Senate Chair, Pamela Vaughn
Opening Faculty Meeting
August 22, 2011

Good morning, colleagues. For those of you in the audience whose memories of our campus extend back to the opening years of this new millennium, and my previous stint as senate chair, you may recall that themes from popular cinema had a tendency to find their way into my opening remarks. I had thought to resist the temptation this year (and perhaps many of you are right now hoping I shall succeed). But how could I – how could any of us? – ignore the image of a school under siege? A school where faculty and students, from the head to the newest first year, along with staff, family and alumni are united in a stand against the evil that threatens to destroy the very essence of that school within whose walls lies all the promise, hope and, yes, magic of the future? Could we not find our own version of a self-styled Dark Lord intent on eradicating all the good symbolized by that school and leaving the world in darkness, ignorance and despair? Is it not tempting to imagine suitable stand-ins for Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters? I think we might find some in Wisconsin, or Texas, or Ohio, or Pennsylvania – or even Sacramento!

My purpose today is not, however, to focus our attention on those dark forces – and make no mistake, they are real; but to consider the incredible fortitude of that unlikely and quirky band of heroes who found not only strength but achieved victory through their unity of purpose. As the forces of darkness fractured through their own selfish interests, the forces of light – led by the Boy Wizard and his friends - grew more powerful and gained strength, each one from another, because they set aside selfish interests and committed themselves to a cause larger than themselves. They found something that they all wanted, together, and for which they were willing to fight, even at great personal expense. Keep in mind that when the Battle of Hogwarts draws to a close, we indeed see destruction, death, chaos and change – but the center has held, the students and their supporters are united, and the school….still….stands. Hold on to that image, if you will, as we return – however abruptly – to the reality of our own world.

July 1, 2011. Reorganization. Restructuring. I don’t have to tell all of you that the process is really just beginning and that there are many challenges still ahead of us. We can see that the new organizational blueprint has major consequences for our governance structures: the Academic Senate and the Associated Students, for example, will have to review and revise constitutions, bylaws, and representational committees. And we are hardly the only groups affected. And that is the key, isn’t it? When we talk about the university, we are talking not about systems, or units, but about people. We all live our lives in various circles of community, and our department and our college are but two of those communities. What happens to us and to our colleagues when those communities change?

Let’s look at a couple of examples. We know that one college – my own, as it happens - has recently joined with a second, the official date of unification being July 1. I think it is safe to say that this merger of communities has been a source both of excitement and apprehension. We are asking ourselves what this new unification means. What will be our identity? Do we stand, like the ancient fortresses of Pest and Buda, facing one another across the Danube? Or do we build strong bridges on existing collegial foundations and stand united as Budapest? If we are honest, we would have to say that we do not yet know. This newfound college is still a work in progress. I personally am very fond of Budapest, and I would invite all of a similar mind to join forces on the bridge. That collegial foundation, already established, is strong enough to hold us all.

We have, or rather had, a third college whose members have been dispersed among four others. Those of us who study Diaspora appreciate the difficulties faced by communities who have been displaced and who must adjust to life in unfamiliar territory. We need to realize that this particular Diaspora affects us all. I suggest to you that we on the Senate especially need to reach out and offer assurance that, although the customs and, if you will, the dialect may differ from college to college, we are still part of the same country as before and thus governed by the same laws and the same language of policy and procedure. We may be newly organized, but we are still bound by the same principles and policies as before. Our university still needs our support. Our university gains strength from our talents.

And here we can find inspiration again from the world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter: success depends on the contributions of all, and every member of the community has something to contribute, even if she is unaware of it. In the end, it does not matter how arcane, bizarre or underappreciated those talents may be; ALL are needed, ALL are essential for success. Who knows what talents, what gifts, will be most needed for us in the days ahead? We have among our faculty, for example, noted experts in communication, conflict resolution, stress management, organizational psychology, community activism, institutional change; people who are good listeners, problem solvers, community builders. We need to tap into this vast reservoir of expertise to guide us through this transition, so that we can emerge as an even stronger community.

And returning one final time to that stalwart band defending the school: remember, please, that they stood together because they found something that they all wanted, together, and for which they were willing to fight, even at great personal expense. The question for us today becomes – is there that special something that we share, together, that binds us, despite artificial, institutional, or disciplinary differences? The ancient Greeks called this “homonoia,” or harmony, a oneness of mind that is an essential component of democracy. Without harmony, there is no common interest, nothing to hold us together.

Do we have such a common interest? We most certainly do! And it may be so obvious that we overlook it. But we are, above all, educators. We are here, whether center stage or behind the scenes, because we know the transformative power of education. We find joy in the success of our students. We thrill to see our students take what they have learned here and use it to transform lives throughout the world. If that isn’t a kind of magic, my friends, I don’t know what is!

Consider what we have just heard about Erik, Allyson and Gust – are they not wizards? Have they not wrought magic through their teaching, their service, their research? They represent the best of who we are and what we do. And this, I say to you, is what WE want, together. This is our homonoia, where the multiple voices of those who teach and those who learn blend in harmony, the mission that unites us at San Francisco State: the success of our students. Here is where we can find common ground and reach out to one another, where we can begin to meet the challenges and overcome any temporary obstacles that lie ahead. Those who care - and those who can - teach.

I still consider teaching to be one of the noble professions. It is all I have ever wanted to do. And despite the attempts by fearful politicians to tar us with the taint of privilege, and worse, I am proud to be part of that noble profession. Teachers and centers of learning are the first targets of tyrants and despots, as you know. Such people fear intellectual freedom and independent thought, and the fact that schools around the globe are devoted to perpetuating such freedom and independence must give every tyrant in the world nightmares. Good. We have now put one face on our own Lord Voldemort and his minions.

So, as we begin our new semester, I urge us to meet our challenges head-on; to talk openly, honestly and collegially about the problems we face and the solutions we have; to seek the advice and guidance of experts among our own academic family and to be prepared to find it in unexpected places; to remember that the welfare of our colleagues and our students is paramount; and to believe that we, as a community of educators, have it within our power to work our own kind of magic here at San Francisco State. Thus armed we can stand with confidence and tell all the world - “this school still stands!” Thank you.