August 23, 2007

Good Morning! I am delighted to be here with you this morning.

What you are doing is truly important in at least three ways, external, internal,
and personal: First, your activities help make UConn an outstanding place for undergraduate education. Our reputation is rising rapidly, and you are the basis
for our reputation; this is your external contribution. Second, it's important for the fellow students whose lives you will touch and change; this is your internal contribution.
And, finally, it's important for you yourselves who, through your activities, will change your own lives and give them more meaning and direction; that's your personal gift
to yourself.

Speaking for the UConn administration, I would like to say that we are deeply grateful. I am also delighted to welcome your very fine keynote speaker, Martin Sybblis,
a UConn alum about whom you will hear more shortly, but who is a clearly a role model for you all as peer mentors and student leaders. We are honored by his presence. But before we get to Martin Sybblis's talk I would like to ask you to think
a bit about the theme of this year's conference.

When I received this year's Peerfest Theme, "Mentoring, Leadership, and You,"
I was intrigued because the first two terms, mentoring and leadership, appear to contradict each other. The word "mentor" actually comes from a character's name
in one of world literature's most famous works, Homer's Odyssey. Mentor was the wise counselor to the hero, Odysseus, and Odysseus also made him tutor to his son, Telemachus. Mentor's counsel was considered especially wise because Athena,
the goddess of wisdom, would occasionally take possession of Mentor and speak through him (I wish I could get that kind of help!) So Mentor's job was to give counsel to important leaders like Odysseus and future leaders like Telemachus; he wasn't
a leader himself.

When we consider the meaning of the word "leader," we generally think of someone who directs, manages, or commands, like a general on a battlefield or a corporate CEO, or like Odysseus who received his advice from Mentor. How, then, are the students in this audience suppose to be both, the wise counselor or mentor and the leader who manages and directs? The answer lies in the third term of today's theme, the word "You."

Another very wise ancient Greek, Socrates, is famous for this piece of advice,
"Know thyself," and I notice that one of your sessions today is called "Developing
an Accurate View of Yourself." Only when you know who you are, what you want,
and what your strengths and weaknesses are can you mentor others by providing them with wise counsel or act wisely as a leader yourself. People are multi-faceted, and we all play many roles in our lives, so sometimes you need to be the mentor and sometimes the leader, but neither will succeed if it is not based on a sound knowledge of your own character and values.

My hope for you today is that you will make discoveries about yourself that will allow you to be both a mentor and a leader. We look forward to your achievements in both mentoring and leading over this next academic year. Thank you for being here and participating, and have a wonderful year!

Thank you.