Speeches
Be Meaningfully Weird: 2025-26 Convocation Inspires Courage and Curiosity
On Sept. 12, the Southern Virginia University community gathered in the Knight Arena for the annual Academic Convocation–a tradition marking the start of a new school year and a shared commitment to learning and personal growth.
This year’s speakers, Dr. Andrew Sorber, Professor Amy Uber, and Interim Provost Sam Hirt, each encouraged students to take ownership for their education, trust divine guidance, and embrace the unique “weirdness” that can ultimately change the world.
Dr. Sorber shared the Persian poem “The Conference of the Birds,” a story symbolizing the lifelong search for knowledge and truth. The story, he explained, mirrors the academic journey–filled with questions, challenges, and transformation–but that such moments are invitations to seek truth, not reasons to turn away.
“Your beliefs will be challenged, your assumptions, the things you simply thought were true, all will be challenged,” said Dr. Sorber. “That does not mean all will be proven wrong. If you truly want to learn, you must be willing to pursue truth wherever it leads, even if that place is hard, even if it demands change in you.”
He reminded students that being educated isn’t about having all the answers–it’s about being willing to keep asking questions.
Drawing on her long career in international economics, Professor Uber reflected on a time when she was asked to become a U.S. diplomat, a role that initially filled her with doubt. Despite her hesitation, she chose to trust a divine prompting and discovered that faith can open unexpected doors.
“God said, ‘Now is the time,’” Uber recalled. “As a result, I was guided and comforted through the grueling assessment process, and this taught me an important lesson: to let God define you and lead you to who you are meant to be and to His ultimate goal for you.”
“Don’t just do the bare minimum,” Uber continued. “Give more than you are asked, and know that through hard and inspired work you will realize you can do this.”
Closing the program, Interim Provost Hirt offered a thought-provoking perspective on what it means to be “weird” in a world that values conformity. He contrasted the fun, offbeat creativity of entertainers like Weird Al Yankovic with the profound “meaningful weirdness” of influential figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus Christ, whose unconventional actions and courage to live differently reshaped culture and continue to inspire generations.
“Life is not about being popular or liked or working to gain influence,” Hirt said. “It’s about resisting the problematic parts of humanity to allow the emergence of something better. I want you to feel the profound impact that ‘meaningful weirdness’ can have.”
“My invitation to you is to be meaningfully weird,” continued Hirt. “Embrace every opportunity to learn so you can serve others and find yourself changed–so that you can change the world.”
As the new academic year begins, the convocation’s message was clear: education is more than study and grades–it’s about courage, faith, and the willingness to grow into one’s authentic self.
The event featured the traditional processional and recessional of faculty in their regalia. Attendees joined together in singing “Amazing Grace” to open the convocation, and the university choirs and alumni closed the gathering with a performance of “Shenandoah,” directed by Professor Benjamin Gaughran.