Dr. Stuart C. Lord's Speech

Thank you, Marty; thank you, Tom; and thank you, Lynne. I am deeply honored by the
confidence the trustees have placed in me. I promise today that I will use my mind, heart and
soul, fueled by creativity, passion and imagination, to lead Naropa University and the Naropa
community into an exciting and sustainable future.

Tom, thank you for leading this university and shepherding Naropa through its most recent
phase of maturation. During the last three years, you have led the campus through a strong
strategic planning initiative, the results of which will help guide our path for many years to
come.

I also wish to thank all of the former leaders of Naropa for their pioneering spirit in setting
forth the vision for Naropa, for their solid leadership that has kept Naropa on a course of
distinction, and for their deep humanity and conviction. It is they who have defined Naropa’s
purpose, one that encourages students to look deeply within and to engage the world with a
thoughtful and compassionate heart.

I’d like to thank my parents for teaching me the value of hard work, determination, self respect
and love. My village and community of faith taught me to dream great things and never give up
hope. They taught me the meaning of genuine faith and spirituality, and they shared an
understanding of diversity that recognizes all people as brothers and sisters.

My teachers and mentors taught me the importance of a good education and how to use my
gifts to realize my dreams but also to make a difference in the lives of others. My friends have
inspired me to find my own way and to take risks for the benefit of humanity. Karme Choling
meditation center has taught me the primacy of mindfulness in becoming a peaceful warrior in a
troubled world.

These are the lessons I carry as I accept the wonderful mantle of leadership and become the
president of Naropa University.

My wife, Adderly, and my daughter, Chloe, are sorry they can’t be here today. However, they
are as eager and thrilled as I am to be joining the Naropa community and we look forward to
seeing many of you this summer and fall.

For more than twenty years, I have been committed to transforming local, national, and global
communities through my work with students in engaging their education in ways that make a
difference in the world. I have worked with programs that aid under-resourced communities in
Indiana, New Hampshire’s Upper Valley, the Mississippi Delta, and the areas ravaged by
Hurricane Katrina. I have also worked in developing nations around the world, including
Bangladesh, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Sierra Leone.

Why should service be considered an essential part of the educational process? Because, “to
whom much is given, much is expected.” By being of benefit to others, we learn to see the
world as interdependent communities of one family, and what affects one of us affects all of us.

My life’s work has been to encourage students to take their education beyond the walls of the
traditional classroom through community-based research and active involvement in civic
engagement and matters of social justice to address issues of poverty, literacy, and human rights
among others.

It is this work that attracted me to this exceptional place called Naropa University. Here,
concepts of transformation, heart and spirit, reflection, personal passion, awareness
contemplation, environmental stewardship, social justice, and engagement are not just words,
but values that provide the very foundation for the ways we teach, learn, and grow. These are
the core values we ask our students to embrace. They are values set forth by our university’s
founder, Trungpa Rinpoche and are woven into the fabric of this institution, guiding and
informing the decisions we make.

From my first moments on campus, I saw bright possibilities for this already marvelous
university. I encountered an institution that is energized by its talented students, elevated by its
committed faculty, and enriched by the work of its dedicated staff.

Through its balance of academics, contemplative practice and community engagement, Naropa
University provides a unique form of education rooted in both the western liberal arts and
world wisdom traditions. Naropa offers a new way of understanding what it means to be
educated in the contemporary world of higher education.

Naropa has the ability to influence the higher education agenda for the 21st century. My vision
for higher education seeks to reconnect students to the heart and soul and to help students
develop a personal and civic awareness that is realized through the cultivation of compassion
expressed through service to others. It also involves helping students develop on the highest
intellectual levels through strong academic programs that informs life choices and promotes
civic responsibility.

Naropa University is a symbol of our rising aspirations and our commitment to a quality
educational experience for every student.

According the university’s mission statement, Naropa recognizes the inherent goodness and
wisdom of each human being. It educates the whole person, cultivating academic excellence and
contemplative insight in order to infuse knowledge with wisdom…. Naropa University
embraces the richness of human diversity and strives to foster a more just and equitable society
and an expanded awareness of our common humanity.

I truly look forward to our work together, to preserving and enhancing what makes this
institution so special – our commitment to contemplative education. As we work together to
secure the university’s place as a leader in providing students a quality education for the 21st
century, we must take this opportunity to advance the strategic plan approved by the Board of
Trustees, entitled “Deliver Distinction with Excellence.”

The strategic plan highlights a bold vision for Naropa, and as we implement the plan, we will
build on what we already do well. However, we will also identify and address areas where we
can reach greater levels of excellence. The truth is that Naropa University is too good not to
be better.

I believe in the values of transformation. We, the Naropa University community, affirm both
the idea and ideals of a contemplative education, of its transformative purpose of teaching,
learning, discovery and research. The goal of a Naropa education is preparing students for
transformative work in the world… the value of contemplative education is measured in
Naropa students’ ability to integrate wisdom, knowledge and compassion in socially beneficial
endeavors with creativity and conviction.

My job as president will be to make sure that Naropa not only transforms students, but also
transforms as an institution to be the best contemplative liberal arts university in the world.
Additionally, I must assist the university to acquire the needed resources to make our vision a
reality. I hope to use my extensive experience as a fundraiser to enhance the financial resources
of Naropa.

I look forward to leading the community in discussions of major educational and curricular
issues that will define Naropa's further development as a leading liberal arts university with a
mission of contemplative education. These issues include: first, the role of service learning and
international education in a 21st-century liberal arts curriculum; second, the level of cultural
competency we expect of our students, and the entire Naropa community in an increasingly
diverse and conflict-ridden world; third, the creation of strategic collaborations with other
institutions in order to expand scholarly and artistic opportunities for our faculty, educational
opportunities for our students, and more frequent exchanges of ideas among staff; fourth, the
increase of the university’s contemplative educational advantage through the intense studentfaculty
learning experience we offer; and fifth, a commitment to providing equal access for
young people from diverse communities and backgrounds so that they may immerse themselves
in the exceptional learning experience that Naropa offers.

Amidst this transition of the university presidency, we have an opportunity for frank and
productive discussions about a shared vision for the future of the institution and about the
strategies we should employ to attain our goals. As you might imagine, I look forward to such
discussions with great energy and enthusiasm.

I close with the instructions that Trungpa Rinpoche gave to Naropa’s first board chair Lucien
Wulsin, “You can plow the garden, trim and prune the branches, but don’t cut the root.” I
hope you will work beside me and that we may plow, trim, and prune together. There is no
doubt in my mind that, with your participation in shaping the university’s future, Naropa's best
days are ahead.

I humbly and with a great sense of honor accept the position of president of Naropa University.
Together, we will position our community to change the world.

Thank you very much.

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