Keynote speaker addresses crowd at New Student Convocation
A. Sue Weisler
Keynote speaker Philip Gelsomino, lecturer in finance and accounting in the Saunders College of Business and recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty, spoke during New Student Convocation on Aug. 22 in the Gordon Field House. Below is the full text of his speech:
Thank you Provost Granberg for those kind words. On behalf of all of our faculty and staff, as well as my own family, I extend my sincere welcome to all of you - incoming students, parents, grandparents, family, and friends. I am truly honored to be here with you, but truth be told, I was nervous and worried about speaking this morning. Not because I didn’t know what I wanted to say, but because I thought I was the only thing standing between you and lunch. ou can imagine how relieved I was when I saw today’s agenda and realized that President Munson, not me, is the one standing between us and lunch.
Knowing that, you’d think my nerves would be settled, but they aren’t. I’m still worried how I’ll possibly have enough time to say everything I want in the next ten minutes, and if anything I say will make any sense by the time I’m done. Well, ready or not, here we go!
This morning we’ve heard from Dr. Johnson about what the “RIT Experience” represents and from Bobby Moakley about all the extracurricular opportunities that exist here at RIT. o the students here today - I would imagine your heads are spinning with information and no doubt you’re already trying to figure out what interests you. Could it be a particular academic club, intramural sports team, will you work here on campus, or maybe even be part of Greek Life?
To the parents here today – I would imagine that you’re wondering, and worrying, how your child will have any time to study and learn with all these potential distractions. Well I have good news for both students and parents. You’re not alone. As faculty and staff members, we wonder and worry about the same thing. How will you balance all these things and will you seek us out to help you sort through all the opportunities you have here at RIT?
To the students I simply say – Get involved. Do it all. Experience everything that RIT and our region has to offer you during your time here. To the parents I say – “on’t panic or argue with your child, but rather encourage your child to get involved with activities that they show an interest in, and support them in finding activities that will take them outside of their comfort zone.
I should disclose an important fact about myself at this point. I consider myself a realist. I’m not an optimist and I’m certainly not a pessimist. Based on that fact, I’m pretty sure I know what most of you are thinking right now; “Sure Philip – it’s easy for you to say ‘get involved’ but I don’t know anyone here, and I’m not an outgoing person.” Well, actually, it is easy for me to say, but even easier for you to do.
You don’t go through life alone. You don’t work alone. You can’t interact alone and you certainly don’t exist on campus alone. Rather, together, as part of the RIT Family, we support each other, learn from each other, and grow as individuals based on our knowledge and life experiences. Being part of the RIT Family is the experience of a lifetime - so I encourage each of you to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people. Yes, that means the loud ones (like me), the quiet ones, the athletes, the nerds, and of course let’s not forget, the scariest of all people here on campus - the professors.
Thirty six years ago this month I arrived here on campus as a freshman enrolled in our Electrical Engineering program. Of course this building did not exist and there was no shuttle bus service. Living in the residence halls with three students to a single room (the infamous ‘triple’ as we called it) presented itself with all sorts of challenges but it also provided endless opportunities.
Looking back and thinking about my roommates and our different backgrounds, I realize that Residence Life could not have selected three more different people from such different backgrounds to be roommates. One of my roommates was very quiet and shy, the other was absolutely set in his ways, and then there was me – the one who had enough energy and motivation to fill this entire building. What we learned over time was to listen to each other, learn from each other, and most important to us was that we respected our social and cultural differences.
Figuring out roommate personalities and meeting other students who live close by is pretty cool but the real fun is in the classroom. The classroom presents itself with two new opportunities that the residence halls don’t.
Of course one opportunity is to meet other students who are in the class with you. Some of them may have the same major as you, but many of them will not. Each student will bring to class a different perspective and I’m sure that at some point you’ll be working on a group project together. So don’t be afraid to say hello and introduce yourself, by name. It’s such a great feeling when someone sees you and greets you by name, isn’t it?
The second opportunity the classroom presents is what I referred to earlier, that scariest thing of all, the professor. While I don’t believe professors are scary at all, I have been told by some students that they are afraid to speak to their professors because they don’t know how to approach them, and, when their professors reach out to them, they don’t respond. Not much has really changed in that regard over the past 36 years because when I first arrived here my professors scared me, too.
But let’s think about it.
As a student, you selected RIT. You made a conscious decision to earn your degree here. Unless you’re a diehard snowboarder, you could have chosen a university located in a warmer climate, that’s for sure. Seriously though, you chose RIT no doubt for our reputation, research opportunities, focus on applied knowledge, and co-op program, but whether you realize it or not, indirectly you chose RIT because of the professors, who are an integral part of your entire RIT Experience.
Since you made the decision to join the RIT Family, I urge you to get to know your professors not only on an academic but on personal level as well. We expect you to welcome us into your network and believe it or not, we benefit from getting to know you and your individual interests. Knowing what excites you allows us to balance our teaching styles to deliver both theory and application in a manner that includes your participation.
We want you to take this opportunity to enhance your creativity, innovation, and knowledge, by talking regularly with us. hat doesn’t mean you have to show up at office hours every week, it just means that you should be just as comfortable talking to us about what interests you, as you are a friend. That’s what we strive for, so why not join in from day one and make each interaction you have with your professors a meaningful one.
My overarching message is simple.
Make developing a relationship with your professors a priority and allow us to work with you in exploring your inquisitiveness, allow us to help you hone your skills, and welcome us to join the journey with you that takes you out of your comfort zone. It’s risky, we all know that. But generally speaking - the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Today begins a new chapter of your life - but remember, it’s just one moment in time. I encourage you to be honest and accountable, be willing to understand and adapt to a university that is filled with diversity, and always be the person who takes the initiative to collaborate and make new friends not only with your peers, but with your professors as well.
Together with your parents and family, your peers, the RIT faculty, staff, alumni, and Board of Trustees, our dream is that you cultivate relationships, get out of your routine and make community a priority, build and protect your personal brand, and most of all, with the support of everyone connected to RIT, here in the United States and across the world, discover your passion and pursue it relentlessly.
I wish you great success throughout your journey and welcome you to the RIT Family.
Go Tigers!