The School of International Service celebrated its 50th anniversary on Friday by welcoming new students and professors at the school's opening ceremony.
Students stood at the front steps of Kay Spiritual Life Center, while others crowded the aisles and doorways as Professor and former SIS president Paul Wapner greeted the group.
"The point is not merely to understand the world, but to change it," Wapner explained, quoting Karl Marx. "My colleagues and I are part of a community of people who are trying to solve the foremost problems of the world through service."
Other speakers included new Provost Scott Bass and SIS Dean Louis Goodman, who spoke about how the new class was both the largest and most qualified the school has ever seen. A memorandum sent out by AU President Neil Kerwin detailed an 18 percent spike in the number of students the previous year, as well as a jump in average GPA to 3.8 and an SAT average score of 1266.
"You will succeed if you are passionate for and care about something," he said. "That will keep you successful in school and successful in life."
The event included an introduction of the school's 16 new faculty members, who previously taught at colleges like Harvard University and the London School of Economics, as well as visiting professors from such countries as Canada, Turkey and Israel.
The ceremony gave students a better look at the leadership and mission of SIS, said Maria Lewitzke, a freshman in the school.
"This event was a good way to see who leads the school and what SIS is about," she said. "The speakers were good and interesting and the school's emphasis on diversity really showed through."
In addition to stressing the importance of service and passion in his speech, Goodman also emphasized the strong sense of community that separates SIS from other international relations schools at other universities.
SIS offers students learning opportunities they would not have elsewhere, according to Austin Siebert, a freshman in the school.
"Coming here, I can learn things about the world I never would get a chance to at home," Siebert said. "I am really looking forward to this year."
SIS professor David Hirschmann, a former South African resident who has taught in the school's international development for 23 years, said he has noticed a stronger sense of community, an improvement in scholarship and an improvement in the quality of students and professors.
"I like how SIS is really focused on studying and scholarship for the purpose of service to people. I am so lucky to have landed in a place where I can teach what I believe in," he said. "I think the school is going in a great direction."
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