President’s speeches, letters, and articles
Subject: Welcome to a New Academic Year at Reed
September 2, 2025
Dear Reed community,
As we begin a new academic year at Reed College, I am focused on the special character of Reed and the values we strengthen at this time of year. Each fall, our campus comes alive again with the energy of returning students, the curiosity of those joining us for the first time, and the shared commitment of a community devoted to the pursuit of knowledge.
Our students—brilliant, engaged, and deeply committed—are the heart of Reed. You inspire us with your courage to ask hard questions, to pursue truths, and to imagine a future shaped by creativity, justice, and care for the world. You are the reason we invest so deeply in the work we do here. As I said during convocation last week in my welcome to the class of 2029, you are also pursuing what Reed alumna and psychologist Erin Westgate ’10 describes as a psychologically rich life—one that invites us to step outside our comfort zones, to remain open to changing our minds, and to embrace the growth that comes from discovering new ways of seeing the world and ourselves.
Our faculty continue to lead extraordinary research and creative projects that resonate far beyond our campus. Whether pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery, imagining works that challenge and inspire, or deciphering histories in ways that illuminate the present, their work embodies the very best of what higher education can offer.
Our staff members, in every department and role, sustain the daily life of the college. Their dedication ensures that we can do what we do best: learn together, face challenges together, and create a place where intellectual freedom thrives.
We are living in a dynamic and challenging moment for higher education. Across the country, colleges and universities are being called to navigate shifting landscapes, and Reed is no exception. In my six years as president, however, I have seen firsthand that this community draws strength from its independent-mindedness. We are steadfast in our commitment to intellectual rigor, open inquiry, and the freedom to critically assess our world on our own terms. That independence of thought is not an abstraction—it is forged every day in classrooms, laboratories, studios, and performance spaces, and in the countless conversations that animate our campus.
Reed’s independence has always meant more than simply going our own way. It means having the courage to think for ourselves while engaging deeply with one another—especially in difficult times. It means valuing in-person engagement as the essential core of our mission. In our classrooms, over lunch in Commons, on the Quad, in the library stacks, and during late-night study sessions, we enact the values that define us.
I invite each of you to savor the joy of learning together this year. Let us celebrate the differences that make us stronger, the questions that challenge us, and the shared commitment to truth and knowledge that binds us together as a community.
Here’s to a year of discovery, creativity, and connection.
Warmly,
Audrey
Audrey Bilger
President
Reed College