Baccalaureate Address to the Class of 2002

Sunday, May 19, 2002

"Find your passion and have the courage to pursue it..."

Members of the class of 2002: How quickly four years pass. For most of you, I suspect the memory of your first day on this Hill is still fresh in your mind. You probably recall moving into your dorm, meeting your roommate, participating in Matriculation, saying goodbye to your parents. I suspect that was a very exciting day, but tempered perhaps by a bit of anxiety as you confronted a new place to live, new challenges, and lots of uncertainty. Probably like you are feeling right now.

Adele and I have an acute awareness of what you, and your parents, are going through. You see, we have a son who also started college just four short years ago. Like many of you, our son is still sorting out what to do with the rest of his life. And like your parents, Adele and still can't believe we are old enough to be parents of a college graduate. Indeed, this is a journey, a right of passage that we are all going through together.

On Sunday you will assemble as a class on the quad for an ancient and tradition bound ceremony called commencement. I would like to talk to you about why it is called commencement and not graduation. Just what, after all, are you commencing?

For those of you who are not going on immediately to graduate school, you are commencing your life as an economically independent, and we hope, productive member of society.

And for all of you, whether you are going on to graduate study or not, you are commencing the balance of your education. Just think about it for a minute - an economically independent member of society. It is sort of a scary thought. While you may have had summer jobs and term time employment as well, the vast majority of you have been dependent on your parents for support for the past 21 or 22 years.

Now you are entering an uncertain job market in a shaky economy armed only with your wits, your college loans, and a terrific education. You are expected to support yourself. I am here to tell you that you will do fine. Your parents and others have lived through worse. The economy will improve. You will find a job, perhaps not what you expected to do, but you will find something.

In fact, the greatest challenge you will face is being able to recognize opportunity when it walks up and hits you in the face. Try not to cling too fiercely to your preconceived notions of what your future holds.

When I was in your shoes, I was absolutely convinced I was going to be a lawyer. It took me three years of law school to realize otherwise. I chose not to practice law. Instead I pursued a less predictable career as a scholar and I have never regretted it. Find your passion and have the courage to pursue it.

No doubt you will be faced by many choices in your career. Should I stay in my current job where I am comfortable or should I accept the new opportunity that has presented itself? I have always found it useful when confronted with career choices to ask myself three questions:

First, is the job worth doing? Not all jobs pass this threshold test. You must feel good about what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Second, will the job provide you with an opportunity to grow and learn? If you are not growing and learning, you are stagnating. Stretch yourself.

And finally, will you enjoy your co-workers? Life is too short to work with people that you do not respect. There is nothing more rewarding than to work with good colleagues.

While it may seem a bit scary today, being on your own is also quite liberating. Since you started kindergarten your lives have been ordered by the rhythm of the academic calendar. Like a metronome, you have marked time in semesters punctuated by winter and summer vacation, and that great college tradition, spring break.

Moreover, for at least the last four years, homework has cast a pall over your nights and weekends. You now get to enjoy a world in which for now at least, your time is much more your own. I say "for now" because whatever you do, you will quickly assume more responsibility. Before long, you will be working longer hours.

Indeed, the time may come when you start to actually look forward to nights and weekends as an opportunity to get your work done. When this happens, it is time to take stock. One of the greatest risks as you commence your new life is that you will not leave adequate time for contemplation and reflection.

It is easy to fall into the trap of constantly seeking professional achievement and accomplishment without ever finding personal happiness and fulfillment. I don't think it is an accident that all of the world's major religions have embraced the concept of a Sabbath - a time when we pause from work to reflect on the world we inhabit and our role within it. Even those religions that do not set aside a specific day of the week for contemplation and reflection recognize the importance of doing so on a regular daily basis. One does not have to be religious to set aside time to decompress, to think deeply, to remove oneself from your daily routine.

Try to create some sacred space where you can nourish the soul. Try to find joy in life's simple pleasures - a walk in the woods, the beauty of a flower, the sound of a child's laughter. Make sure you leave time for your friends and loved ones. They will be your most treasured and valuable possessions.

You are also commencing the balance of your education. College is not the end but the beginning. I speak not of the siren call of graduate or professional school. Rather, I speak of the truly important lessons that you will learn throughout your life and career.

For the past four years you have studied hard. You have learned the great texts, mastered new languages, developed your analytic skills through the study of math, science and engineering, studied history, literature, music, and the arts. I could go on.

I hope, however, that you have also learned something even more important: what you do not know. For it is at the penumbra between knowledge and ignorance that the rest of your education begins. Three of the hardest words to utter when you are starting out in your career are, "I don't know."

You are not expected to know everything. In fact, acting as if you do will only get you into trouble. If nothing else, you will quickly learn the true meaning of hubris. See your lack of knowledge as an opportunity to learn, and you will give others the gift of being able to teach.

Moreover, you will go through life constantly excited and enriched. To have studied at a university like Tufts is a great privilege. You did not get here on your own. Somewhere along the line others helped you out - parents, teachers, siblings, employers, friends.

While I hope you will take the time to thank these people, the reality is that there is no true way that you can ever repay them for their gifts. I speak not, of course, of any financial assistance they may have provided. Rather I speak of the small kindnesses, the special attention, the support, the mentoring, and the concern for you as a person that these benefactors have bestowed upon you.

The only way I know that you can truly honor their contribution is to carry on the tradition. To do for others what others have done for you. If you do so, you will make the world a better place, and you will also find great personal fulfillment. What could be better?

I know I speak for the entire Tufts community when I say that we are enormously proud of you. In the short time I have been fortunate to be part of this remarkable community I have learned why people love to work at Tufts: it is because of you, our students. We draw our energy from you. We are excited to teach you. We love seeing you perform whether on the stage or on the playing fields. We enjoy working out along side you in the gym. It helps us older folks stay young. It has been our pleasure to get to know you.

We have watched you enter as wide-eyed freshmen and emerge four years later as confident young adults. There is nothing more rewarding for a faculty or staff member than to see the difference they have made in a student's life. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. Please keep in touch as you make your way in the world. We have great expectations for you. Good luck and God speed.