NITZSCHKE'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Dr. Dale F. Nitzschke was inaugurated Thursday as the 16th president of Southeast Missouri State University. The following is the text of his inauguration speech.

Before I begin my remarks, I want to take a moment to recognize some of the many people who are such an important part of this or any university.

You know, someone once likened the structure of a university to that of an orchestra: The president as the conductor, the faculty and staff as the musicians, the Board of Regents as a vigilant and demanding critic, and the students and the public as the ticketholders.

There is much truth in that little metaphor, and that is why this inauguration week was properly designed not to praise the conductor, but to celebrate the ongoing performance of this great orchestra that we call Southeast Missouri State University.

So let me begin by doing what any honest conductor would do: recognizing the crucial components of the orchestra and asking them to take a bow.

First, the primary ticketholders, our students: American students and our international students, black students and white students, Hispanic students, Asian-American students and Native American students, male students and female students, straight students and gay students, traditional students and non-traditional students, students challenged with physical disabilities and students in perfect physical condition.

We must never forget that we are here today, and every day, all of us, only because of our students.

The late A. Bartlett Giamatti, when he was president of Yale, once wrote, "A liberal education is at the heart of a civil society, and at the heart of a liberal education is the act of teaching."

So the second group I want to recognize today are the players in our orchestra, those who facilitate the teaching and learning process and those who engage every day in the all important act of teaching.

And finally, the third group I want to recognize today are the friends, supporters, and critics of higher education.

Realizing that no great orchestra can exist merely on support from those who buy tickets, neither can a great university. Both can thrive only if they have the financial and moral support of dedicated patrons ... and the critics who keep us focused.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to say just a few words about what this occasion means to me and what I think it means for the university and for all of higher education.

An inauguration is much more than a ceremony marking a "change of command." It is a celebration of continuity. That's why I am particularly pleased to see so many former presidents of the university, former board members, and so many of our emeriti faculty and staff here today. Their presence underscores the fact that the excellence of today's Southeast Missouri State University is clearly built upon a solid foundation laid down by those who came before us.

And clearly, much of what this university has always done, we must continue to do in the coming years.

This institution has always emphasized the teaching of undergraduates and a broad foundation in the liberal arts for every student, and it will continue to do so.

This institution has provided needed services for the schools and businesses of Southeast Missouri, and it will continue to do so.

This institution has historically provided a cultural foundation for Southeast Missouri, enhancing the region's quality of life and thereby helping it become a magnet for economic development, and it will continue to do so.

For nearly a century and a quarter, then, this institution has been dedicated to serving this region and this state and it will continue to do so.

But we must do more than continue what we have done so well in the past and are doing so well today. As the theme of our inaugural activities reminds us, we must begin "creating tomorrow."

Implicit in that theme is the expectation that tomorrow will be different from yesterday, and implicit in that notion is the expectation that Southeast Missouri State University must be different than it was yesterday if it is to succeed in meeting the needs and demands of the 21st century.

It is only right that we focus on tomorrow, for in the words of the great philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, "The task of a university is the creation of the future... ." And if our task is to create the future and prepare our students to live in it, it is incumbent upon educators that we understand the critical needs of the 21st century, for if we do not, how can we possibly address those needs?

What is certain about the future as it affects higher education? There are several things of which we can be sure.

First, the future, unlike the past, will not be production-based, it will be information-based.

Everyone who hopes to get a good job will need to be literate, to be able to access information, to be able to think creatively, and to be able to communicate well.

To function in the information age, the general public, as well as future leaders, will need a broad general education in history, geography, politics, science, and the cultural arts.

In other words, an increasingly larger percentage of our population will have need of post-secondary liberal arts education.

Therefore, if our region is to prosper in the 21st century, we here in Southeast Missouri, and all institutions of higher education in this country, must foster greater appreciation for education at all levels, and we must promote much greater participation in higher education.

Secondly the future will be highly technical. A much higher percentage of our population will need vocational or technical education beyond high school. Moreover, amazing new technologies will offer intriguing new opportunities for the structure and delivery of education.

Therefore, we must both take advantage of and prepare for technology if we are not to be left behind in the 21st century.

Third the future will be multicultural. We will be required to interact more with people of other nations and here at home with people of other ethnic backgrounds. Indeed, the demographers tell us that in the United States, today's minorities will become tomorrow's majority.

So universities must educate more members of minority populations and more importantly they must teach all of us, whether members of the majority or the minority, to understand and appreciate the many cultures which have made this nation great.

Therefore, this university must devote itself more urgently to the task of helping the diverse segments of our population deal with each other in a more informed and civil manner.

And fourth, the future of higher education will require partnerships and cooperation.

Our two-year and four-year colleges and universities are not separate from each other, nor are they separate from elementary and secondary education. After all, our college students come from K-12 schools, and many of them return to those very schools to teach.

Therefore, Southeast Missouri State University and all other institutions of higher learning must work more closely with the schools and community colleges to create what we fondly refer to as a seamless web of educational excellence. In other words, none of us can afford to go it alone.

These and others, then, are the issues that will face us in the 21st century. And I am pleased to be able to tell you that Southeast Missouri State University has already developed a comprehensive strategic plan to grapple with them.

As the new president of the university, I salute the Board of Regents; my predecessor, Commissioner Stroup; the provost; our colleagues in the community colleges and in the region's schools; and our faculty, staff, and students for the vision expressed in that plan ... truly a plan for "creating tomorrow." I also commend our governor, here on the platform with us today, who truly is our education governor.

To return to our musical metaphor, this ensemble we call a university had already begun rehearsing for the future and was already well on its way to orchestrating tomorrow when the new conductor arrived last summer. And thus, as I officially pick up the baton, I am confident that this campus community and this region working in harmony will be able to meet the challenges which the future holds.

But there is one potentially discordant note, a note of caution which I must address before I close.

In the future, the public and our elected officials are likely to continue to demand efficiency and financial restraint from those of us in higher education ... and well they should. And we will do all we can to meet those demands, to maintain the affordability of education at Southeast by keeping administrative costs to the minimum.

But though we pledge to continue to use our resources wisely, the truth is that we must also work to increase those resources by seeking both public and private funds.

As a society, we must renew our collective commitment to public education. We must heed the advice of Walter Lippman, who once wrote: "We have learned that we are quite rich enough to defend ourselves, whatever the cost. We must now learn that we are quite rich enough to educate ourselves as we need to be educated."

We can afford to do no less, because education, as never before, is the key to creating tomorrow. And, just as our sister institutions represented here today are the key to the future of the regions they serve, Southeast Missouri State University is the key to the future of the region we are privileged to serve.

Perhaps the poet John Masefield best expressed the value of this or any other university in the following words, which I'd like to leave with you.

"There are few earthly things more splendid than a university.

It is a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know,

Where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see,

Where seekers and learners alike, banded together in the search for knowledge, will honor thought in all its finer ways.

There are few earthly things more splendid than a university.

Wherever a university stands, it stands and shines;

Wherever it exists, the free minds of men and women, urged on to full and fair inquiry, may still bring wisdom into human affairs."

Linda and I are very, very proud to join you and to be a part of the future of this splendid university.