Message from the Dean
Dear Members of the Class of 2012:
I hope that with the submission of your Study Cards you are
feeling well underway and excited about the courses you have
selected.
Last June, at Harvard’s 357th commencement, J.K. Rowling, author
of the seven Harry Potter
books, gave a memorable address about the “benefits of failure” and
the “importance of imagination”. Because the address had such a
stunning impact on the graduating seniors and others in the
audience, like myself, I hope that you will be able to find a
moment to read
it.
Rowling’s talk reminded me of the tales swapped at a recent
college reunion. While classmates were quick to say how much they
continued to cherish relationships begun at Harvard and were, for
instance, serving as godparents for one another’s children or doing
business of one sort or another together, they also talked about
the value of “mistakes”. Someone talked about having to rewrite a
paper in graduate school, which was a colossal chore, because the
initial submission failed miserably. The new effort opened doors
never anticipated and led to a new professional focus. I thought to
myself at the time: there are good lessons in all of this for the
current freshmen (the same reaction I had in listening to Rowling’s
moving speech).
If you have spent a lot of your life trying to avoid mistakes,
that’s understandable. But I hope that you will be willing to try
new things when it’s not clear they will lead to success, and that
you will not agonize over responses to your efforts that are less
than glowing. In those moments, you may be learning the most and
may be embarking on paths, heretofore not considered, but capable
of bringing great satisfaction and joy.
Sincerely,
Tom Dingman
Dean of Freshmen