Newark College of Arts & Sciences and
University College
Thank you President McCormick. I am grateful for your words because I value highly the rich history of Rutgers University and because
I treasure our extraordinary school here in Newark.
Most of all, I am honored to be with all of you. My congratulations to each of you and to every family member and friend for a job very well done.
As much as I appreciated President McCormick‘s generous introduction, you should know that there is one additional point he didn’t mention… and would have no way of knowing.
Today is, in fact, the first time and only time that I will receive a degree in person from Rutgers University. And that's because, on graduation day of May 1969, at about this time, I was completing an eight hour shift working for a trucking company on the docks of Jersey City.
I was the oldest child and sole support of a family of five that had recently lost its father, and not only was a day- without- pay graduation ceremony out of the question, but the direction of my life was clearly in question.
Not that driving a hi-lo and hanging out with my late father’s friends wasn’t an education in itself, it was. While I could do ten commencement speeches on those eight months, I just didn’t see it as my life’s calling.
I tell you this for a reason, to remind you, and me, on this day of great promise, that no life is lived with predictable certainty.
While it is a temptation to view a person’s life, once it is largely written, and assume that it was the fulfillment of a well-conceived plan, that is seldom, if ever, the case.
Most often, there are no master plans and the trick is to have the confidence and the skills to design and redesign your life as you change and the world changes around you.
As for me, there was a fair amount of design and redesign. I left the docks later in the summer of 1969 and went to work for New Jersey Bell. Attended evening law school at Seton Hall. Passed the Bar. Accepted a federal judicial clerkship. Served as a trial lawyer for the Public Defenders’ Office and AT&T.
Had one of the earliest heart bypass operations in the region at the age of thirty-two (that was an example of internal redesign). Became the leader of two of the finest corporations in the nation and was able to help make a difference in this city and in our state. Along the way, I married a wonderful woman and together we raised two independant children.
All in all, a pretty good run.
As I look back in retrospect, I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had clear advantages as a graduate of this institution…. beyond the high quality education I received.
And you have those advantages as well.
Many of you are like me, the product of a middle, or working class, family…perhaps you are the first in your family to earn a college degree. Many of you, I know, have worked your way through school.
As a result, there is a resilience in you, a strength in you, part what you learned from your parents and part what you learned for yourselves, that sets you apart. In these tough times you will stay steady and you won’t waste your energy hoping for a better yesterday.
You have also learned the value of hard work…which remains the gold standard for success.
And let’s not forget, that by attending this diverse urban university you have gained a real world edge not common in your peers graduating from other institutions.
It is not simply the different cultures and perspectives you’ve encountered in the classroom, or at Robeson Center, but what you have witnessed around you.
As a member of this Newark community you have learned from its struggles, hopes and achievements. These are especially invaluable lessons in a country whose future will depend on the success of its cities.
Make no mistake about it….You have received a comprehensive education that is equal to these challenging times.
Let me put that education in perspective and offer some counsel for your consideration, exactly what I would offer if my children were among you:
First, what will be more important to you than the subjects you have mastered will be your ability to think critically and to analyze complex issues with an inquiring mind.
Let's face it, if we have learned anything in recent years it is that we live in a very tricky world where information is abundant, neatly packaged in bits and bytes, and readily available, but where accountability is in short supply.
Whether you choose Enron, the Iraq War, or the current economic crisis as your example, moral breakdowns aside, it is hard to miss the abandonment of responsible oversight. At all levels of our society many acquiesced and few challenged.
So here's my advice … don’t allow yourself to become enraptured by rhetorical style, don’t mistake sound bites for scholarship, ask the hard questions and have the courage to stand up for what you believe is right.
We need more men and women who face life without illusion and I suspect you have this quality in you today.
Second, remember that there is, in fact, no limit to what you can learn if you put your mind to it. Don’t underestimate yourself in this regard. I say this for a purpose.
Right now, you are completing the most intense learning experience of your life.
One where you have moved from subject to subject… juggling, storing and synthesizing largely disconnected information…many times on the same day.
It's pretty impressive actually.
Once you are out of this high-velocity environment, you probably won’t find that much diversity on a day to day basis.
Even those of you who attend graduate school, which is also intense, won’t find the variety of subjects you have encountered over the past four years. Law school, when it comes right down to it, is pretty much all about the law.
And for some people that can be a problem. They lose confidence that they can still juggle.
I have watched too many good men and women pass up opportunities simply because they doubted that they could learn something new.
Don't let that happen to you.
Think of your hardest class, the one you labored over... the grade you received isn't relevant.
For me, it was Russian, my language requirement in freshman year. I was insane to select it.
It was a pretty dreadful experience and I have nightmares of Professor Fedorenko to this day.
While eventually I learned to speak and read Russian (no actual Russian would recognize it as Russian however), what I learned about myself was a more enduring lesson.
When I left here, as a History major who enjoyed writing, I had no formal education in law, infrastructure, finance or economics --- but all of those would eventually become essential building blocks in my career.
What I did have was an inquisitive mind, the confidence that I could learn all of those disciplines and the willingness to try.
Having an inquiring mind and the confidence to explore obviously ties into the whole design and redesign theme we mentioned earlier.
But to put a finer point on it, in your days to come always try your very best to find that sweet spot in life where you can balance your material needs, your values and your loves.
This is our only life, from what we can tell. Don’t squander it. Don’t be afraid to take a chance.
My third observation flows from this, be willing to bend your own life for the dreams of those you love and for the realization of the things you believe in.…you will never regret those decisions -- and you will be richer for them.
Parents of course do this on a regular basis for their children, but it is also exactly what occurred in the spring of 1969, on this campus, when a handful of students put their futures at risk because they believed in social and racial justice and equity.
They also had faith that this institution, despite its infirmities, shared their beliefs.
And they were correct. Today Rutgers – Newark is celebrated for those values.
They carved out a legacy for themselves, this city and this school that endures today. As I look back over four decades, I am struck by the number of our graduates who have invested their human capital in furtherance of those goals of equity and justice---many of us in Newark, still.
Which brings me to my last point for today: people should be more than what we do for a living and corporations should be more than the goods and services they offer.
Dr. McCormick's introduction referred to me as a "social activist". I'm not so sure about that, appreciating as I do the deep history of social activism at this university and in this city.
What I would say is this: I have looked for opportunities large or small to make things better for our community in this city and throughout the state.
I am not unique in that regard.
Newark has been blessed by many outstanding corporate leaders over the years, quite different in personality, background, and leadership style. What made them special, and what made their corporations special, was what they saw as the purpose of their firms. They shared the view that corporations should add value to the communities they serve—not just their shareholders.
A quick illustrative story. Thirty or so years ago, New Jersey Bell established a much-needed literacy program here in Newark. A number of us would spend our afternoons or early evenings teaching young people to enjoy reading.
Let me be clear here, while nice, this program didn’t change the world. To my knowledge, no Pulitzer Prize winners were produced.
But one thing is for sure, we made a difference in those children’s’ lives, and they in turn made a difference in our lives. Here comes the philosophy.
Be more than what you do for a living but don’t feel your success is linked to the magnitude of your efforts. It's not. Gauge your success on the difference you make to the subject you are working on.
If you are the CEO, you build a program, if you are not the CEO, you play where you can make a difference, but the point is to get in the game.
Each of us in this beautiful hall, without exception has achieved what we have today because someone recognized a unique spark in us and provided the broad shoulders or guiding hand to help us along the way.
They may be here with you, they may not be.
In any event, now it is your turn, find that spark in others.
I wish you all the best my friends. Good job Hotshots.
|
