University of Redlands
Dear Class of 2018:
Congratulations on your achievement!
Together with the Board of Trustees, the faculty, and the entire University community, I look forward to honoring your academic accomplishments during Commencement weekend events, April 18-21, 2018.
Understand, though, that Commencement marks the beginning not the ending. Commencement is the culminating celebration of your years of effort at Redlands. Yet it is more than a singular moment. It is a centuries-old tradition that signifies a graduate’s readiness for a new beginning. The Latin motto, Sapere Aude, adopted as a pithy summation of the 17th century Age of Enlightenment, communicates this idea well. With this phrase—which translates as “Dare to know”—the poet Horace lifted up the idea that all knowledge and wisdom requires human effort, saying, “He who is begun is half done. Dare to know!” These years have challenged you in a multitude of ways to better know yourself, our culture and our world. By attaining this degree you have made a contemporary and public claim on this dare to know. Commencement is only the beginning of your journey to wisdom.
Commencement itself is an inspiring pageant and a special day you will long remember. On April 19, April 20 or 21, you will take part in the 109th Commencement ceremony of the University of Redlands, joining your peers and future alumni in the outdoor beauty of the historic Alumni Greek Theatre. I look forward to sharing this momentous day with you and your families.
With anticipation,
Ralph W. Kuncl
President
