing remain extremely important, we have entered the postmodern era when information and knowledge are the bellwethers of our economic future. The future of agronomy, manufacturing, computer software, finance, medical devices, publishing, mass media, retail trade--all areas of economic activity--depend on the intellectual capital of the state. The ideas and creativity of our citizens are Minnesota's most valuable resource. As one wag put it, we are all producers of "knowledge burgers."

But today it is even clearer that our greatest strength is also the state's greatest need. For almost 150 years the University has been in the knowledge and information business. Whether in devising new methods to process taconite, inventing new health treatments like pacemakers and replacement heart valves, or developing disease-resistant crops, the University's contribution has resided in conceiving and implementing ideas. Now, more than at any time in the history of Minnesota, the fortunes of the state and its only land-grant research university are intertwined, symbiotic, and codependent; we will rise or fall together.

How should the University adapt to the revolutionary and evolutionary changes in society and the economy? It is expected these days that the president of any large-scale institution have a concrete vision for the future. I was asked for my vision for the University from the moment I set foot in Minnesota. Perhaps it was Goldy who first whispered the words to me at the airport as I arrived for my interview, asking for my vision of the role of golden gophers in the 21st century.

I view the process of developing a coherent vision for the University as one that is incremental, participative, not bounded in time, and subject to constant revision and adjustment. In my judgment, the process itself, inspired by presidential and Board of Regents' leadership, is likely to be more important than the finished product, for the primary value lies in encouraging broad elements of the faculty, staff, and students to engage in a serious dialogue over the future of the University. The articulation of a vision is both bottom up and top down. Equally important, that process should rely on the active involvement of the people of Minnesota and their community and elected leaders. The governor and members of the legislature are critical contributors; they, too, have an enormous stake in the success of the University. The same is true for the business community, labor, agricultural groups, and other important constituencies.

If war is too important to be left to the generals, then education is too important to be left only to professional educators. University administrators have not yet cornered the market in acumen and foresight; a monologue will not suffice. We must have a vision that is both ecumenical and distinctly Minnesotan, both national and international, neither parochial nor oblivious to the heritage of a great land-grant university. We should aspire to a vision of immersion in all things Minnesotan, because a vision--to be sustainable--must resonate with the deepest impulses of our people. Regents and academic leaders must listen as well as talk, learn as well as educate.

Having said that, I do not intend to announce a vision for the University today. The future and the paths leading to it are unclear; sufficient time has not elapsed; too little dialogue has taken place. More important than vision at this point are deep-rooted values and long-term goals. Political leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill teach us this, as do the spiritual giants Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, and Mahatma Gandhi. And the most successful corporations in America are characterized by their enviable cultural values, commitment to those values, and sensible goals. So, too, of academic leaders. As Clark Kerr, president emeritus of the University of California System once said, a university president is "the central mediator among the values of the past, the prospects for the future, and the realities of the present." (Kerr 37)

Values are important because great universities are not built on unbridled pragmatism and opportunism. There must be something solid at the core of our striving. And we need to enunciate our values, because any vision is fragile, dependent on the vagaries of the future and the serendipity of good fortune. We seek clarity in a vision, and yet are surrounded by ambiguity. Who knows what our scientists will discover in the years ahead? What will be the future preferences and career choices of students? What transformations in the various disciplines and in the training of professors will occur? Who in 1897 could have anticipated the makeup of Minnesota's workforce in 1997? What will be the prosperous sectors of the economy in the year 2025? How can we predict levels of legislative support over decades when we cannot even predict appropriations for the next biennium? What new forms will university/business partnerships take? What will be the changes in the international environment? What is the long-term significance of the fall of Communism and of the continuing vitality of national sovereignty and nationalism? Where will multiculturalism take us?

These inevitable ambiguities explain the lack of success of most government-sponsored industrial policies and central planning. Note that the computer chip was a child of the space program, that the discovery of penicillin was virtually an accident, that the Internet was operational before the government ever contemplated an electronic highway. It is inevitable. The University will face unforeseen social, political, and economic developments, and, at such times, will need to maintain a focus on core values. Those core values will inform the transformation of the vision for the future. More importantly, those core values will structure our responses to opportunity and change, thereby enabling us to set long-term goals and intermediate strategies. Perhaps vision lies where values and goals intersect. Or perhaps the value-laden goals are the vision.

What are the underlying values that the University should seek to enhance, nurture, protect, and propagate? All of us know, especially if we are parents and grandparents, that the necessity for choice among values is inescapable. One hopes that one's children will learn that racism, child abuse, and violence are wrong, that democratic elections, peaceful settlement of disputes, and personal honesty are right. So, too, of universities--particularly of universities. Universities inevitably embody values in the way that they conduct themselves. And in a world of cultural fragmentation and an explosion of knowledge, where resources and human capital are scarce, no one can study all that is written, teach all that can be taught, or enroll in every course a large university can offer. Students and faculties must set priorities, and those priorities inevitably involve value choices.

The need for values reminds me of a story told by the eminent physicist Stephen Hawking in his book The History of Time. Hawking tells of a famous astronomer giving a lecture on the solar system and explaining the various forces that keep the earth in orbit. At the conclusion of the lecture, an elderly gentleman approached the lecturer and abruptly informed him that he was wrong, the earth rests on the back of a turtle. Looking for a quick victory, the astronomer asked: "And what is under the turtle?" Not missing a beat, the critic responded: "Very clever young man. It's turtles all the way down!" Without a strong foundation of values, it is "turtles all of the way down" for a university.

One critical value is community. The University should be a functioning community in which students, staff, and faculty are part of a larger whole, in which there is a sense of social obligation that transcends self-interest, and in which there is a culture of civic responsibility, civility, and tolerance.

In recent years, too many in the academy have abandoned community, with its commitment to fairness, willingness to sacrifice for the good of the entire enterprise, and a sense that we are all in this together. They have played the politics of distrust, envy, cynicism, and self-advancement. Without community the University is a frostier environment than even the coldest Minnesota day. Without community we will never achieve our higher purposes.

Second, it is fundamental--as Emmanuel Kant beautifully explained and the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States embody--that the individuals in our community be treated with equal respect. Students should be treated with respect; we should respect their aspirations and needs and try to serve them. I can't say it often enough: They are the reason we are here. Faculty opinions and perspectives need the respect of administrators and regents. And even administrators, even the Rodney Dangerfields of the academy, deserve respect. Put somewhat differently, we are all interdependent, each of us serving some need for the others. We all must continue to nurture a service mentality, premised on equal respect.

A third critical value is integrity. The need for integrity permeates every aspect of the University. The education mission of the University must be taken seriously--not just the way to get state funding. In research, we must play by the rules and treat our graduate students fairly. In our clinical medical programs, we must think of the patient first. And administrators should tell the truth, keep their word, implement what they promise, and not dissemble. My point is plain enough: Without integrity, the phrase higher education is an oxymoron.

The fourth value is the pursuit of excellence. The University must never be satisfied with less than the best. The quest for excellence should be a part of the very air we breathe. Within our resources and true to the multiple purposes of a great land-grant institution, the hydraulic that drives the University should be the quest to be outstanding, to do things as well or better than any other institution in the nation. If we sometimes fall short, it won't be for lack of trying.

In my judgment, excellence cannot be achieved without adherence to a fifth value, academic freedom. Intellectual excellence can be produced only through freedom of inquiry, freedom in the classroom, and the unfettered dissemination of research results. We should always nurture a climate in which academicians are not intimidated by outside forces, other faculty members, students, or administrators. It is no accident that the greatest discoveries have generally occurred under such conditions of freedom.

I pledge today that I will always defend academic freedom. After all, whatever the titles, I am first and foremost a member of the academy and a fellow professor. All I ask in return is that the faculty never accepts mediocrity, that it hold itself to the highest standards of intellectual and pedagogical excellence, and that it police itself for those few colleagues who fail to uphold the highest standards of our profession.

My sixth value is fairness. Minnesotans expect us to be fair in providing access to the University for their sons and daughters. If we do not provide reasonable access--including access for those who are underprepared and historically underrepresented in higher education and in the upper levels of our socioeconomic life, the taxpayers and state government of Minnesota will turn their backs on our graduate, research, and outreach functions. Simply stated, it is imperative that we continue to embrace our land-grant roots if we are to thrive.

Fairness also relates to the way the institution treats individuals and groups: fairness to our faculty in tenure decisions, fairness in the working conditions and compensation of faculty and staff; fairness in ensuring due process wherever discipline seems called for; fairness in allocating funds; and fairness in the governance structure. When making decisions, I view shared governance and consultation with constituent groups as only fair because of the enormous stake they have in the University. Without fairness there is no legitimacy and no buy in to the institutional vision.

Seventh, to the best of my recollection, no great scientific discoveries, no insightful social science tracts, and no novels have been produced in Morrill Hall (the administration building). No classes are taught in Morrill Hall. No patients are made well in Morrill Hall. My point is that we must value delegating academic and other decisions to campuses, colleges, schools, departments, and faculties. Administrators can facilitate, they can help the deans to build better English or physics or public health programs, but they cannot actually do the building. Help, or get out of the way! The great universities of the world--whether Bologna 900 years ago, Trinity College-Cambridge in the 17th century, or Stanford and Berkeley today--are highly decentralized. Without authority invested where the real work of this University is done, the light of excellence will only grow dimmer.

Eighth, the University community needs to embrace the values of change and growth and adaptation. Clark Kerr once opined that "a multiversity is inherently a conservative institution but with radical functions." In a less generous spirit, Irving Kristol remarked that "the university has been--with the possible exception of the post office--the least inventive (or even adaptive) of our social institutions since the end of World War II." (Kristol, N.Y. Times Magazine) Change, grow, adapt, or face a withering future.

There are other values we must champion as a great institution. Primary among them is diversity--the positive value of bringing people of different genders, races, religions, ethnic backgrounds, geographic areas, economic classes, experiences, and more--to the faculty, staff, and student body. Diversity not only reflects fairness but also enriches the educational environment. We broaden each individual's learning by providing a rich environment of differing perspectives, cultures, and life histories, along with a curriculum that reflects the multicultural world in which we live. I think, for example, of the brilliant Latin American poets and artists and the magnificent Givens Collection at this University, housing the great works of myriad African-American writers.

As good stewards, we will also value efficiency. And a continuous effort to improve. And preservation of our historic heritage on the four campuses.

We must also value our obligation to reach beyond the boundaries of our classrooms, libraries, and laboratories. We must value using our vast stores of knowledge to help solve the great public policy issues of the day; to help alleviate suffering; to assist in the development of aesthetic sensibilities; and to preserve the ecology of the planet. This is outreach and service where it touches and can be touched.

With these values in mind, I want to discuss a number of critical long-range goals for the University of Minnesota. This is a work in progress, but it is time for a report to the University community and the people of this state.

In terms of the future, my administration will strive, deliberately and self-consciously, to preserve the University's past, adapt to present realities, and ensure its future. We need to revitalize the Cass Gilbert plan for the University, restore the many historic buildings on the Morris and Twin Cities campuses, and open the East and West Bank facilities to the unique beauty of the Mississippi River. Facilities for the new technologies, both for research and classroom teaching, are desperately needed on all of the campuses. Equally as important, the architecture of the campuses must be people-friendly, for the physical conditions on a campus--its beauty, upkeep, safety, accessibility, and comfort--are critical elements in enhancing community and achieving academic excellence and attracting talented students, faculty, and staff. With the extraordinary support of Governor Carlson, members of the legislature, the Board of Regents, and the University community, we are on the cusp of achieving these goals, and I believe that the Minnesota Legislature will embrace our capital plan for the 21st century. I ask each of you here today to assist in these noble efforts.

Accompanying the physical reconstitution of community, there must be a cultural transformation in the administration of the University of Minnesota system and of the Twin Cities campus. In my judgment, central administration too frequently is out of touch with those whom it serves: The approach of administration should be systemic and holistic; the mottos should be "less turf-building" and "no protecting the status quo;" the emphasis should be on serving and not doing it by the book; and the process should be one of consultation and accountability to those served. In other words, we do not have an employee problem; we have a management problem. The brilliant success of Beautiful U Day is a testimony to this fact, evidencing the creativity, resourcefulness, and energy of those who labor on behalf of the University.

I already have reorganized the central administration, saving more than $600,000, and giving enhanced attention to human resources. A process of delegating more authority to campus and college administrators is in place, and this movement will be accelerated by reinvigorating traditional faculty governance through departments and deans. Decentralization will be accompanied by a new accountability system that integrates budgets and strategic planning, identifies specific goals, and adopts specific performance benchmarks. To make it work, there will be performance and planning compacts between the executive vice president and provost and the chancellors and deans. We will strive to substantially reduce the number of administrators in central administration and the dollars spent on administration. Specific targets for reduction will be announced in the coming months.

The academic culture of the University is essentially strong. We should be proud of our many outstanding departments, campuses, and professional schools. For example, Duluth is highly ranked as a regional university and for rural medicine; Morris is a leading liberal arts college in the public sector; Crookston has been path breaking in its integration of digital technologies into its curriculum; and, on the Twin Cities campus, chemical engineering, psychology, business, law, nursing, agriculture, medicine, natural resources, and public heath--among many others--are top-notch. Much remains, however, to be done. We must act smart, maximizing opportunities and realizing that tough choices need to be made. We cannot afford to do otherwise. The emphasis should be on promoting economic growth and employment in the state, preparing students for 21st century jobs, improving the health of our people, facilitating the creation of new technologies and their prompt transfer to the private sector, and ensuring that our children--of all races, genders, and family income--live as well or better than their parents.

The capital budget, and accompanying requests for supplemental funds and intracollege reallocations of resources, embody a number of broad interdisciplinary academic initiatives. I am committed to the implementation of these initiatives, although I suspect that there will be others in the future:

Biology at the molecular and cellular level is critical, and Minnesota is currently not among the top universities in this area. This initiative is a partnership among the College of Biological Sciences, the Medical School, and the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences (particularly in microbiology and plant biology). Whether in gene therapies to address children's leukemia or diabetes or in developing new, more productive, and disease-resistant crops, Minnesota must and will be a national and international leader.

A multipronged digital technology initiative is equally important, and it will involve the Crookston and Duluth campuses and virtually every department at the Twin Cities, from architecture and agriculture to engineering and social sciences. The initiative will encompass high performance computing, visualization and graphics, digital commerce, education, industrial and product design, virtual environments, modeling and simulation of manufacturing processes, and information systems. Minnesota has a thriving computer software industry and has benefited greatly by the leadership of the Minnesota High Technology Council, but much needs to be done if the state is to regain its pivotal place in the digital revolution. The Digital Summit, cosponsored with the Minnesota High Technology Council and the Minnesota Office of Technology, is a giant step forward in defining the new agenda.

A multimedia initiative to integrate the study of journalism, speech communication, television, radio, video, advertising, and public relations with new visualization technologies, animation, telecommunications, film, graphic design, development of Web sites, the Internet, and interactive technologies. This effort will strengthen an already vibrant sector of the Minnesota economy and a strong graphic design program at Duluth. Minnesota has more than 400 newspapers, 22 television stations, more than 200 Internet-related businesses, and a film industry generating about $250 million a year.

These broad interdisciplinary initiatives are not self-defining. Decisions will need to be made as to the particular areas of focus. For example, modeling and simulation in manufacturing alone could eat up the entire research budget of the University. So could electronic publication, environmental simulations, or plant research. We need to define our niches. But note the structural characteristics of the initiatives. They are programmatic and outside of the traditional departmental and college structure of the University, and they hopefully will break down some of the barriers among disciplines. This is already occurring in the faculty-driven merger of departments in the College of Biological Sciences and the Medical School. Further, the University can leverage resources by seeking federal and state research grants and by forming partnerships with industry. If long-term agreements with Minnesota businesses can be reached, the private and public sectors can jointly create the research agenda, build complimentary research capacities and teams, share research facilities, and ease the transfer of new technologies from the marketplace of ideas into the marketplace of goods and services. Thus, even as they focus on substantive research and economic growth, the initiatives have critical implications for the restructuring of the University in the 21st century.

I hasten to add that there are many other critical areas for the University. Over the last 35 years a major reason for the gradual downward slope in the U's ratings by the National Research Council, a respected evaluator of many graduate programs, is the relative decline in the humanities. A liberal education is a signature feature of the unique heritage of this University. It is the responsibility of the Board of Regents and the president to adopt administrative cost savings and other measures that will benefit humanities departments. Technological skills are crucial, but employers still need graduates who can understand complex ideas, analyze, write cogently and succinctly, communicate with those who speak another language, and engage in cultural and political discourse. We must also be mindful of our already strong programs in engineering, law, business, health, social sciences, and elsewhere. I will admit I have priorities, priorities that I am hopeful will generate substantial support from the state and the private sector. But I have no intention of benignly or otherwise neglecting the other vital components of our four campuses.

If we do the right things, the rankings by respected evaluators such as the National Research Council will take care of themselves. The right things include targeted research initiatives, better facilities, faculty salaries, and other conditions that are competitive with the best universities in the country--a first-class undergraduate program, a commitment to access across all four campuses, and competitive graduate student stipends. I predict that if we do these things, we will move from ninth among all public universities into the top 5.

As a newcomer, let me tell you a great secret about the University of Minnesota, one that you may have overlooked. It is a secret that makes me very proud to be here. The University of Minnesota system, with its 48,000 students, varied campuses and programs, University and General Colleges, partnerships with MnSCU institutions, plans for distance learning, and more, has created the best balance between access and excellence that I have observed in any public university in the country. Self-doubts are inevitable in higher education, but in this case Minnesotans should be patting each other on the back.

Some would urge the University to pull back on its land-grant responsibilities, to rein in the access programs, to abandon the General College, to minimize the importance of the University of Minnesota Extension Service and other outreach programs, tone down our efforts to strengthen elementary and secondary education, or renege on the promise of U2000 for undergraduates. But at what cost? To save so little and destroy so much? I will not support such efforts. Any short-term gain to research or graduate and professional programs occasioned by cutbacks to the core will be self-defeating. The result will be a decreased level of public support for the entire University enterprise. There will be less to share. The University is built on its undergraduate program, though it rightfully aspires to and has achieved much more. If the foundation cracks, the whole edifice is in jeopardy.

President Hasselmo well understood the importance of undergraduate education, and under his creative leadership U2000 was adopted by the Board of Regents and implemented. Undergraduate class size was reduced, more senior professors taught undergraduates, graduation and retention rates improved, more than two thirds of all freshmen were able to live on campus, and admissions procedures were dramatically improved. But there is still a great deal to do. The University needs to offer every freshman a small group classroom experience in which textual analysis, writing, rhetoric, and cooperative projects are stressed. By next year we hope to pilot a freshman seminar program. Advising needs to be improved, course sequences and offerings put in place to encourage on-time graduation, and supplemental instruction offered to those encountering academic difficulties. The U should sponsor a University-wide convocation of freshmen to encourage institutional loyalty and a sense of identification with their entering class. In accordance with the regents' instructions, new student residence halls should be put on a fast-track for construction. There is evidence that freshmen living on campus perform better academically than those who live off campus. And, a critical point, the U needs to create more incentives and rewards for outstanding teaching, particularly at the undergraduate level. In that light, I would urge the faculty and students to embrace the creation of an Academy of Distinguished Teachers, parallel to the incredibly successful Regents' Professorship program.

There are many other delicacies on my plate. Provost Bruininks and I are absolutely committed to accelerated efforts to improve pre-K through 12 education in partnership with public school leaders and to contributing to a successful higher education plan for the metropolitan area. I look forward to the upcoming fund-raising campaign by the University of Minnesota Foundation and the Minnesota Medical Foundation. I will be an active participant. The attendees at this gathering will be high on our list of those from whom to solicit support. And I certainly stand willing to work closely with Governor Carlson and legislative leaders.

In addition, I am ready to travel to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl as soon as Coach Mason works his magic. I already have blocked out time on my schedule for the NCAA Final Four in men's basketball. I cheer for our women athletes and am proud of their accomplishments this fall, and I look forward to women's hockey in the Twin Cities and at the Duluth campus. We seek excellence in every endeavor, and that includes successful men's and women's athletics programs and the academic performance of student athletes. I see athletics as a compliment to the academic program--boosting morale, pride, and the sense of community.

At an inauguration there generally is unbridled optimism for the future and a sense that all is possible. I am honored by your confidence and good will. But I also am reminded of what Clark Kerr once said of university presidents:

The university president in the United States is expected to be a friend of the students, a colleague of the faculty, a good fellow with the alumni, a sound administrator with the [regents], a good speaker with the public, an astute bargainer with the foundations and federal agencies, a politician with the state legislator, a friend of industry, labor, and agriculture, a persuasive diplomat with donors, a champion of education generally, a supporter of the professions. . . , a spokesman to the press, a scholar in his own right. . . a devotee of opera and football equally, a decent human being, [and so on]. . . .

No one can be all of these things. Some succeed at being none.

At the crossroads of expectation and reality, human fallibility and aspiration, individual will and institutional inertia, I hope that you will forgive my inevitable lapses, take joint responsibility for the nurturing of values and goals, and find comfort in the progress we make together. God bless all of you and God bless the University of Minnesota.