... and alum encourages first-years to seek unique path

'Berg alumnus and renowned neuroscientist Dr. Michael Weisend, '87, encouraged new students to think outside the box and beyond the goal of simply being an 'A' student during his Opening Convocation keynote address on Thursday. While admirable, achieving good grades won’t be enough to set you apart four years from now, when competition for jobs will be fierce, said Weisend, a distinguished neuroscientist. Every year, 2 million students receive college degrees, and increasingly more graduate with honors. “If you focus on teaching and texts and good scores, you will end up with a degree from Heidelberg, but you want to be ahead of the class,” said Weisend. To set themselves apart, he encouraged students to look beyond and between the words on a page and envision a blank page, which can be scary. “When you take that risk, you will have the freedom to discover your own passions in the face of criticisms,." Weisend also reflected on his time at Heidelberg during his remarks.