BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL

The following is an excerpt of my address to graduate students at the University of Rochester commencement. My full remarks are available here. 

I suspect that one of the reasons that the University asked me to serve as your speaker is that I have had many opportunities to re-invent myself in a somewhat unintentional professional life that may inform our graduates.

At one time, for example, I served as the president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, where one important duty was to serve as the  “wedding, wakes, and funerals” guy. My job was to represent the 90 colleges at every conceivable type of event, a list that certainly included my share of commencements whether then or later as a college and university president.

When I thought about what to say today, it occurred to me that I should probably pull my thoughts from the wisdom of previous commencement speakers that I have heard at these sessions.

This presumes, of course, that like you today I actually listened to any of their speeches when they gave them. For the most part, I confess that I did not. But there were instances that bear repeating and retelling.

A high Washington official was supposed to give a speech on important foreign policy issues at one commencement I attended. The speech he delivered had nothing to do with the subject that he promised to address. At a pivotal moment in the speech where he wound down at the end of one paragraph, the provost turned to me and spoke directly into a live microphone on my lapel. The provost raised a question heard perfectly by a crowd of perhaps 8,000 people assembled that day. The question that the provost raised with incredible sarcasm was – “Are we actually paying for this?”  Maybe that’s why the University of Rochester asked for a copy of my remarks before I delivered them to you today – a good idea – even though this advice is free.

Most Commencement Speeches Give Similar Advice

Most of the speeches I have heard or read encouraged – even implored – the graduates to seize the day, follow their hearts, and be true to themselves. It’s what most of you have heard all of your lives. It’s good advice – the problem is that most of you may have heard it before. A lot . . . especially recently.

Get in the Game

There were also extraordinarily good practical suggestions mixed into commencement speeches. Chris Matthews, the host of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” gave an impassioned speech at Washington & Jefferson College where his refrain was “get in the game.”  Chris said that he walked the corridors and knocked on every door in Washington because he knew what it took to get a job. Mr. Mathews reported that he didn’t asked for favors; he asked only for a break. And he knew it would be hard and at times discouraging. Diligence, perseverance, and luck paid off in the end. Students should move forward with their eyes wide open, Chris counseled, and “get in the game.”

The trick is to start the journey.

I asked one of the brightest alumni at Bucknell University what he thought students roughly his age might want to hear. Here’s what he said, as a spokesman from the world that awaits you from beyond the University gates after this ceremony:

• Find a way to define your own success, and determine whether you need external validation, internal fulfillment, or equal parts of both.
• Figure out a way to play long ball. Is there a way to make sense of how you work at what you do?  Did you make a difference?
• How well do you recognize your mix of talent and your limitations?
• Have you figured out yet when to take a risk on a career path likely to take you through multiple jobs?
• Do you have sense of self – a kind of internal dialogue – that will permit you to answer confidently  “what the hell do I do now?” when you meet opportunities and adversity?
• Do you understand the difference between a job and a career?
• 
Can you think for yourself about yourself?
• Can you maintain reasonable, measured loyalty to your employer?
• Do you want to save the planet, and if so, is that a decision separate from your work or part of it?

Today’s Graduates Have Baby Boomers to Thank…and Blame

This brings me to my second point.

I was born in the middle of the baby boom years. This makes my contemporaries the ones in power nationally and globally right now. When I was at Rochester, we had high hopes, passion, commitment, and great aspirations. We were determined to make the world a better place. And on several levels – we succeeded, at least a little and occasionally a lot. So, we can take some credit for the good stuff that happened over the past thirty years. And a lot of good stuff got done. On so many levels, the world is a better place.

But we baby boomers also messed things up for which I apologize sincerely and deeply. The world in 2018 is a divided and dysfunctional place no matter which of the tribes that seem to have emerged you call home. We are uncivil, overwhelmed by information but not especially knowledgeable, and far less patient than the so-called “greatest generation” of my parents. We don’t respect our religious, cultural, educational, and political institutions by and large anymore.

We are confused by our social media and yet seemingly powerless to use technology to inform good judgment. Technology seems to evolve faster, in fact, than the culture that uses it.

But it demonstrates that the evolution of society isn’t always uniform or pretty. The collapse of institutional respect seems to have had a negative effect on acceptable behavior, decorum, and social standards.

This brings me to my third and final point.

There’s only one thing I really miss each day about a university campus. What I miss ties the parts of this speech together. When people ask me about whether the American Republic can endure, I tell them to walk through a college campus. Try to be there at undergraduate move-in day and at commencements like these. It’s then – at these two moments – that you see what I mean. You can feel it. You know it when you feel it.

Colleges and Universities Hold the Promise of America

It’s in the eyes of the families and in the exuberance and nervousness of the students. Much is expected and everything is possible. It’s what the faculty and staff sense and admire each year in the students who pass through the university. It’s what you’ll remember most as alumni about the University of Rochester. It’s at these moments that you understand what you are witnessing.

What is it?  It’s the promise of America. You – the graduates — are our best hope to keep the culture going, the family and community connections strong, and the democracy robust. Look around at the ceremony and reception today. You can see especially it in the eyes of their families.

So, I conclude by reminding our graduates that you are the lucky ones. You spent time at one of the handful of the great global universities – a best, most imperfect place.

“All Things Considered…You Are a Neat Typist”

This experience can sometimes be painful. I came to the University of Rochester as a PhD candidate determined to show one of the country’s most famous historians, Eugene Genovese, just how smart I was. He returned my first written assignment – a short paper – to me. I will never forget – and still wake up in a sweat at night about once every two years — his comment in red ink slightly angled at the top of the front page. It was a direct comment on my intellectual capacity. Professor Genovese said:  “All things considered, Mr. Mitchell, I should say that you are a neat typist.”

You were taught your technical skills but also discovered how to think. That’s the gift that Rochester gave to us – you and me. We need confident and committed graduates coming out of the places that matter so much like the University of Rochester. You have so much to do, so much to advance, and so much to change.

I hope that you do a substantially better job than my generation did. We need you to find your way to help us find ours. Lead a good life and a happy one. Make the democracy stronger and better. Be smarter than we were about how you shape society.

Now get out there. Start your journey.