In the words of John Amos Comenius, “Not the children of the rich or of the powerful only, but of all alike, boys and girls, both noble and ignoble, rich and poor, in all cities and towns, villages and hamlets should be sent to school.” And when those children—those boys and girls—become young men and women, they should have the opportunity to be educated at a college or university, where, through the guidance and leadership of a caring and forward-thinking administration and faculty, they come to discover for themselves what scholarship and what being a scholar truly mean. When I came to Moravian College in the fall of 1966, I arrived as a student, not a scholar. My high school education consisted of reading and memorizing the works of great men and later regurgitating those words onto the pages of a blue book. That form of education was exactly the type Emerson railed against in his famous chastising speech “The American Scholar,” delivered to the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard in 1837. Like the members of that society, I was “the parrot of other men’s thinking,” not the “Thinking Man,” but during my four years at Moravian College, I became the Thinking Man. My Moravian experience transformed me from parrot to thinker, from student to scholar. I learned to pay attention to detail and to think critically, thoroughly and independently. I learned how to analyze—how to break down material—and how to synthesize—how to put that material back together as it originally existed or, better still, rearrange it into something totally new, exciting and refreshing. I developed the ability to express myself clearly through both the written and the spoken word, and those words and thoughts were mine—not those of the great men from the past. Moreover, I was able to express my thoughts, my ideas, my feelings freely and openly without the fear of harsh, stigmatizing criticism. Finally, in my transformation from student to scholar, I was encouraged to take risks and to explore the realms of my wildest imaginings, no matter how outrageous, far-fetched, or phantasmagorical those imaginings were. After all, the scholar needs to be “a little revolutionary.” The Jody Miller who entered Moravian College in September 1966 was not the Jody Miller who graduated in May 1970. The parroting student entered; the thinking scholar graduated thanks to my experiences at this college and the outstanding nurturing and encouraging guidance of professors such as Lloyd Burkhart, Eugene Jacobson, Jack Ramsey, Marlin Rader, Johanna Ott (“the meanest math professor on the entire campus”), Lilian Knowles Jones, and Dick and Monica Schantz.
If I’m sounding too much like Chanticleer, crowing too loudly at the brink of dawn and waking up all the neighbors, so be it. Sometimes people need to be woken. I freely admit that my passion for this college is often given to hyperbole, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve always believed Moravian College was one of the most underrated schools in the entire Lehigh Valley, the state of Pennsylvania and perhaps the nation as a whole. But that tide is turning. Finally, my alma mater is gaining the attention she so richly deserves, and I credit the new administration, and specifically President Bryon Grigsby and his outstanding administrative staff. So, why do I financially support Moravian College? Because giving feels good and it’s the right thing to do. Not to give would be selfish and mean-spirited, for I would be denying another person the right to experience what I experienced while a student here. I give to help ease some of the financial stress that comes with deciding to attend Moravian College. Today’s educational experience has a very high price tag. I remember my own father’s reaction to the cost of my first semester in 1966: “Are they out of their (expletive deleted) minds?” That fee was a grand total of $750. Today’s families likely have a similar reaction. I give to Moravian because, upon graduation, I became a steward of this institution, and as such it is incumbent upon me to make certain that the estate prospers and survives. I give because I believe in Moravian College. I believe in its purpose, its mission, its goals, its dreams and hopes, its ambitions and aspirations. I believe in the students—they are bright, articulate, eager, polite, respectful, respectable young men and women with enormous potential and promise. Finally, I give to Moravian as a way of honoring my family and of keeping them alive in perpetuity. In truth, my mother should be here today addressing this audience, for it is she who established four endowed scholarships in the fields of sacred music, business and economics, pre-law, and nursing. There is so darn much to say about this College and what it has meant to me, and what it continues to mean to me. Thank you, President Grigsby and all the members of your staff. Thank you, scholarship donors, for your support to this institution and to these students. And most importantly, thank you, scholarship recipients—thank you for choosing Moravian College. Just make certain that upon your graduation you go out and spread the word about your alma mater. Wear your blue and grey proudly, and, as we said in my day, “Give ’em hell, Hounds!”
In my transformation from student to scholar, I was encouraged to take risks and explore the realms of my wildest imaginings.... After all, the scholar needs to be “a little revolutionary.”
SPRING 2016
MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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