Mortenson challenges MSU students to change the world
Carol Schmidt, MSU News
A man who has changed the world by building schools in poor
communities in
"Politics is not what brings peace," said Greg Mortenson, founder of
the Central Asia Institute that has built 61 schools in remote and mountainous
regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan and co-author of the New York Times
Bestseller "Three Cups of Tea," about his courageous journey.
"People bring peace. And one of the most important things we can do to bring
peace is to educate all children."
"If you fight terrorism, that is based on fear,
but if you fight illiteracy, it is founded on hope," Mortenson said.
Mortenson, who lives just a few blocks from MSU, was the invited speaker to the
university's first-ever freshmen convocation. MSU Provost David Dooley, who
introduced Mortenson, told the crowd of more than 1,000 who gathered in the MSU
Fieldhouse for the event that Mortenson was selected
for his heroic story and his dedication to education.
"(Mortenson's) life is about ... the value of
education and that one person can really make a difference, even in a world
with more than a billion people," Dooley said.
Mortenson said that his journey, which has garnered notice in Parade Magazine
and countless media outlets in recent years, was rooted in failure more than a
decade ago. Mortenson, who has degrees in both chemistry and nursing, was an
avid mountaineer who vowed to summit
"It is said that only when it is dark enough can one see the stars,"
Mortenson said, quoting a proverb often referred to during his speech.
"Failure is not the end of the world. It can be the beginning, because I
felt as if I had failed."
While in Korphe, where one out of three children die
before their third birthday and literacy is about two percent, Mortenson
promised a group of children that he would return and build a school. A broke
emergency room nurse, Mortenson had no training in how to raise money nor how to build a school, but three years later the school
in Korphe was dedicated through Mortenson's
efforts. In ensuing years Mortenson and his organization have raised millions
and built 61 schools in the remote area of Muslim Central
"You start small and plant seeds of hope, one seed at a time, one penny at
a time," Mortenson said. He said his organization provides free resources
and materials, but members of the recipient communities provide sweat equity
and coordination.
Mortenson said the resulting schools, particularly schools that are for girls,
are important tools to fight terrorism.
"If you educate a boy, you educate a person. If you educate girls, you
educate a community," Mortenson said.
Mortenson added that the Taliban recently has destroyed 260 schools in the
area, mostly girls schools, because the Taliban
believes "ideologically it's better to control people through
illiteracy."
"You can't have democracy unless you have education and land
ownership," Mortenson said.
Returning to the proverb about darkness enabling one to see the light of stars,
Mortenson guaranteed that students at the convocation would all have dark times
during their college years.
"But you will see the star, and you are that star," he said. He
encouraged the students to take care of themselves during their education, to
seek counseling, spiritual and physical help when they needed it from the
resources available.
"Go out and change the world," Mortenson said. "And GO
Bobcats."
Following Mortenson's speech, Jake and Jenni Fleming, recording artists and MSU graduates teamed
up with Mortenson's young daughter, Amira, and the
Bozeman Children's Chorus to sing "Three Cups of Team," a song
written by Jake Fleming that was inspired by Mortenson.
MSU President Geoff Gamble told those at the convocation that statistics show
that one-third of entering freshmen won't graduate.
"I challenge you to change that statistic," Gamble said.
"Embrace the opportunities that are available to you. Risk
failure to achieve beyond your dreams. Dare to make a difference for
someone else."
ASMSU President Tegan Molloy, a fifth-year senior
from
"Slow down and make building relationships as important as projects,"
Molloy said.
The MSU Office of the Provost, V.P. for Student Affairs, the MSU Leadership
Institute, ASMSU and the MSU Alumni Association sponsored MSU's
inaugural convocation.
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=5068
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