Commencement Address - May 5, 2017

Members of the Germanna Community College Board, Honored Guests, Faculty, Staff, Friends and most especially graduates, thank you for giving me this opportunity to say a few words of parting at this my last Commencement as President, my Last Sermon, my Last Lecture.

About a decade ago after I had taken on this trust, I began my speech at my Inauguration by saying: This day celebrates the opportunities provided by America’s promise. It celebrates those who came before. It celebrates the mission and achievements of those who have served, those who currently serve, and those who will serve Germanna Community College and its communities and students.

Tonight, I use this opportunity once again to recognize and to thank others as well as to recognize and thank you, the graduates, for the privilege of having served you and others like you.

Tonight is no different. While I stand here alone to speak to you, I have never been alone in the role I have performed.

Now, I am mindful of the fact that commencement speakers are inserted into the script mainly to delay the moment we all wait for—like a bad plot device.

I cannot remember any of the commencement speakers from any of my graduations. And so I will not be surprised if 10 years from now you do not remember who spoke at yours.

But I hope you do remember some of the sentiments I express.

10 years ago, our dear friend the late Professor Rich Gossweiler challenged me to serve Germanna well.

I use this opportunity to challenge all you my colleagues, all of you who support Germanna’s mission in the community or in government, and all of you who graduate tonight to also keep faithful to what Germanna is: One of Democracy’s Colleges, a place of opportunity where even those who do not believe in themselves may find a dream and gain the knowledge, skills and credentials to achieve it.

And I take this opportunity to challenge our governmental leaders and citizens:

When the costs of higher education are high and too many students leave with high loan debt, Community Colleges like Germanna are even more vital to our region, our Commonwealth and our nation.

When so many jobs go unfilled, jobs that require skills and certifications less than a bachelor’s degree but that pay well, cutting community college budgets does long term harm to individuals, to business, to communities.
We know that the more education people have, the less likely they are to be ill, commit crimes, or be on welfare. So when we want to cut health care costs, crime rates, and welfare payments, we should invest in education, not reduce funding while adding more bureaucracy.

The view that “I’ve got mine and too bad about you” is short-term thinking and destructive to our sense of belonging to a larger community. We should invest in those things that have clear return on that investment.

Community colleges are an investment that is crucial to America’s future at a time we are at a crossroads as a nation.

My parents could scrimp and save enough to pay for my entire tuition for college and for that of my sisters. I do not think they could have afforded to do so today. I look out at these successful graduates here tonight, and I know many of you had to work to pay for your own classes. And even though many of you had parents who could help, there still was not enough.

Education has made a huge difference for me. Germanna has made a huge difference in the lives of these students and ultimately for our community.

10 years ago I said that my success was not mine alone, that no one succeeds without the help of others. I thanked my immigrant grandparents who traveled oceans to come to America from Poland and Syria. I thanked my parents who each were the first in the history of their families to finish high school and who modeled lives of service. They sacrificed much so that my two sisters and I could be successful. The story is never just about one person.

They stand behind me tonight in spirit as I challenge all of you graduates to live lives of service.

10 years ago, I thanked former supervisors who were generous mentors, coaches and great role models. They often believed in me when I questioned myself and challenged me to be and to do more.

We at Germanna have believed in you graduates, challenged you, supported you. It is your time to be and to do. It is also your time to believe in others, challenge them, and support them. In these ways we best pay back those who have made a difference in our lives.

10 years ago I promised that:

• We will better focus on fostering learning in everything we do.
• We will better reach out to serve all those who need us in our service region.
• We will develop ourselves to better meet these challenges and opportunities.
• We will seek the support of institutions and organizations through the resources you can provide or the partnerships you can offer.
• We will be accountable to our students, our communities, to the Commonwealth, to each other, and we will improve ourselves as we seek to improve our students.

I am proud to say that we have been true to those promises and made great progress. To my colleagues here tonight, thank you. You will have more work ahead of you but I am confident that you and Dr. Janet Gullickson will keep Germanna moving forward as it partners with thousands more students so that they can join this group of alumni. I will be watching as Germanna does great things.

And I will be watching as you, the graduates, do great things.

Now, what is a commencement address without a list of “secrets” or “words of wisdom? Graduates, feel free to take notes. This will be on the test.
If I have been successful, it is because I was taught by the examples of my betters and by the failures and challenges of living some simple and obvious, yet often ignored, truths.
– Find something to do that really matters—but do everything as if it really matters.
– Remember where you came from—and where you are going.
– Give what you expect to get. I have worked with some who thought they could drill a hole in my side of the lifeboat and not sink their side.
– Forgive yourself and others—because anger will only make you sick.
– The first sentence and the last sentence of everyone’s biography is the same—and our paths between run parallel
– Finally, find a way to keep laughing, keep learning, keep playing.
50 years ago, I was a 17-year-old first-generation college student. I remember nearly drowning at the university. I did fine in my classes, but I did not feel that I belonged. I did not know anyone. And my parents could not help. I can name several professors who saw more in me than I did in myself. They helped me grow in confidence as I gained knowledge and skills. Some became friends. Graduates, I know there are some teachers here tonight who made that huge difference in your lives

I conclude with one of my poems. It imagines any grateful student who has realized the great gift the teacher has given.

The Teacher

I have a soul, but
I do not know how wise it is.
You help me to find the wisdom in my spirit.
I have a path, but
I’m not sure it’s my true path.
You help me to know my own way.
I have an eye that sees,
a mind that is aware.
You help me to understand what I see, what I know.
I have some talents, but
what are they, where do they lead?
You help me see what I can do for the world.
There have been many who
have taught me words and acts.
Only the Teacher has helped me see the path I am,
the wisdom I can be.

Thank you to the Board for the deep honor and privilege of being able to serve this last decade as president.

Thank you colleagues and friends of the college for all that you have done to make Germanna Community College what it is, and all that you will do to make it what it should be in the future, the open door for so many to find and achieve their version of the American dream.

And Graduates, my last graduating class, thank you for the opportunity to share in your success. I look forward to hearing about your contributions to our future. Congratulations.