At a pair of welcoming ceremonies tinged with tradition and the buoyancy of beginnings, university leaders on Monday greeted Yale's newest undergraduate and graduate students with words of encouragement - and a challenge to revel in the uncertainty that comes with every worthwhile endeavor.
As students and their families sat in the morning sunshine of Cross Campus for the Yale College Class of 2030 Opening Assembly, President Maurie McInnis noted the extraordinary opportunities for academic accomplishment and personal growth that go with a Yale education - as well as the disconcerting nature of the unknown.
"What will define your Yale education is freedom," McInnis said. "The freedom of intellectual exploration. We want all of you to commit yourselves to a kind of egalitarian curiosity, one that embraces every variety of knowledge, and debates even the most agreeable assumptions."
For 1,650 members of Yale College's entering Class of 2030, representing 52 U.S. states and territories and 67 countries, the annual Opening Assembly marked the formal beginning of their Yale experience. Hundreds of guests, including family members, friends, and other members of the Yale community, also attended the ceremony.
