Last year's First Flight Procession beginning on Linden Lane. (Lee Pellegrini)
Best-selling author and design-thinking advocate Dave Evans will serve as the keynote speaker at the 2018 First Year Academic Convocation, the annual event that celebrates the arrival of the freshman class to campus, on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. in Conte Forum.
Evans and Bill Burnett are the authors of the聽New York Times听产别蝉迟-蝉别濒濒别谤听Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life, which explains how the application of design thinking鈥� the same envisioning strategy and tools responsible for brilliant technology, outstanding products, and remarkable spaces鈥攃an help create a meaningful and fulfilling life, regardless of life status, job, or age.
In a 2016聽New York Times聽interview, Evans鈥攁n adjunct lecturer in the Product Design Program at Stanford University, a management consultant, and a founder of game company Electronic Arts鈥攏oted, 鈥淭he question of 鈥榃hat do I do the rest of my one wild and wonderful life?鈥� is on everyone鈥檚 mind.鈥�
Dave Evans
Since 2004, each incoming class has engaged in a reflective dialogue about a common text in an effort to offer insight into how to respond to life鈥檚 questions, and to find direction in each student鈥檚 personal journey.
鈥�Designing Your Life was chosen because the message fits well into our overall goals of student formation,鈥� said Michael Sacco, executive director of the Center for Student Formation and Office of First Year Experience. 鈥淏oston College鈥檚 philosophy of formative education encourages our students to engage in habits of reflection and discernment; these practices coincide with the purpose-driven design plan that authors Evans and Burnett present in their book.
鈥淥ur hope is that the first-year students will be inspired to design and envision what their life might be like over the next four years, as well as their future well beyond Boston College.鈥�
Evans鈥� remarks will follow the First Flight Procession, a lantern-lit聽journey from Linden Lane to Conte Forum, which mirrors the same path 糖心vlog直播平台鈥檚 newest students will follow on graduation day. The University鈥檚 Jesuit community, faculty, and administration will launch their 鈥渇light鈥� with a blessing and a challenge to answer the call of Society of Jesus founder St. Ignatius of Loyola to 鈥渟et the world aflame.鈥�
鈥淲e believe that First Flight holds a special meaning because it serves as a bookend of what they will again do when they gather on Linden Lane, four short years from now,鈥� said Sacco. 鈥淭he event marks the beginning of their academic journey at 糖心vlog直播平台, and provides a connection for the class through the common reading of Designing Your Life.鈥�
Evans, who earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Stanford and a graduate diploma in Contemplative Spirituality from San Francisco Theological Seminary, joins a notable roster of previous First Year Convocation speakers that includes Barack Obama and John McCain. More recent speakers have included Lev Golinkin 鈥�03, author of A Backpack, A Bear, and Eight Cases of Vodka; University Trustee Steve Pemberton 鈥�89, whose bestselling memoir A Chance in the World was adapted for film; and聽New York Times op-ed columnist and author David Brooks.
First Year Academic Convocation is coordinated by the Office of First Year Experience, part of the division of University Mission and Ministry.
鈥擯hil Gloudemans聽|聽University Communications