Joining the club...

The invitation to be a university commencement speaker is an honor. At first, it sounds like fun but then quickly it becomes a quite formidable task.  This spring, I was invited to address the hundreds of University of Washington continuing education graduates, along with hundreds more family members and friends who filled the field house to celebrate the completion of their programs.

I was especially pleased to speak this year because it gave me the opportunity to thank my teaching mentor over the past 25 years, retiring Vice Provost Dave Szatmary. He is a legend in academic circles across the country and his counsel has made my tenure as senior instructor and advisory board member a very fulfilling part of my life.

As I began to collect my thoughts, I realized that I was joining a pretty exclusive club. Even the President of the United States is a commencement speaker. How could I possibly compete with his thoughts and views? And then, there are the many other influentials out there, preaching to a new wave of world-changers and trying to dispense good advice...pretty daunting, indeed.

Google was my first piece of research and there at the top of the list was the New York Times annual poke at commencement speakers. 

“Mostly what you should know is that you’re part of America’s greatest generation, our fastest growing export, our newest achievement in the nation that gave birth to freedom, jazz and Upworthy. That’s right: Starting today, you’re proud members of the commencement speech industrial complex.

“What you say in the next eight minutes has the ability to move the world, to be spammed into inboxes around the globe, to define you in the eyes of millions. Don’t let anybody tell you this isn’t true, because you have the opportunity that your ancestors never dreamed of: to be more popular than cat videos,” it said

More popular than cat videos! Wow! Clearly, composing a commencement speech is a challenge. I quickly decided that now was not the time to “wing it”. Good solid advice seemed safe.  Keep it personal. Talk about what you know. Write it down and practice. My thoughts began to gel.

Jane talked me out of the attempt at humor where I would tell the students that they were lucky not having to pay $38 for a wrist band to stand in line and hear my speech like hundreds of people two blocks away who were doing just that while waiting to get a signed copy of Hillary’s new book. On second thought, I decided I was the lucky one because the students came to graduation instead of choosing to stand in Hillary’s line.

I also received a number of nay votes on my attempt at being current by referencing Snapchat, the latest online photo site. The blank stares told me that it may be working for some people (much younger than me, I’m sure) but clearly not my crowd.

Finally, it was obvious that I should stick to the basics, no jokes. Don't try to be Tony Robbins (There's only one). Find a few memorable quotes, offer some good advice, congratulate them on their success and then sit down. I had to smile when a cheer from my students rose out of the crowd as I was introduced. It gave me the quick moment of relief I needed before I began my talk.

Personally connecting with each of my students as they received their certificates was heartwarming. And the unfurling of the 12^th Man banner with my name on it that they had prepared and signed was definitely a highlight of the evening. Because of my long association with the University of Washington on so many levels, I have grown a great affinity for the school and, thanks to UW, I’m now a proud member of the commencement speakers club. In the end though, it’s about the students. Having even a small effect on shaping their lives is the greatest reward of all.

Here are a few edited portions of my address. (I made it in under 10 minutes…even the President couldn’t do that!) I was honored to be part of the ceremony and, frankly, I think it went pretty well...but I'll leave that judgement up to those who heard it.

Lifelong Learning is the essence of Professional and Continuing Education programs. Most of you are here today because you wanted to learn more.  That's true for me as an instructor, as well. Through teaching and mentoring over the past 25 years, I have also continued to learn. Learn about people. Learn about new trends. Learn about a whole new generation entering the marketplace and changing it. That’s a very special gift to be given.

I was not initially trained to be a teacher. I was trained to write.  Being an English major prepares you for anything or nothing at all, depending on what you choose to do with it. I’ve spent most of my life learning to do new things. It’s sometimes a challenge and sometimes rewarding, but it’s always exciting and never dull.

In one of the classes I teach, we talk about the power of three.  Research has proven that people can remember three pieces of information very well. I want to be certain to leave you with three thoughts to take home from today’s ceremony.

For alliteration’s sake, I’ve got 3 P’s for you:

Preparation is the first. A famous basketball coach named John Wooden had a sign on the wall by his desk that read “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” You are preparing now by completing a certificate program.  That’s a great first step.

Perseverance comes next. The Chinese philosopher Confucius is reported to have said, “It does not matter how slow you go, as long as you never stop.” I know things have always seemed most satisfying for me when the end of a journey is in sight. Keep on  keeping on, until then.

Finally, it’s passion that has brought us all here. We didn’t do this because we had to.  We did it because we wanted to.  Because it makes possible something that we care about. Author Irving Stone wrote in the Agony and the Ecstasy, “Talent is cheap. Dedication is expensive. It will cost you your life.” Try as hard as you can to do something you love. To live and work with passion will make the trip a much smoother ride.

I applaud you for being here tonight to receive your certificates. I am as proud of each of you as I am of my own students, for wanting to learn more.

In wrapping up, I’m reminded that I had the good fortune to meet the famous poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, who passed away just a few weeks ago. While she was speaking to a group of young school children, she unknowingly gave me an important life lesson.  We were talking about writing when she said, “I don’t use big words. They just confuse us all. If a third-grader understands what we write, then our point is much better made.” I wrote that in my notebook, and have been guided by it throughout my entire career where writing is at the core.

So I leave you today with a simple three-word phrase that is a cornerstone of every great institution and every great life. Third-graders know this, and all of us should take it to heart. “Keep on learning”.

Thank you and congratulations.