Wilbert E. Locklin Inauguration Address (April 30, 1966)

Locklin, Wilbert E. (Wilbert Edwin) · April 30, 1966

This is the address given by Wilbert E. Locklin at his inauguration as Springfield College's ninth president on April 30, 1966. A section of the speech is in italics, where he diverges from his prepared text and applauds the generosity and courage of the students and board of trustees. He begins the speech by thanking four groups of people: the board of trustees, the Springfield College community, his family, and Milton S. Eisenhower, the president of Johns Hopkins University. Locklin then draws parallels between Johns Hopkins, where he studied and worked for many years, and Springfield College. He describes his search for the basic institutional philosophy of the college, which, he decides, is Humanics. He says he has learned the most from the students. He addresses some of the concerns he has heard faculty and students express about the new administration (increased costs, different academic directions, etc.). He addresses those concerns by briefly covering the history of Springfield College and its ample changes, saying that while substantial changes may seem revolutionary at the time, they are often evolutionary. He lists some of the changes he hopes to make, which are fairly standard and uncontroversial: strengthen faculty, find the best students, garner greater financial support, seek government support, and beautify the campus.