Where am I?
Graduate Student Commencement Speech
By Mark Hofman, Graduate Candidate
Fontbonne University – December 2010
President Golden, members of the Board of Trustee and Council of Regents, faculty, staff, our distinguished guest Dr. Csikszentmihalyi, family, friends and fellow graduates:
On such a happy occasion, what on earth could one student possibly say to the best, most intelligent, most gifted group of graduates to ever walk the hallowed halls of this university?
While I contemplated the task of offering these remarks I found myself searching through comments made by Winston Churchill, prime minister of Great Britain during the Second World War. I’ve always admired Churchill’s gift of speaking to great moments using simple words from the English language. I was looking for an inspiring quote to use as the launch pad for a commencement speech; however, the first Churchill quote I came across was his famous statement: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” (Some of you thought Rodney Atkins came up with that, didn’t you?) Obviously, given the connotations of that particular quote and the venue of this ceremony, I decided that particular quote was questionable for use as a launching pad.
Rethinking my strategy, I realized that speaking words of wisdom to a group of master’s degree recipients was not something I should attempt. Instead, I hope you’ll allow me the use of this time to speak on your behalf.
Part of the knowledge we graduates have gained during this educational journey is a deeper understanding of the fact that anything truly worth doing is not easy, and success is never guaranteed. In my Options cohort alone, twenty four students began our graduate program. Twelve of the twenty four – only half – finished. Almost all are seated in this room. Success in any serious endeavor is never guaranteed.
While my undergraduate degree is in secondary education and history, it dawned on me that we are here because of a core concept I learned in my Fontbonne accounting courses: Assets represent – are equal to – the sum of liabilities and equity.
Equity is a short word for the investment made in an enterprise, a share of interest and ownership in that enterprise, hoping that that it will be successful and will result in a return greater than the initial investment. We graduates are cognizant of Fontbonne’s investment in us. On their behalf, I want to thank President Golden, the Board of Trustees and Council of Regents, the University’s faculty and staff, and its financial supporters including alumni donors. This University chose to invest in quality faculty and staff, educational facilities, technology, and all those things that are required of an accredited educational institution. Faculty and staff invested their precious time in us. You have given each of us an opportunity to realize a personal dream or a professional goal. We are beneficiaries of your investment. On behalf of this graduating class, it my privilege to say “Thank you." One of my prayers is that, as alumni, each of us will consider investing in Fontbonne for the sake of those who are sure to follow in our footsteps. Any respected university cannot do its work in isolation, nor for very long, without sacrificial help from those who have benefitted. Choosing to give back, to re-invest, will add value to the diplomas we have received today. It will help others realize their dreams by opening the doors of opportunity.
Assets represent the sum of equity and liabilities. Liabilities are the debts owed by an enterprise. We graduates also look around this room and see evidence of the debts we owe. I am not speaking of anyone’s student loan. Those loans are really an investment many of these students made in themselves. The debt I’m speaking of can be seen in the faces of our parents, our wives and husbands, our children, our friends and relatives. We owe you a great debt of gratitude. Your support sustained us through to this day as you offered up words of encouragement, sacrificed time with us so that we could engage in serious academic endeavors, prayed for us, and waited patiently for this day to come. Many of you invested financially in us as well, with little or no expectation of repayment. Speaking for myself, I am compelled to express profound gratitude to my wife, who has been so supportive of my dream to earn a master’s degree, and to my son – born after I started my program. You have both been patient as I worked toward this day, and you paid your own price for that support. To you, our family and friends, on behalf of this graduating class… thank you.
All of us have a classmate or two, or more, who helped make today possible. Personally speaking, I owe a debt of gratitude to classmates who were patient and generous with their wisdom and experience. Any of you could stand at this podium today and give this speech. Through you I learned how much I did not know, and you challenged me to perform to the best of my ability. You have become good friends and I thank you.
It is true. Equity and liabilities are equal to assets. The important question is: what kind of an asset will we be to our families, our employers, our communities, our nation, our world? If the people in my own cohort group are typical of this entire body of graduates, each of you will be a tremendous asset because you are equal to the sum of great debt and generous investments.
It is true. Anything worth doing is not easy, and success is never guaranteed. Gene Kranz, retired director of flight operations for NASA during the early days of manned spaceflight in the U.S., was commenting on President Kennedy’s challenge to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth. I’ll take a bit of historical license as I share his perspective with you. Kranz said, “The power of (any noble human endeavor) is to raise our aspirations to those things that are possible if we will commit.” For each of us, reaching today has been a noble endeavor. Anything worth doing is never easy, and success is never guaranteed. Each of us deliberately and intentionally engaged in a process of re-formation, made possible by a university committed to academic excellence and the support of our family and friends. Perhaps Sir Winston’s statement about going through hell, and his encouragement to keep going, may be relevant after all when it is given some context by another remark made when times were very difficult and the cause was noble: “Never, never, never give up!”
What does it all mean? I cannot answer that question on behalf of my fellow graduates. Each one of us will spend time trying to resolve that question, and how to apply the answers to our lives and vocations. We may initially think of today as having crossed the finish line, that things will get easier from here on now that a master’s degree is hanging on our wall. But I believe Good Sir Winston would disagree. After a particularly harrowing time, when the pressures of those days were lifted, Churchill said: “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Which brings us back to my initial question: What could one student possibly say to the best, most intelligent, most gifted group of graduate students to ever walk these hallowed halls? Only this: “Rejoice. Be happy We are here. You earned this day. You are an asset. Congratulations.”