Opening Convocation Exordium - Fall 2010
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After arriving at Harlaxton on a damp dull Friday, Saturday 28 August dawned bright and sunny and set the scene perfectly for the opening Convocation ceremony for the Fall 2010 cohort. Students gathered expectantly in the Long Gallery and awaited the sound of the bagpipes which a.jpg)
nnounced the start of the proceedings. Following the processional, when Faculty members made their way to the front of the Gallery, the national anthems of the United States of American and the United Kingdom were sung with piano and flute accompaniment provided by Miss Erin Copeland and Miss Heidi Cotner respectively.
The Revd. Mr. John Bruce, Assisting Priest at the Church of St. Peter and St Mary, Harlaxton , then gave the Invocation. The text, which voices so well the aspirations for students and faculty alike, is reproduced below.
Invocation for Harlaxton Convocation Exordium (2010)
Eternal God, the source of life and light for all peoples, as we begin a new time of learning together, standing as we do between the past and the future, a past semester still fresh in our memories, and a new semester radiant with the hues of hope and imagination; we pray that you would endow us all with your grace and wisdom for the tasks that lay ahead.
Give inspiration and understanding to those who teach and wisdom those who learn.
To all who work here, to those families opening their homes to students, and to all who confess your holy name, give your guiding Spirit of sacrificial courage and loving
service and hospitality.
Lord, we thank you for the good times we will share and for the new horizons we will reach, and may we always remember that when we set standards for what we expect of others, we should expect more from ourselves.
In our differences may we be kind, in our agreements may we be humble, that those who learn of our work may see the fruits of your Holy Spirit working among us.
Lord, our God, be with our university and college trustees, administrators, faculty, staff and students as we begin this new semester.
We make this prayer in the name of him who saves, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Opening Convocation provides a formal opportunity to introduce Faculty, and this was done by the Master of Convocation, Dr Edward Bujak. Dr Kingsley then gave his address, which included the assembled College singing ‘The Garden Song’ accompanied by Dr Jerry Burns, Professor Sally Brown, Mr. Clayton Cook, Mr. William Jared Kern, Miss Shelby Haun and Dr Philip Taylor. At the end of the ceremony the Piper and Bodhran drummer, escorted Faculty out of the Gallery.
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The day was rounded off by the formal Principal’s Reception and High Table Dinner, an opportunity for the Principal and his wife Suzanne to greet everyone and for Faculty and students to dine together in a similar way to that still carried out in many of the older Universities in the United Kingdom.
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The month of May proved to be as busy and exciting as we had anticipated with the resident summer groups following their hectic individual schedules of classes and visits but also finding time to explore the grounds around the Manor and enjoy the early summer gardens. The gardens at Harlaxton are very special and are constantly developing - the tree paeonies planted a few years ago, for example, are now flowering beautifully and, more recently, six mature flowering cherry trees have been planted adjacent to the Carriage House. A number of these are being dedicated to the Class of 1979-1980, whilst others are to be dedicated to the memory of students from the 1980-1981 cohort. June is also the month when the rhododendrons covering the hillside above the manor come into flower – a carpet of purples and reds that make the setting of the Manor even more wonderful. 