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Diversity, both embracing it and celebrating it, was a key message of BU President Robert A. Brown Sunday when he addressed the 3,600 members of the Class of 2022 and their families at the University’s annual Matriculation ceremony. Brown told the entering freshmen, who hail from 49 states and more than 60 nations, that inclusiveness is “woven in the fabric of the University.” Citing Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59), “our most famous alumnus,” he said that “Dr. King’s dream—that people be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character, their actions, and their accomplishments—has long been the reality here.

“I encourage you to make friends and work with students from other regions and countries, from other races, who hold different religious and political beliefs, and whose academic and career aspirations differ from yours,” he said.

Sunday’s gathering marks the official enrollment of the freshman class, and it was appropriately ceremonious: faculty and administrators donned academic dress, banners representing BU’s undergraduate schools and colleges were on display, and Brown wore his presidential doctoral gown and formal President’s Collar and carried the academic mace. Matriculation is one of only two occasions the Class of 2022 will gather in its entirety. The second will be in four years, at Commencement, a point the president noted during his speech.

Prior to the start of the 2 pm ceremony, Kenneth Elmore (Wheelock’87), associate provost and dean of students, led the new arrivals from Myles Standish Hall (fully reopened this fall after a three-year renovation) up Comm Ave to Agganis Arena, along with the BU Marching Band. Those living in West Campus walked down Babcock Street, and the two groups merged on Comm Ave. Students were invited to wear scarlet, the University’s school color, or BU gear; most kept it casual, coming in flip-flops and shorts, as temperatures hit the low 80s.

Brown told the freshmen that they will “emerge from college at one of the most exciting and challenging times in the world’s history. The world is changing at a rate we have never seen before. When you stand on Nickerson Field in May of 2022, the world will be more global, more diverse, more urban, more interconnected, and more run by machines than at any time in our history. Our goal is for you to thrive and lead in this rapidly changing world throughout your life. Our goal is to give you a BU education that prepares you for this challenge and is a foundation for a life of learning.”

He urged the students to use their time at BU to master analysis and learn to think critically, and he mentioned this year’s implementation of the new University-wide general education program, the BU Hub. This year’s incoming freshmen class is the first required to enroll in Hub courses.

Elizabeth Loizeaux, associate provost for undergraduate affairs, spoke earlier in the ceremony about the debut of the Hub. “It will prepare you to be lifelong learners and leaders,” she said. “The Hub promotes connections among fields of study, and you will take courses that integrate Hub areas… It emphasizes high-order thinking: interpretation, inquiry, reasoning.  It is global in orientation, while being grounded in this city, in this place.”

At one point during his address, Brown struck a personal note, describing how he was a first generation college student. He noted that more than 16 percent of this year’s class are the first in their family to go to college and that he realized what a monumental task that is. He expressed confidence in the students, assuring them that the University is here to help them succeed.

During the second half of his 15-minute speech, Brown recounted the history of the University, from its beginnings as a tiny Vermont seminary in 1839 to its official chartering in 1869 to its eventual establishment as a large private university comprising three campuses—the Charles River Campus, the Medical Campus, and the new Fenway Campus. The University, he said, is made up of 17 schools and colleges, offers 174 undergrad programs, and encourages collaboration among its people and programs.

Most sobering was what the president had to say about the dangers of binge drinking and about sexual misconduct. “Our community is based on the principles of individual responsibility, mutual respect, and trust,” he said. “Behavior leading to sexual harassment or assault will not be tolerated at Boston University.”

The Class of 2022 also heard from Devin Harvin (CAS’19), student government president, who told them that “BU is here for you…we will show up for you. Welcome to a place you will add the next chapter to, the community that you will help add to along the way.”

Mary V. Perry (CAS’79, GRS’80, LAW’83), president of the BU Alumni Association, told the class that they had chosen wisely in selecting BU, and that the University had chosen wisely as well in accepting them from among the 65,000 applicants. “Over the next years you will learn things you thought you already knew, you will experience things your parents really don’t want to know about until after graduation, you will begin relationships,” she said. “Great universities like BU don’t just happen—you chose to be great by attending BU.”

As the ceremony drew to a close, Jean Morrison, University provost and chief academic officer, introduced the deans of the various schools and colleges, who in turn welcomed the students into their individual schools. The College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Communication earned the loudest roars and applause.

Then Elmore invited everyone to attend the Terrier Tailgate and the BU women’s soccer game against the University of Connecticut, following immediately on Nickerson Field. BU’s official anthem, “Clarissima,” closed out the ceremony as the newly matriculated students and their families filed out of Agganis onto Comm Ave.

Author, Amy Laskowski can be reached at amlaskow@bu.edu.