From the Speeches and Writings of Joanne V. Creighton

"And just as there is close-mindedness in this orthodoxy of the right, so too is there a similar close-mindedness in an ideology of the left, the repressive regimen of the so-called p.c., or politically correct, which presumes and imposes an appropriately `correct' position for all issues, an ideology which censures thought and feeling and closes out the possibility of sincere and open exchange. Rather than clinging to old orthodoxies or taking on new ideologies, we must persevere with faith in free and open inquiry--this is the very premise of a liberal arts education. `Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string,' says Emerson."

"Looking Forward, Looking Back"
Phi Beta Kappa Initiation
Wesleyan University
May 1991

"From the broadest vista of the presidency one appreciates what an important role liberal arts colleges and universities play in our society not only for the benefits they offer to discrete individuals but for the tangible and intangible impact they have in generating the knowledge base, the intellectual capital of our society, and in building its economic, cultural, humanistic, and ethical character. A liberal arts education continues to be a wonderful experience which works in an ineffable but sure way. It seems to be so impractical, learning for learning's sake without immediate application, and it turns out to be so practical--serving to develop the skills and perspectives, the knowledge and the discrimination and the values needed for a useful and meaningful life."

"Weekend at Wesleyan"
Wesleyan University
October 7, 1994

"Women do indeed make their way in the world in part by observing and emulating other women. Excluded as women have been from the dominant traditions and leadership positions of our society, we've looked to each other for how to live, how to be."

Women and Leadership: Reflections on Gender, Power, and Style"
October 18,1994

"One of the great pleasures of being an administrator...is the splendid vista it sometimes provides, from which one can occasionally see the university steadily and see it whole, as a vital organism, diverse yet ineluctably bound together by implicitly shared values, habits of mind, attitudes towards knowledge."

"Address to Faculty"
Wesleyan University
September 4, 1990

"My grandmother had no formal schooling at all; and my mother was not allowed to go to high school, even though she begged and pleaded with her parents, for it was thought that schooling for boys was necessary but for girls it was a waste and so she had to stay home and follow an appropriately womanly path."

"Welcome to Wesleyan"
Class of 1998
Wesleyan University
September 1994