Class of '62 Student Enrichment Fund Event
Campus visit by Rowan Farrow
May 2013

In May of 2013, our Student Enrichment Fund sponsored the visit of Ronan Farrow to the campus. If his name is not familiar to you, you can read his most impressive biography on Wikipedia or the article on Culver's web site. He is incredibly accomplished for only being 25 years old. The following is a report of Ronan's day at Culver from the Academy staff.

To the Class of '62--

Ronan Farrow's visit to campus on May 8, 2013, had the student body abuzz. We began the day at 10 am with a morning session in the Dicke Theatre for sophomore Humanities classes. Approximately 140 students attended, and Ronan gave them a background of his work abroad and at home with Hillary Clinton. A Q&A period was lively, and several students stayed afterwards to ask questions.

We then went to an early lunch at 11:30 am at the Bays/Whitney House, where 20 juniors and seniors involved in the Global Studies Institute and some additional faculty talked over lunch about service participation and how to involve more students in campus organizations to support global concerns. The students expressed that it is the same group of students who volunteer for everything. Ronan gave them encouragement and support, and the students loved this more intimate setting of interaction.

At the 2:30 pm all-school meeting, Ronan spoke of service and mentioned the organizations and students with whom he had lunch. The lunch group felt tremendously boosted by his comments, and he went on to comment how all of our students can make a difference. At the age of 25, and with his robust contributions to date, he was truly a good role model to speak to this point of view. A lengthy Q&A period, where he got in close proximity to the students, occurred. Topics covered were Benghazi, working in the State Department, and how it felt to go to college so young. So many stayed afterwards for pictures and handshakes that I had to keep them moving along so that Ronan could make his airport driver connection.

Two alumni from last year's class were on campus the same day to talk in the evening to Global Studies Institute about their choice to serve in villages abroad instead of attend college their first year out of Culver. During their evening session there were several comments about Ronan's work, and it was a wonderful way to tie the day's events together.

Overall, whether our students leaned to the left or right politically, the students related well to this young man who has accomplished much for his tender years. Conversation was electric and students were motivated by his message. The Class of '62 campus committee thanks our Class of '62 Alumni for providing such an engaging day on our campus.

Sincerely,

Cathy Duke, Fine Arts Chair
Kathy Lintner, Dean of Faculty
Kurt Christiansen, Humanities Chair
Lori Bin*, Duchossois Scholar, 2013
Andrew Kilbourne, Duchossois Scholar, 2013

In addition to these comments from the Academy staff, you are encouraged to read the following comments about Ronan's visit made by the students themselves.

* Lori Bin was the student in charge of the Relay for Life event (and Class of '62 Mini-Mini-Reunion) held at the Academy in April 2013.

Class of 1962 Student Enrichment Fund - Speaker, Ronan Farrow
Student Comments
May 8, 2013

I thought that he presented his ideas really well and made for a really interesting speaker. He was funny, which always helps when talking to teenagers, and he stated his opinions in an appropriate way that would not offend anyone while still providing good feedback on all the questions that were asked of him.
-- Sarah '13

I really liked the speaker. I liked his speech more so than the Q&A time because I thought some of the questions got a little off topic from what his central message was trying to be. It was interesting to hear his speech and I really liked listening to it!
-- Olivia '14

I was very impressed on Ronan's speech today. The fact that you could tell he has had such a big impact in society at such a young age is just astonishing. He was very motivational as well because the things he has accomplished came through hard work. It displays the message of working hard for your goals and never giving up. His speech today was completely relevant to our generation. Ronan inspired each student to go out on a limb and to have a voice heard in society. Overall, his speech was excellent.
-- Harry '16

I enjoyed today's guest speaker Ronan Farrow. I thought he was a really intelligent man with a lot to say. However, I thought what he had to say was at times boring. I did my best to try to engage in his message, but it was difficult because I personally found the topic quite mundane. This isn't to say that I find him boring as a person, because he seems like an extremely interesting man that I would like to know more about. It was just at times what he was preaching I didn't find entertaining or informative.
-- PJ '14

I am not personally a fan of the speaker (due to opposing viewpoints on most aspects). I do believe that he is a very interesting and accomplished person though. His message I felt was generic "the future is in your hands" but it is always a very meaningful message because its true and not everyone realizes that. With this type of message I feel that it is more relevant to age (high school-college) than it is generational because the future will always be in someone else's hands and this is the time period when people are entering the real world. Also you could definitely tell he's a politician. I felt that he always beat around the bush with the questions that people asked him. Overall, he's an interesting man. Glad I'm able to say I heard what he had to say, but I don't think I would go to a lecture of his again if given the choice.
-- Michael '14

I was so inspired by Ronan Farrow. I very much enjoyed his speech; I thought his message was complicated, as it should have been, but the points he was emphasizing were clear. I am also very interested in this topic and I think it applies to a lot of people in our community here at Culver. I think that since he is younger it was easier for people to relate to him, especially because he kept saying 'our generation' and made change seem tangible which was beneficial because we always talk about how to change things here at Culver, but within the rules, which is understandable but ironic and contradicting at the same time. I obviously really enjoyed it and him! I would love for him, or someone like him- to come back or to at least be able to work with and talk to people like that in the future.
-- Maeve '14

In regards to today's speaker, I thought that while he was very informative and well-intended, that his message of human rights was a bit lost. Yes, I did think that it was relevant to our generation. I thought that we needed him to tell us what was unique to him as a person (stories, inspirational experiences).
-- Leah '14

I really liked him as well! Sometimes during his speech I couldn't tell which direction he was going with whether inspiring the next generation or telling us about his passions and his stories. But overall I liked his enthusiasm.
-- Helen '14

I thought it was SO cool!! It was really interesting to hear his perspective, and it was nice to know that he could actually identify with us in a way… and overall he seemed really awesome J
-- Jem '14

I loved him! I got to eat lunch with him, too, as a part of the GSI student gathering. I thought he was very intelligent and diplomatic, as well as inspiring.
-- Bella '14

I really liked him and how he so easily conversed about the bigger issues of US policy and actions. However, I think that the question and answer in Eppley is always awkward, and maybe it would've been better to have uploaded a survey for students to ask questions, then he could've chosen a few and answered those completely. If you're in the back it is hard to hear.
I liked his message about nonconformity and how he seemed to understand the situation some of us are in at Culver. I wish he had talked more about his experiences in academics and how he chose this path for himself.
-- Rory '14

Regarding the presenter at the all-school yesterday, I thought that he presented his ideas extremely well and made for an interesting speaker. He was funny, which always helps when talking to teenagers, and he stated his opinions in an appropriate way that would not offend anyone while still providing good feedback on all the questions that were asked of him. He really took the time to relate all ideas to this generation and how certain issues impacted us as a whole and as individuals. Overall I found the presenter to be very well spoken and well versed.
-- Corydon '13

I felt Ronan Farrow provided a lot of information, and gave us a chance to listen to a world experience. He went into depth about his life, and tied his experiences to us. I was moved by his strong feeling for his line of work.
-- Addyson '16

I really enjoyed his speech. I thought some of the things he mentioned really related to my life, and I liked the experiences that he shared about when he was in foreign countries. He was very intelligent and well informed on the topics he was addressing.
-- Johnny '15

What I got out of his talk was that we shouldn't shy away from speaking our minds because we will someday help make a better America. Also, we are extremely fortunate to be here because we will be better prepared for college and the real world so that we can help make a difference. This is because America is falling behind educationally and we need to better our economy and political system. He made these things clear.
-- Lizzie '16

I thought it was pretty cool to have someone who works in that field come to Culver. As he said, we are in a bubble and we don't hear about the news as much as someone in a public high school would hear. I knew what he was talking about and I know what other were asking about. I thought it was very interesting to listen to him. Of course everyone coming up and taking pictures at the end wasn't the highlight of his trip here but he was very interesting and I think that it was worth the money to fly him out here.
-- Judson '16

I thought Ronan Farrow was an excellent speaker and he should be brought back if possible! I found the question and answer opportunity most interesting and that is what really provoked my interest.
-- Nick '13

I thought it was neat that when he let us ask him questions… he just thought about it for a little and gave a really detailed answer on the spot. I couldn't have done that and there wasn't one questions he couldn't answer even the one about final ball.
-- Karissa '15

I liked Mr. Farrow. He was very enthusiastic about what he believed in, and I was incredibly interested in what he had to say. However, when people started to ask him about irrelevant things like gun control, or illegal immigration, his presentation got out of hand. Not that he was at fault, but the presentation lost its credibility.
-- Gunnar '14

Ronan Farrow was a nice speaker, but I believe he was best suited to a specific audience and not the entire school. For being initially so highly acclaimed I found him to be dull and his field of study less than relevant to my experience. I believe a speaker versed in general business management or a widely applicable field would have better appealed to everyone and would have more takeaways. With Mr. Farrow, I felt that I had already heard much of what he had to offer and did not take much away. I would encourage the next speaker in this series to be carefully evaluated, as if from a student viewpoint. Also, sending out questionnaires regarding the interest of the student body could help.
-- Celeta '13

It is always wonderful to have people from the world out there come and inspire us to pursue something. Ronan is the son of the actress of one of my favorite movies, and I am, very glad that such an intelligent boy could do so many things at an early age. It is also important to have an opposing point of view expose their opinion on global and national issues in front of a predominantly conservative audience, in a traditional school in a "red" state like Indiana. I am very glad to have real examples to associate with and realize that global leaders and activists are not from another world, and that we can be one of them. I really enjoyed it.
-- Jorge'14

I thought it was interesting getting his opinions on important events from around the world. I thought it was incredibly impressive about how knowledgeable he is about all of these subjects at such a young age. Very interesting stuff!
-- Peter '13

It was such a wonderful speech because it was an opportunity for us to hear a new experience, new thoughts, and new perspectives! A lot of people were very interested in the speaker, too!
-- Susannah '13

I actually really liked the speaker. I thought he could relate to us well for someone in politics because he was so young, and he understood us more than someone older would.
-- Carter '14

This speaker spoke to us as mature young adults. I really appreciated the intellectual conversation and his willingness to include us by having a long Q&A. For those of us who haven't decided what life holds after graduation, he provided reassurance that we can keep creating ourselves.
-- Megan '15

The speaker today really got the students thinking. After his presentation a lot of people talked about how they like his message while others said how they disagreed with his political stance on the issues he described. I think overall though his speech made us think and talk to each other about these things. That's always good.
-- Katie '15