Investiture of Prentice Stabler: Speech Excerpts

Investiture Highlights

About the Investiture

“In a lecture on the purpose of universities, Arthur Lehman Goodhart, the first American to head an Oxford College, cited the great Enlightenment writer Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, who famously said that if God held truth in one hand and the search for truth in the other, he would choose the search.

 

Lessing’s point was that the search itself is what is most valuable, because of all that we learn, all that we create, and all that we become as we undertake it. This is what we believe at Vanderbilt, and I know it drives your work here at Ensworth as well. And so, it is no surprise that 85 Ensworth graduates have enrolled at Vanderbilt since the establishment of your high school and that they have flourished on our campus.

 

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of having lunch with Prentice, and we discussed what our two institutions have in common in terms of philosophy and approach. At both Vanderbilt and Ensworth, we pursue our missions on our own terms—we don’t imitate other schools, and we don’t look over our shoulders to see what others think of us. At both Vanderbilt and Ensworth, we nurture the whole student—intellectually, socially and emotionally. And at both Vanderbilt and Ensworth, we are fiercely committed to realizing every student’s full potential, wherever that lies—in athletics, in the arts and humanities, in STEM-related pursuits or elsewhere. Both of our schools believe deeply in supporting students as they carve their own paths—or, as we put it in our own motto at Vanderbilt, as they dare to grow.

 

But a transformative education is only possible if we are committed to the core values of the 'search for truth.' Students must be able to freely explore ideas and discuss and debate them in a culture that treats every member of our communities with respect even if—or especially—when we disagree.

 

Yet in my time in higher education, I have seen incoming students increasingly struggle with these core tenets. Some, driven by admirable intentions to be on the right side of an issue, are so passionate in their beliefs that they tolerate no opinions other than their own and fall prey to what one of my professors called 'the rush to righteousness.' When trapped by the rush to righteousness, we are so confident in the moral superiority of our position that any disagreement can only mean that the other person lacks moral virtue. Confident of our moral superiority, we can call the other side names and fight for what we think is right.

 

In such a climate, other students self-censor out of fear of being shouted down by those with opposing views. And some believe they should never have to confront any idea or opinion that makes them uncomfortable. This is an alarming trend, and not just for those of us in education.

 

When we search for truth, we commit to the possibility of being convinced, of changing our mind when confronted by new facts or a better argument. This commitment is also critical to life in a pluralistic, democratic society. It is an ability that, I fear, is waning, not only among college students, but in our body politic generally. We are forgetting how to talk to one another in spite of our differences. And if we can’t talk together, if we can’t discuss and debate, it is nearly impossible to move forward together.

 

Just as Ensworth provides lasting lessons in so many areas of academics and life, it is also playing an important role in helping students understand and navigate civil discourse.

 

Your practice of assigning K-8 students to a different lunch table every week, so that they get to know a broad range of their peers, is a great example of this—as is your use of the Harkness method to encourage constructive classroom conversations among your high school students. It is never too early for students to learn to make reasoned arguments, speak with the courage of their convictions and debate with respect for their opponents.

 

And here is why all this matters so much: As students and as citizens—as a school or as a nation—when we can constructively debate our differences, when we don’t let the heat of disagreement make us forget the purpose, goals and values that we share in common, and when we can set our disagreements aside and work together we can accomplish so much more. And we are stronger for it.”

“While we have access to more information and intelligence than has ever existed in the history of the world, I believe the business of schools remains exactly the same. We are here to help our students develop their gifts, talents, and abilities to the fullest, and to do so not just for their own gain, but to make an impact, to generate change, to leave legacy.

 

At Ensworth, our true north is the development of the whole child. All of the artificial intelligence in the world will not be able to answer the most important questions that face our students. ‘What do I believe?’, ‘Who am I, and what do I want to do with my life?’, ‘What is my purpose, and why does it matter?’

 

The enduring importance of Ensworth is that we are designed for precisely those questions. The core skills of collaboration, communication, hypothesizing, observing, and questioning that shape our curriculum are exactly what our students need as they go out into the broader world. And we are more than that. They need to know who they are, and they need to grow up in the midst of diverse community, one that teaches them to value the inherent dignity and worth of all people, and one that illustrates so clearly how much further we go when we go forward together. 

 

My hope and aim at Ensworth are to stand firmly on the traditions and values that built this school, while embracing the imperative to continually evolve into the best version of ourselves. As we add and develop programs, refine our practices, and design an experience for the ever-evolving needs of our students, we will build on the work done by countless teachers and school leaders who preceded us.

 

The next ten years here are not about fundamentally changing who we are; they are about sharpening our model, reaffirming our commitment to educating the whole child, and doing so in the midst of a community that develops our students into the type of people who will build bridges and connect groups.

 

In a time when our country feels divided and separated, we reaffirm and recommit ourselves to the civil discourse around a table—whether it be a Harkness table or a Red Gables lunch table—and we reaffirm that the best place to face challenging ideas is in the midst of a community that knows you and loves you.”