19 October 2004
Barclay Simpson and Susan E. Jeffords
Words at an investiture
John B. Simpson was installed as the 14h president of University at Buffalo in a huge ceremony on October 15. There was a great deal of speechification, the most interesting of which, other than John B. Simpson's own (Academic Excellence and Access: The University at Buffalo in the 21st Century Higher Education Arena), was by Simpson's father (who spoke about the need to broaden who gets access to what a university has to offer) and Simpson's former colleague at the University of Washington Susan E. Jeffords (who spoke of the critical place of the humanities in a modern university).
Comments by Barclay Simpson, chairman of the San Francisco-based Simpson Manufacturing Co. and father of John B. Simpson, on Oct.15, 2004 at the investiture of John B. Simpson as the 14th president of the University at Buffalo:
Thank you. I gather that [applause] is because I had something to do with John’s being here. You know, you’ve come a long way … and I won’t discuss any earlier things. When John asked me to say a few words at this important occasion, he emphasized the word “few.” So I’m going to keep it short because I learned when he was growing up that his eyes glazed if I instructed him with more than just a handful of words. And I certainly do not think I can add much to the knowledge of an intellectual group like this one.
But I am delighted to be here and to know that he is so delighted with his new job. I know that he took this job because his rather complete examinations and analyses showed him that SUNY Buffalo was an outstanding research and educational institution and he thought that with the help of an outstanding faculty and staff, he could take it higher.
In an effort to find something significant to say in my few minutes here, I hauled out all my quotation books to look for something on education and of course, there were a jillion quotes. But one in particular I thought was very interesting and one I should pay attention to and that was .John Kenneth Galbraith. And he said that on speeches on occasions like this one that speakers must eschew anything that smacks of partisan politics, political preference, sex, religion or unduly firm opinion. So I can’t make any comments on President Bush’s intellect, plus or minus, nor can I discuss John’s sex life or other interesting subjects.
But in addition to being a strong supporter of higher education, I hope and I certainly trust that in this group it will not be an unduly controversial opinion to say that I’m a firm believer that if we do not do a better job of educating inner-city kids in poverty-level areas, we’re due for big trouble and not too far down the line, either. We won’t have to turn on the TV to see crime of all kinds; it will be all around us. People who are lucky enough to graduate from a first-class public university or any first-class university like this one need to realize that they have an obligation to help educate the less unfortunate or their kids and grandkids are going to pay a heavy price. I would hope that the atmosphere of this outstanding university is conducive to making its students feel that obligation toward the less fortunate.
Thank you very much, I am absolutely delighted to be here and to meet so many interesting people and to hear those great things about my son.
Comments by Susan E. Jeffords, professor of English and women's studies and vice provost for academic planning at the University of Washington, on Oct.15, 2004 at the investiture of John B. Simpson as the 14th president of the University at Buffalo:
It is indeed a great pleasure and true honor for me to be here today to share with all of you this extraordinary experience. I bring, on behalf of my many colleagues at the University of Washington, our greetings, our most heartfelt congratulations and our best wishes both to John Simpson and Katherine Gower on the occasion of John Simpson’s investiture as the president of this very distinguished university.
I had the privilege of working with John Simpson when he was dean of arts and sciences and it is, trust me, an extraordinary experience. He is an amazing leader who brings vision, power of intellect, kindness and generosity and a steadfast friendship to all of his academic relationships, and I came to respect and honor him very deeply.
As anyone here under the age of 25 knows, the world is just a click away on the Internet, on a computer, on a cell phone. And that world is changing rapidly. But while all of these devices of technology and science may link us together, they do not connect us as human beings. What connects us as human beings are the values, the passions, the commitments, the societies and cultures that we share. And that technology does not give us those experiences, it perhaps enables them. What gives us those experiences are the humanities and the arts, which give us an opportunity to see the world from someone else’s eyes, to learn from another perspective, to see and hear the voices that have not been heard before.
So as a humanities scholar, I have come to really appreciate and value the role that the humanities and arts play in higher education and I came to appreciate the leadership that John Simpson showed at the University of Washington in that regard. He is, of course, a fine bench scientist, a lab rat guy, a lab rat person who understands science better than anyone. And yet it took a scientist to bring to the University of Washington the commitment to improve the humanities and the arts.
John Simpson showed extraordinary leadership in building what is one of the finest humanities centers in the country at the University of Washington. And it is that expansive vision and his ability to see that in order to educate students we must educate all of them, we must educate them for the entire world that they will face, that will make him such an extraordinary president.
I congratulate all of you on your insight, on your opportunity to have this extraordinary leader as your next president. And I welcome all of you into the community of people who love and admire John Simpson. Thank you.
Copyright 2004 by Buffalo Report, Inc.