Oswego Object: President Peter Nwosu’s Shoes

Peter O. Nwosu came to the United States in 1985 to earn a master’s degree at Towson University in Maryland. On his feet, he wore these shoes. He has kept this pair of shoes as a permanent reminder of the “power of education to transform lives and ignite new possibilities.”

He has them in a display case near the window in his office on the seventh floor of Culkin Hall.

He shared the story of his shoes with the university community and with new students during his first Welcoming Torchlight Ceremony in August:

“As you may or may not know, I came to this country as an immigrant student seeking a better life through the power of higher education. If you ever stop by my office in Culkin Hall, I can show you the pair of shoes I wore on my feet when I came to this country from Nigeria so many years ago. I keep them to remind me of how far those feet have carried me.

“The ancient philosopher Lao Tzu said a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and so tonight, I invite you to join me on this journey of learning at SUNY Oswego.”

As he passes midway through his first year as the leader of SUNY Oswego, it is clear that he doesn’t intend to fill his predecessor’s “big shoes.” Instead, he acknowledges that everyone has had their own life experiences along their lives’ paths and that it is those unique experiences that enrich the campus and infuse new energy to build on past successes and carry SUNY Oswego into the future. During his remarks at the university’s Opening Breakfast in late August, he said:

“Each of us today has come in our own shoes, and education has helped to transform us … We have a moral responsibility to ensure that our students succeed. We’re changing their lives. We’re doing what we must do to ensure that we have a vibrant and strong community and that our democracy is strong. It is a beacon of hope to the rest of the world and the single most important product we export to the rest of the world is intellectual property. It’s education. That’s why they come. We are keepers and stewards of a promise handed to us by Edward Austin Sheldon 162 years ago. Let us expand that promise for the sake of our communities and beyond.”

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