Sunday evening we will tap the gavel three times and conclude the 2012 Season. If you are among the few who have been with us most of that time, thank you for investing such a large portion of your discretionary time in the experience of Chautauqua. If you have been with us more recently, thank you too for making this decision. Regardless of the amount of time you have spent here, I hope you have found in the experience a powerful model for lifelong learning, an encounter with the best in human values and an enrichment of life.

I sincerely hope that all who leave Chautauqua do so with a sense of confidence in the capacities of people to understand the complexity of the issues before us, appreciation of the nuances of how those issues are experienced and addressed, motivation to find a way to contribute, and resolution to stay the course in continuing learning and involvement.