Call to Order from Jyoti Menon ’01

Jyoti Menon ’01, Member of the Board of Trustees 
February 2, 2024 

Good afternoon. My name is Jyoti Menon. I’m a member of the Class of 2001 and a trustee of Barnard College.

It is my privilege to open this ceremony to inaugurate Laura Ann Rosenbury as the ninth president of Barnard College. 

Before we start our speaking program, I invite you to take out the candle that you received when you walked in. One of the most special things about a college experience is how students learn to illuminate the world, brightening the future with their curiosity and courage and showing us how to see things in a new light. As I name the different groups of the global Barnard community who are with us today, please switch on your candle when you hear the one that you belong to.

On behalf of the trustees of Barnard College, I extend special greetings to President Rosenbury’s family and friends; the presidents and representatives of colleges, universities, and philanthropic foundations; delegates from learned societies; and the elected officials who have joined us today.

We also greatly appreciate the presence of Columbia University president Minouche Shafik, her colleagues, and others from the University community who mark this important transition with us and who continue to uphold and advance our unique partnership.

And we come together — the alumnae, parents, students, faculty, staff, my fellow trustees, former presidents, and friends of Barnard College — to honor the achievements of President Rosenbury and to attest to our hope and faith in the College’s future.

I invite you to now take a moment to look around the room and take in the sight of that beautiful Barnard blue that illuminates our community. And let me tell you, it’s a great sight from up here.

As you put away your candle — hopefully someone got a photo somewhere — as you put away your candle, I encourage you to remember that even just a small beam of light can be the difference between darkness and being able to make out the words on the page. While reading the words aids us in our learning and understanding, there’s much more to comprehension. The alchemy that turns ink into ideas and inspiration doesn’t come from the light. It comes from our willingness to engage with the text, to employ our curiosity, to revisit what we’ve seen before and what we think we know. The light is our guiding tool. 

May your light be bright and steadfast, particularly in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.