Darden School of Business Welcome Address

Welcome Address for the Incoming Class of MBA Students at the Darden School of Business (at the University of Virginia)- Fall 2023

Hello, Darden Class of 2025! What follows are not the words I imagined I would need to use to greet you.

At a time of great excitement as you embark upon this exciting next phase of life and career at Darden, we are given pause for the loss of ________. We will miss her, but together will make sure that her memory is honored. Her passing is a reminder that We… must Seize the Day as she did_______. Let us come together and let her light be the engine that recommits US to making sure that every moment of our individual and collective lives has IMPACT.

I look out and see a mosaic of future global leaders and business innovators, hailing from 38 countries across the globe, and I want to extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of you. Some of you I’ve met earlier in the summer through Town Halls and ISOP and yesterday’s Hoo Crew gathering.

I want to share with you today something that I know and something that I believe deeply.

Because I know just how smart and talented you are, I know that you have already done your research on what Darden has to offer.

You now have access to a wealth of resources. That includes top-ranked faculty who are dedicated to developing the next generation of business luminaries who join staff and administrators in supporting and caring for you. It includes a network of passionate alumni that spans continents. The list goes on and on.

So leverage them– leverage us– as you proceed on this educational journey. Take advantage of the truly remarkable access that you have… and in RETURN, my ask of you is that you respect them

Just as importantly, I want to invite you to immerse yourself in another exceptional and perhaps unanticipated resource. Namely, each other.

Look around– yes to your left and your right, but also turn around and look across the entire auditorium. I mean it! Take in the array of global leaders sitting right here.

Smile at your neighbor- leaders need that, too. In your time here, this may be the person who stretches and challenges you, or someone who becomes a source of comfort. It wouldn’t surprise me if they came to be both.

With your Darden education, you are being prepared to solve some of the thorniest, most intractable problems that our global society will face: from the crisis of connection and community which we all became acutely aware during the depths of the pandemic to the challenge of ethical use of AI in business, to the imperative of sustainability, to name a few.

As we enter this year we introduced a new concentration on ESG because we know that the future depends on thinkers like you. OUR mission at Darden is to continue to educate responsible leaders and true problem solvers.

But you don’t have to go it alone. Consider the classmates in this room to be your fellow problem-solving partners.

Do you realize that in this crowd, you’ll find a classmate who founded an advertising and marketing company that utilizes drones? You have among you a former member of the Navy Seals, and another service member who in their spare time volunteers for a crisis text line to support individuals in the midst of mental health struggles.

Do you know you have a classmate who served as a volunteer lead during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games? And another with a degree in fashion and expertise in global fashion management? There’s also in this crowd a student who worked in consulting by day and ran her own chocolate business by night.

I won’t ask that chocolatier to raise their hand, but one of these days we need to talk! Fun fact– back in the day when I was a college student, I myself had a side hustle running a “novelty” chocolate business focused on Valentines Day. Not sure that we want that appearing in Poets & Quants…

When it comes down to this illustrious group, believe me when I say that you contain multitudes. ALL Darden- yes, yes you are. All of one type? Not in the least.

Right here in Charlottesville, right here on this campus, you will meet students from cultures vastly different from your own. If you listen closely, you might hear some of the 88 languages spoken across this incoming class.

There’s an entire body of academic research and diagnostic tools that confirm the importance of cultural dexterity for those who aspire to a truly global career. You don’t have to travel beyond Grounds to begin the process of developing that muscle for cultural fluency.

You are in the presence of over 355 fascinating and multifaceted individuals, hand-picked for their excellence.

Take heed of the lesson found in the words of an old quote: “everyone (here) has something to teach you if you are humble enough to learn.”

So starting today, get curious about your classmates. Find out more about the paths that brought them to this place, and the talents and interests that help to define them. Learn their stories.

Because this is Darden, I know you’ll be busy with competing priorities. You will have your hands full with learning, researching and doing.

Keep your hearts open to making connections and being present with each other. Share joy or amplify it. “Support” is a verb, so give the gift of your attention to someone who is struggling. Seek out serendipitous encounters.

The time that you spend outside the classroom may be just as meaningful as the time you spend within it, because what you will be building is a caring and connected community that will enrich your lives for decades to come.