Graduation address: Professor William Austin
Wednesday 26 June 2019
Vice-Chancellor, ladies and gentlemen, and particularly our new graduates.
Today’s graduation ceremony marks, in so many ways, the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Let me therefore be the first (or perhaps the second) of many to congratulate you all upon the achievement of your graduation; what a great moment and one to treasure in the years ahead. What an extraordinary honour and privilege it is for me, having served as Head of School to many of you graduating today, to be able to share and reflect on these achievements from what one of our alumni (I hope you all agree) described as ‘far and away the best university in the world’.
Today is a very special day and one for just celebration. But I would like to ask you to take a second to look around you and imagine, for a moment, the courage that has been the ‘staff’ of these individual journeys. Our honorary graduate, Professor Anionwu, for example – tireless work in support of others – touching the lives of many, her journey, your journey, all our journeys require courage. Consider too, for a moment, JM Barrie’s Rectorial address on the theme of courage, which was delivered to “the red gowns of St Andrews” on 3 May 1922: ‘that to gain courage is what you came to St Andrews for’. To be fair, Barrie did acknowledge scope for ‘some alarums and excursions into college life’ and I feel confident that many of you graduating today will doubtless have heeded his advice!
This brings me to a common theme of graduation addresses –the successes of today and the responsibilities of tomorrow. Many, probably all of us here, would acknowledge our privileged status, and yet we share a passion for change (our journey, if you will). I find this a huge comfort as the years go by – the knowledge that from this corner of Fife, St Andrews graduates have, for over 600 years, carried this sense of responsibility with them across the globe. I hope you will wear that particular badge with pride, not as a burden, but as that ‘staff’ for the journey ahead of which Barrie spoke.
Here, by way of example, is what that same alumnus of ours had to say upon joining the fellowship of the Royal Society – the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence – on the occasion of its 350th anniversary ‘My generation will have to engage with science more fully, perhaps, than any that has preceded it. It will be through science, after all, that the world will meet and overcome the challenges of climate change, food security, water scarcity, and pandemic disease’. Here the term ‘science’ is, I believe, taken from the Latin word ‘scientia’, meaning ‘knowledge’ – I cannot imagine a better advocate for your University of St Andrews degrees. I wish each and every one of you courage to ‘meet and overcome’ whatever lies ahead.
Today is not only a day for our graduates to celebrate, so let me turn my attention to family, supporters and friends – a truly global thank you on behalf of my colleagues across the University.
Finally, graduates, have a good celebration, stay in touch and have the most wonderful journeys!
Professor William Austin
School of Geography and Sustainable Development