Senior Dinner

Favorite Professors

Anthony J. Ugolnik, Dr. Elijah E. Kresge Professor of English
Favorite professor in the arts and humanities

David P. Schuyler, Arthur and Katherine Shadek Professor of Humanities and American Studies
Favorite professor in the social sciences

Fronefield Crawford III, Assistant Professor of Astronomy
Favorite professor in the natural sciences

Remarks by David Schuyler

On behalf of my colleagues Tony and Frony I want to express our gratitude for the honor you have bestowed upon us. Ours is a faculty with many talented and dedicated teachers, and to be selected by you as the most influential professors in our divisions is a distinction we shall cherish.

I feel especially honored because the class of 2009 has earned a special place in my heart. I have taught many of you, and learned from you; I have walked in the Relay for Life with you; I have watched you on the playing field, or the boards of the stage, or sharing your time and talents with those less fortunate than we are; I have admired your commitment to making ours a most just and sustainable society. Saturday I'll participate in my thirtieth commencement since joining the faculty, and the annals of the college will demonstrate that you, class of 2009, have achieved remarkable success. I take enormous pride in all you have accomplished, individually and collectively.

Our first benefactor, Benjamin Franklin, wrote in his proposal for establishing a college in Philadelphia that the purpose of higher education was to inculcate in students the willingness to serve. Our president, John Fry, wants Franklin & Marshall to be the most civically engaged college in the United States. By any measure imaginable you have worked hard, and effectively, to realize that noble goal.

During this festive weekend you will be sharing time with dear friends and looking back over the last four years. But let me remind you that Saturday will mark your commencement, a word that signifies abeginning, not a culmination. As you go forward in life, as you settle into careers and have families, you will also have opportunities to serve your communities. Embrace those opportunities. Take up President Fry's challenge to make this a better world, just as you have made ours a better college while you have been here. And know that when you do so, you will exemplify what is best about Franklin & Marshall.