Regional President Speech

PU&U 51 *7 i \ H Congratulations Graduates! Welcome Alumni! In extending these greetings as President of the Alumni Society, I am enjoying the third such significant occasion. You may quote me - - it's the best part of the job. Let me state as precisely as I am able my purpose in appearing here today: My interest relates to the role of the Alumni Society in the future growth and stability of this great University. As University graduates, you have demonstrated the ability and discipline to decide upon a long-term project. You have sustained a determination to reach distant goals, without sudden shifts in direction toward false promises of instant gratification. You have shared in the great accomplishments of the American university. American universities, including the University of Georgia, have contributed enormously to the almost unbelievable increase in knowledge the world has experienced within the past half-century. Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 2 Lord Snow, a British scientist and novelist, in a recently published dialogue with his 18-year old son observed: nAt a rough estimate since 1945, American universities have carried out about 80 percent of all the science and scholarship in the western world, and a very high proportion of the science and scholarship in the whole planet. This is the effect of a single generation. It is something about which Americans might, without false modesty, pat themselves on the back. n Coming from a scientist, a man trained to observe carefully and form opinions objectively, this statement emphasizes this favorable assessment of American universities and provides reason for pride in our accomplishments. But I hasten to warn that outstanding achievements always bring additional responsibilities and duties. Stagnation and decay await the university that is unable to keep pace with the rapid expansion of knowledge Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 3 we are experiencing. More and more people are eagerly demanding entrance into the universities. Already strained to the limits, the universities are fully aware that even more pressing demands are building up for the future. Universities, in large measure, rely upon the vitality and resourcefulness of its undergraduates, alumni, faculty, and adminis­ tration to cope with the inertia and indecision that develop in any institution, whether it is related to government, business, or education, if its problems appear to be overwhelming. I confess to a strong urge to appeal to your sense of duty, to remind you (and here I quote another of our British friends), nthe only way we can repay our debt to the past is by putting the future in debt to us. n But you are aware of this, so I will simply say that you are indeed welcome as new members of the Alumni Society. We need your time, your talents, and your money in our Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 4 determination to strengthen the already admirable reputation of the University of Georgia as a center of learning. Again, my congratulations and every good wish for your happiness and a rewarding future. Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Monroe Kimbrel (1971, August 17). Regional President Speech. Speeches, Federal Reserve. https://whenthefedspeaks.com/doc/regional_speeche_19710818_monroe_kimbrel

@misc{wtfs_regional_speeche_19710818_monroe_kimbrel,
  author = {Monroe Kimbrel},
  title = {Regional President Speech},
  year = {1971},
  month = {Aug},
  howpublished = {Speeches, Federal Reserve},
  url = {https://whenthefedspeaks.com/doc/regional_speeche_19710818_monroe_kimbrel},
  note = {Retrieved via When the Fed Speaks corpus}
}