“Humanity does not pass through phases as a train passes through stations: being alive, it has the privilege of always moving yet never leaving anything behind. Whatever we have been, in some sort we are still.”

– C.S. Lewis, The Allegory of Love (London, 1936)

At our opening Convocation, we embraced, as a community, the newest members of the Albright family, the 455 members of the class of 2009. During the traditional pinning ceremony they received the insignia of their membership that made them, quite literally, the newest links in the chain of a wonderful heritage – not just of the 150-year-long tradition of Albright College but of the liberal arts themselves. The extraordinary potential of the newest members of our family reminds us that we also celebrate the becoming of Albright as we carry this heritage into the future.

Our Sesquicentennial Celebration (You might as well get used to it. You’re going to hear that polysyllabic Latin word until the end of 2006!) is not just a celebration of the past – our theme is “History in the Making.” In this special year we will celebrate not only who we have been, but who we are today, and who we hope to be in the future. There is much to celebrate!

We celebrate our longevity – the faith, the vision and the labor of those who believed in higher education against all the pressures of society in the mid-nineteenth century.

We celebrate with grateful hearts the many gifts and sacrifices that have been made to nurture and grow this place over 150 years – from our courageous and visionary founders to the many benefactors who continue to support us today.

We celebrate the power of the liberal arts and the transforming effects they can have on individual lives. In a culture that appears to worship only the newest, new thing, we celebrate the ancient sources of our educational values. The liberal arts are rooted in ancient learning and ancient wisdom that has been passed down through the centuries, but continually adapted to the ever-changing needs of contemporary American society.

We celebrate our faculty, the creative and generous-spirited architects of our distinctive curriculum with its robust inter- disciplinary character and the nurturers of our students. And we celebrate the energetic Albright staff who sustain the environment that makes our work possible.

We also celebrate all of the thoughtful, generous and caring individuals who have invested their time, their talent and their treasure in our work for 150 years. Our continuing challenge is to build upon this legacy and make it stronger.

Above all, we celebrate our mission. We are a private, independent college dedicated to serving the public interest and serving the larger society of which we are a part. As we look out on the world today and see the terrible pain and suffering caused by intolerance, ignorance, bigotry and hatred, we know our liberal arts mission has never been more needed. There is much darkness around us, but here there is light.

So, to the Class of 2009 and to all generations of Albrightians, to the faculty and staff, to our many friends, we invite you to celebrate the past 150 years, to help write the next chapters in the history of Albright College, and to be beacons of light for the next 150 years. The best is yet to come!

Lex O. McMillan III, Ph.D.
President