This is an auspicious day. Never before in the life of Slovakia has an educational institution of this sort been attempted, and I believe that its potential and significance are profound. I speak from my perspective as President and Trustee of the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation of New York City, which has been involved in higher education in the United States for over fifty years. It is my belief, and that of my colleagues in the Untied States, that the form of education that will be offered at BISLA has powerful potential to develop in students the habits of mind and spirit necessary to address the challenges and opportunities that lie before this rising nation.

What do I mean when I say this? What are the habits of mind and spirit of which I speak, habits we seek to develop in these four formative years? The first of these is a delight in intellectual challenge. What does this mean, a delight in intellectual challenge? It means that we must take pleasure in thinking for ourselves, in questioning the status quo, in searching for the internal contradictions in a proposition or in a way of doing things. It means rejecting the practice of uncritical acceptance of what others would have us believe, while nonetheless remaining respectful of tradition. Secondly, we must develop an unquenchable curiosity about the world around us, for in that curiosity we find our passions and we find new solutions to seemingly intractable problems. In the discovery and development of our passions, we find the will and determination to do the hard work of making our dreams a reality. Thirdly, we must develop a logical mind, a mind that can synthesize knowledge and perspectives and differentiate the sensible argument from the merely emotional one or from purely a belief system. Fourthly, we must develop a context in which to carry on our thinking, a world view it might be called. This last necessity requires a life-long commitment to intellectual endeavor and an on-going engagement with ideas.

These, then, are my four pillars of the engaged and active mind and spirit—delight in intellectual challenge, unquenchable curiosity, logical thinking, and life-long effort toward understanding the world. All these qualities will be inspired and nurtured here at BISLA in a powerful way, and a BISLA education will provide the knowledge and tools for such self-development. Yet it must always be remembered that ultimately the achievement of the potential of BISLA’s students is in their own hands. Each student must dedicate himself or herself to the life-long pursuit of these goals. To the students I say, with these tools at your disposal, there will be virtually no problem you cannot tackle and solve, provided you have the will to do so. I might add that here at BISLA, students will have many opportunities to be involved in the arts, which can provide sustenance, refreshment and insight when the spirit and the mind tires.



I have been asked why our foundation cares about what happens in Slovakia, why we invest our resources in this endeavor instead of in the United States. The reason is that we care about people in nations in every part of our world, not just in our own nation. We believe that there is no single group or nation more important than another. All humans share in the struggle to preserve the environment of our planet, in the struggle to provide an acceptable standard of living for all, in the struggle to provide a life of dignity and respect for each individual everywhere. All people everywhere are in one way or another committed to these goals, and the success or failure in accomplishing them depends upon our mutual cooperation and commitment to helping one another, whatever our race, our nationality, or our religious beliefs. We cannot succeed, we will not succeed, without working together on the challenges that face us all. Mankind’s organization into nations is an artificial construct really, a way of structuring ourselves politically so that we can live in orderly societies. This is undoubtedly necessary. In a more profound sense, however, we are truly one people, one human race, and we must all participate in the woes and triumphs of all of us. Here, in Slovakia, our foundation has been fortunate to become acquainted with the founders of BISLA, a small group of enlightened and dedicated individuals who are imbued with this perspective. They are a rare and precious breed. Our foundation supports individuals of this sort, wherever we find them, and will continue to do so as long as we have the resources at our disposal. Further, many of the colleges in the United States already possess significant resources and need our support less and less, enabling us to turn our attention to the bold and noble undertaking that is BISLA.

Once again, I turn to the students who are here today. My advice is to cherish every moment of the four years you will spend here at this wonderful new institution. What you learn here and the habits of mind you develop will not only enable you to contribute in a positive way to the solution of the problems we all face, but the qualities you develop will immeasurably enrich each and every day of your lives. I commend you for taking a risk in committing yourselves to a new and unfamiliar form of education, but it is a risk well worth taking. This university will never let you down in your quest for enlightenment and growth. BISLA is a new institution and will suffer the growing pains of any new endeavor, but those growing pains are part of progress, part of growth, part of the move towards excellence and transcendence. You are part of a noble and proud endeavor. Never doubt the importance of that no matter what doubters you may encounter along the way. Though I could not be with you today, I look forward to meeting all of you educational pioneers later in the year.

Lastly, I would like to express my profound gratitude and respect to the founders of BISLA. Theirs is a challenging and inspiring endeavor to which they are unselfishly and wholeheartedly dedicated. I have every confidence that they have the wisdom, commitment and passion to make BISLA an institution of which we can all be proud, of which all Slovakia as a nation will be proud. The potential for the future is vast, more than our imaginations can currently conceive, and I look forward with pleasure to the development of BISLA in its own unique way.

I send my congratulations, my best wishes, and my deep respect.

Julie Johnson Kidd has served as President of the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation since 1980. Since that time, she has served as a Chair and Member on numerous Boards of Trustees in the United States and Europe. In the United States, those institutions include Middlebury College, Hamilton College, Teachers College of Columbia University, The Brearley School, the Trust for Mutual Understanding, the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation and the National Museum of the American Indian. In Europe, she serves on the Board of the Artes Liberales Institute at the University of Warsaw, and the Bratislava Institute of Humanism/Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts. In 2002, Mrs. Kidd became the founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of the European College of Liberal Arts in Berlin.

She has received honorary doctorates of humane letters from Middlebury College, Hamilton College and Gettysburg College, and her undergraduate degree from Middlebury College. She received the Heye Foundation Medal of Honor from the Museum of the American Indian, the James Smithson Medal from the Smithsonian Institution for her work in creating the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, the Council of Independent Colleges¹ Award for Volunteerism and Philanthropy, and the University of Warsaw Medal of Honor.