ByGeorge! Online

Summer 2003

Celebrating a Shared Accomplishment

Graduates and Honorary Degree Recipients Take Center Stage in Recognition of Their Achievements, Offer Thanks to Faculty and Family

By Greg Licamele

With the bookends on the Ellipse of the White House and the Washington Monument, GW’s May 18 Commencement lauded the accomplishments of the Class of 2003, distinguished alumni, honored guests, faculty members, and the spirit of knowledge and justice.

As the rain ended minutes before the academic procession began, the words and symbols of Commencement brightened the morning for 5,000 graduates and their guests.

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, a 1977 GW graduate, delivered the keynote address, marked with personal touches. Warner remembered his bike rides to Capitol Hill for internships, living in Thurston Hall, and “liberating” ice cream from the cafeteria.

The Democrat shared three lessons he wished he had heard at his Commencement 26 years ago: don’t be afraid to fail, treat other people well, and talk with family and friends.

“Every person here that is graduating should find your parents and say: ‘Thank you and I love you,’ ” Warner said. “It’ll make them feel good and it’ll make you feel good as well, because, let’s face it, in this world billions of people will never even be able to dream of going to college or graduate school, and you didn’t make it here on your own. Your family helped you get here, and they won’t be around forever. So go ahead and say it.”

Warner noted the technical proficiencies that graduates learned in their time at GW, preparing them to enter a complicated world.

“In the more complex world that you live in you’ll also need wisdom to find your way; and this University has equipped you to develop that wisdom by giving you that solid foundation in the liberal arts and by assembling one of the most diverse campuses in America, taking place all right here in Washington, DC,” Warner said.

Twenty-six years after Warner was the student speaker at his graduation, School of Business and Public Management graduate Rachel Talbot spoke on behalf of her fellow graduates. She imparted the wisdom that not all people need to be memorable in order to make a difference in the world. She cited the Chinese official Ts’ai Lun, the inventor of paper.

While reading a book one summer, Talbot discovered that the Chinese man was ranked seventh on a list of the most influential people in history because of his invention that helped spread knowledge.

“In looking back through history, many great empires have been created through the use of bloodshed, war, and violence,” Talbot said. “But whereas not one of those great empires still exist today, the use of paper to spread knowledge has continued to be invaluable to the human race.”

Talbot said the gift of knowledge equips humans to stand for what is right and to speak for those who are silenced in any way.

“We have the weapons that can kill those who create injustice, but only knowledge can kill injustice itself,” Talbot said. “As the story of Ts’ai Lun teaches us, your name need not be remembered throughout all of history in order to have a lasting influence on the world.”

Warner reflected on the theme of justice in his remarks, asking the graduates to reject intolerance.

“So when uncertain times tempt you toward intolerance, I hope you’ll look back at your time here and reject that false choice,” Warner said. “When you have the chance to get ahead at the expense of another, I hope you’ll respect the community. When you have the choice between surrendering to a sound byte and wrestling with the nuances of a complex issue, I hope you’ll choose reflection.”

In addition to awarding Warner with an honorary degree, four other people were honored: former Sen. Jean Carnahan, Madeleine Jacobs, Sheldon Cohen, and jazz legend Billy Taylor.

Carnahan, Jacobs, and Cohen, all GW graduates, expressed thanks and gratitude to their alma mater for the honor and for their educations.

“GW has given you more than a diploma,” Carnahan said to the graduates. “It has given you an education, and with it the duty to improve our communities and to improve lives. Don’t just do well; do good.”
Cohen, former IRS commissioner, GW Law professor, and Board of Trustees member, reflected on a paperweight his wife gave him, which read, “Luck is when opportunity met preparation.”

“I discovered in most of my life that the harder I worked the luckier I got,” Cohen said. “I hope each of you will set a goal, and a part of that goal ought to be to make the world just a little bit better.”

As editor of Chemical & Engineering News, Jacobs has worked to explain science to the world. She urged the Class of 2003 to bridge a growing gap between the science culture and the arts and humanities.

“Recent events have shown us what can happen when cultures fail to communicate with each other,” Jacobs said. “The great challenge facing you, graduates, is to understand cultures widely different from your own and find ground on the landscape of our common humanity.”

Reciting lyrics from one of his many songs, Taylor prompted students to show concern for others.

“I challenge you to be able to show people just what you’ve become today,” Taylor said.

 

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