Babson College - Babsonian Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

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President ' s Address To the Class of 1979: I salute you recent graduates and want to say a few words about what you have been able to take away from your experience at Babson. You have chosen to prepare for a career in a fasci- nating profession — management — a process that is involved in almost every type of human endeavor. I hope that as you progress in your chosen career you will find that Babson has helped you to lay a founda- tion to become an effective and humane practitioner of that profession; that you will develop an under- standing of its intricacies and an enduring pride in its practice. Becoming a manager calls for more that the acqui- sition of a body of knowledge. In fact, as you go along I hope that you will learn that there is no body of knowledge that will make you a manager. Rather, what we hope for you is that while you were at Bab- son, you aquired the mental discipline and ways of thinking which form the foundation of managerial competence. In the long run, your effectiveness as a manager will depend upon your ability to conceptual- ize a problem accurately, to analyze it with sound logic, and finally, to make and implement good deci- sions. In perfecting this ability, you will need to under- stand some of the theory which underlines the whole process of management. A broad approach to the preparation of students for a career in management must at some stage include a more than cursory exposure to the record of past human achievement in many fields, such as history and political science, literature and art, science and social studies. For this reason, as well as to further your developement as individuals, the undergraduate program at Babson required you to devote a substan- tial amount of your course work to these areas. You will not have cause to regret this use of your time. From it, 1 predict that you will derive two immediate rewards: first, you will probably develop a lasting interest in some or all of these liberal arts studies; and, second, you will discover that you have aquired a frame within which you are able to view management in perspective. Farther out, you will discover your life to have been enhanced by a well balanced combina- tion of professional and general studies. Finally, I hope that your Babson experience helped you to examine your personal values so that through- out your lives you will have the judgement and cour- age to know when and where to draw the line between right and wrong. I realize that as new graduates you so not emerge from Babson as skilled, seasoned managers or entre- preneurs. Beyond a successful explosure to carefully selected areas of study, it takes time and experience to nurture and fully develop a good manager. However, an undergraduate program such as the one at Babson can provide you with a head start in developing the skills and awareness you will need in the years ahead. I wish good health, success and happiness for all of you. I look forward to seeing you individually from time to time and in large groups on Homecoming and Reunion weekends. Sincerely, Ralph Z. Sorenson President y '

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-.■Lr---=a:g.7i BC Looking To The Future . . . Freshman orientation with no beer! Something has to be done . . . Still a small college, it will always be a small college. A small, growing college. A contradiction? Growth is positive change. No university; No ugly buildings; No crowded walkways; No chance. changing world- changing institution; A developing economy- A developing curriculum; maturing society- maturing student body. A new research center, an efficient student union, snack shop, student bar student housing, :fraternity row. Growth Change CHANGE A commitment to change. A realization that if it is to be positive, it must be slow and determined. A dedication to the ideal that without change there can be no develop- ment. DEVELOPMENT Accepting development as the results of positive change. A stern desire to progress. A will to make the hard decisions. The ability to overcome the insecurity of being a leader; of being the first one, the stepping stones to maturity. MATURITY Assuming the confidence that comes with positive change and development. The satisfaction of making incorrect judgements. Knowing, with a calm confidence that maturity is the acceptance of growth. GROWTH Being firm in a commitment to growth because growth is the foundation of anything that endures through time. A changing institution, developing to maturity, realizing a sustained growth. The future of Babson . . . But no beer at freshman orientation, Come on Now! Something has to be done. Michcal Shea 16

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