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More than 500 colleagues, friends, supporters
and students of De Anza College gathered together on Nov. 17
to honor Dr. Brian Murphy as
the third president of De Anza College, which was founded
37 years ago. The joyous occasion began with a formal ceremony
in the Flint Center followed by an elaborate reception in the
Hinson Campus Center where more than 20 framed proclamations
from dignitaries were on display.
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The keynote address, titled “Civic Passion,”
was given by Thomas Ehrlich, a senior scholar at The Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching at Stanford University.
“No one is better qualified to provide strong leadership
than Brian Murphy,” Ehrlich said. “Brian has devoted
his whole life to strengthening the moral and civic fabrics of
our society. As a teacher and scholar, and as an administrator,
he has brought wisdom, compassion and commitment to the work of
bringing the community onto the campus and the campus into the
community.” Prior to becoming De Anza’s
president on July 1, Dr. Murphy was the executive director of
the San Francisco Urban Institute at San Francisco State
University since the institute’s inception in 1992. His
words at his inauguration reflected his respect for De Anza
and his enthusiasm for his new leadership role.
“This is a humbling moment for me to appreciate
that I come to a college that has served its community with
such integrity and imagination and has become in its practice
an uncommonly successful and caring institution. . . This is
a strong and intelligent place, fueled by a substantive commitment
to educational excellence and equity,” Dr. Murphy said.
“De Anza College is uniquely positioned among all
American community colleges to explore the question of how we
can better prepare students for life in a democratic society.”
Attending the ceremony were Dr. Murphy’s
family and close friends, educators from high schools, colleges
and universities; and delegates from local, county and state
government. Dr. Murphy’s colleague and friend, Paul Miller,
traveled from Jamaica to speak at the inauguration; and another
good friend, State Sen. John Vasconcellos, introduced him at
the ceremony.
To read Dr. Murphy’s complete inaugural
speech, go to
http://www.deanza.edu/president/inauguration/.
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