Interim President Scott Coltrane delivered the following remarks to the entering freshman during Convocation at Matthew Knight Arena:

Welcome to the University of Oregon. You are on your way! But your path here at the UO to earning a college degree is not just a means to an end. You are on a journey that will reward and challenge you like never before. And we, all of us, are here to help guide you on that journey.

So, you may be wondering, what is convocation and why are we wearing these robes?

Convocation, from Latin, is a "calling together," and in academia it is typically a formal, traditional ceremony. At the University of Oregon, it is our tradition in which the faculty is called together to welcome the incoming freshman class.

These robes are part of that tradition and they symbolize a community of scholars. During the Middle Ages, scholars at the earliest English and European universities wore wool or fur garments to stay warm in cold and drafty stone buildings. Early university scholars were usually poor and students could afford only the cheapest material, usually made into long black robes. Now known as the academic gown, this was the day-to-day dress of medieval university scholars on the street and in their classes. Most wore cloaks that included a hood that could be pulled up to keep their heads warm. The hood was chosen by the early scholars to indicate by color, trim or binding the degree held by the wearer.  Over time, the garment colors and styles came to identify a particular university.

Academic regalia in the United States dates back to colonial times, but is heavily influenced by these earlier European traditions. The basic code for American universities was developed in the 1890s shortly after the founding of the University of Oregon. The reason we wear academic regalia at UO convocation, and also at commencement, is to demonstrate continuity—an unbroken line—that exists in the tradition of higher learning in this country and beyond. That is a tradition you are about to join.

I’ll speak more about your journey in a few minutes, but first I would like to introduce you to the other people here with me:

We share a similar perspective today. You are new to the University of Oregon, and I am new to my position as interim president. We have much to experience, explore and learn.

You have been selected to study at this university. You have earned the right to be here—we don't admit anyone who doesn't deserve a spot in our classrooms. So the takeaway message is that each of you is capable of succeeding at the University of Oregon. It is how you apply your abilities and qualifications that will determine what you actually accomplish as students on this campus.

Let me tell you what your freshman year at the UO is not: it is not Grade 13. This is not a continuation of high school. The difference between what you have accomplished so far in your academic lives and what you will begin to accomplish when you attend your first college classes are as distinct as the buds on a trees here on campus that are transformed as they leaf into a sea of green. Your opportunities for study and exploration will grow on a geometric scale. Your ability to contemplate and understand will blossom. But as hard as you may have worked over the past four years to get here, this will not be the same.

Challenges of an entirely different nature begin tomorrow, with your first classes. You can expect to be taking your first exams as early as two weeks from today. We are on a quarter system, so the timetable for classwork, midterms and final exams will seem compressed as you make the transition from high school semesters. Be careful to not fall behind.

The people who are most successful in college and university settings are those who get right after it. I strongly suggest that you be one of those people.

Take your time to explore. Your lives are changing, and I urge you to keep your eyes open to all the new experiences about to come your way. You will make some of the best friends you will ever have. Choose wisely and hopefully you will remain close to your college friends for the rest of your lives.

Keep everything in perspective. You are now part of a great academic institution. Like the friends you are now making, this university will a part of your lives forever. Enjoy that association, and appreciate it. Be proud of it.

We are a community. And like every community we must look out for each other. You must be responsible for your own actions, be respectful and safe, but also help look out for each other. If you see someone who isn’t being respected or isn’t safe, say something. That responsibility is on us. Each one of us. All of us.

Above all, remember why you are here – to learn. Keep your eyes on the ball, and devote yourselves not only to the classroom but to your assigned homework, projects and research.

When students fail at our institution, they do so right away. They fail in the first quarter. Within the next week—the first seven days of fall term—10 percent of this freshman class will fall behind and won't catch up.

There is a very real opportunity for you at the University of Oregon, and the reason I am standing here today is to urge you to seize it. This is where you receive your education,your leg up on all those who haven't been fortunate enough or determined enough to be selected for this chance to learn and prepare for life.

Your university education—your journey—starts tomorrow morning, so get ready.  You are joining a community of scholars, and you have joined a research university. This means that you will be taking courses from knowledge producers.  Not only do the professors here consume, refine and teach from the vast knowledge that exists, but we are the ones who are asking profound questions, defining important issues, making scientific discoveries, and creating beautiful new art forms.  We are teachers, but we are also knowledge creators.  This is the hallmark of a research university and we are proud of our mission. We want you to ask us the hardest questions you can think of and push us to help you better understand the world.  Our goal is to encourage you to exercise your minds as never before.

Welcome to the University of Oregon.  You are entering our community of scholars, you are joining the academy.  And we are honored you have come.

Your class can become the best, the brightest, the most accomplished, the most innovative, the most entrepreneurial, the most devoted. It can be all those things, because remember—you all belong here. You have earned the right to be here because of the potential you have already demonstrated. You now get the opportunity to make the most of your considerable talents.

Your journey is just beginning. Grab the steering wheel, find your path, take a few detours, wear your seatbelt, and enjoy the ride!