President's Blog: From the Heart

By Eric F. Spina

(President Eric Spina delivered these remarks to the Class of 2027 at the New Student Convocation on Aug. 19, 2023.)

Good morning, all you beautiful Flyers! Welcome to the University of Dayton! Your University of Dayton.

Class of 2027, look around at the people in your lives joining you today — your parents, guardians, siblings. Through their love and support, they have helped develop you for this moment — the moment when you take that first step on a life-changing journey. Let’s give a round of applause to thank those who have helped prepare you for your career at UD.

Parents and guardians: I understand that this is a day full of a range of emotions. As the father of two relatively recent college graduates, I know so well the mixture of emotions you are feeling today — pride, happiness and, yes, a little nervousness about letting go. Trust me, it does get easier, and I hope it eases your mind that here at UD, we take seriously our care for — and our responsibility to develop — the whole person. This is a sacred bond, our commitment to your child and to you.

Now, a few words to you, our newest students.

You are starting a journey that will change your world, expand your horizons, and help you become the person you are meant to be: A caring, competent, and compassionate professional in the Marianist tradition. A servant-leader. A student for life, ready to adapt and change in a world that can seemingly change overnight.

Your class will graduate as community builders and changemakers and enter a global workplace that urgently needs your knowledge, idealism, energy, and optimism. Above all, it needs your faith — and commitment — that you will work together to design and build a world that’s equitable for all.

That’s your destiny. Your future — and, as importantly, the world’s future — is yours for the shaping.

Why do I know the days that await hold such promise for your class?

Because I know the transformative power of a UD education. On our campus, you will live and learn together in community. Your professors will encourage you and mentor you — and dare you to dream big, to imagine what might be, and then work to achieve the extraordinary. You will grow in your own faith and in your respect for those of differing faiths and cultures. You will make friends that you will hold close in your hearts for the rest of your lives.

I want you to work hard over the next four years, but I encourage you to savor the moments outside the classroom, too. Find peace in watching breathtaking sunsets over Stuart Field. Pop into the chapel between classes and sit in reverent silence for a moment to pray and reflect. Discover new passions through involvement in student organizations or intramural teams. Attend campus musical performances, athletic contests, and academic lectures.

In other words, show up.

I’ve been in higher education for 35 years, and I can give you two hours worth of advice as you start your journey, but I’ll limit it to just two words: show up.

Showing up is 95 percent of what it takes to succeed — at this university and in life.

When you show up — to class, to team meetings, to office hours, to study sessions — you will persevere and you will succeed.

So, show up, show up, show up. 

As you settle into life in your new home, you’ll quickly discover you’re part of a community that will support and challenge one another. In our Catholic, Marianist tradition, we value collaboration, prize diversity, and treasure the gifts of all — and call on you to do the same.

That’s because this is your community, and we are always, always stronger together.

You’ll find that our community is diverse in multiple ways. Many of you are first-generation students. Some come from small farming communities in Ohio. Others were brought up in big cities like Chicago and New York. Still others have left their home countries to study here. You will meet people of various races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, religions, and political thought. You will make new kinds of friends and learn more from those relationships than you thought possible about the world beyond your home street. Don’t be scared of the differences, EMBRACE them! And strive to LEARN from people different from yourself. Nothing will prepare you better for the world you’ll enter after graduation.

I ask you to face each day with an open mind and an open heart. Always respect the dignity of every member of our community, as defined by their identity, their background, and their beliefs. That sounds like such a basic concept, like God’s commandment to love one another. Yet, in practice, sometimes we stumble. When we hurt one another — consciously or unconsciously — show humility, seek grace, work to repair the hurt, and recommit to making our community more inclusive and welcoming for all.

I’ll close my remarks with this assurance to you and your loved ones: the future holds every possibility you hold in your hearts today. I cannot wait to see you reach high and achieve your dreams. May God bless you and keep you in his grace.

Welcome, Flyers! And remember: show up!

And now please welcome Tierra Freeman, a fabulous senior marketing major who has truly sampled the richness of UD’s community and contributed her considerable skills and talents to make UD better. She will offer a few words about how to make the most of your experience in the UD community.