June 2007

A Capitol Commencement

By Rachel Muir

With the majestic U.S. Capitol as a backdrop, more than 22,000 GW graduates, family members, and friends celebrated the Class of 2007 at the University’s Commencement, held on May 20 on the National Mall between 4th and 7th streets. The ceremony, Stephen Joel Trachtenberg’s last at the helm of the University, also represented the president’s formal farewell to the GW community.

Commencement speakers—including honorary degree recipients Wolf Blitzer, Ralph Cicerone, Linda Cropp, Harvey Fineberg, and Lowell Weicker—offered words of wisdom, emphasizing the need to seize opportunities, appreciate life and loved ones, and never stop learning.

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer thanked Trachtenberg for his leadership and congratulated his 2007 “classmates.” Blitzer, who reported live from the scene of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech, said the tragedy served as a poignant reminder of “how fleeting life can be and how a split second can change everything.” He urged the graduates to cherish their family and friends and to strive to make the world a better place. “The world may be broken out there, at least a large chunk of it may be broken,” he said, “but you can help fix it, and you should try.”

Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, reminded the graduates of how special their academic accomplishment is—especially given the fact that only one in every 100 people worldwide holds a college degree. He stressed that the most important skills to take away from college are learning how to ask questions and how to keep learning. “All of us will watch for great things from each of you, and we will watch for signs of your contributions to American public life where you live and on the national and world scenes.”

A call to public service was the message of former District of Columbia Council Chair Linda Cropp. “Most of us have reached where we are because someone helped us along the way,” she said. “That gives us a greater responsibility to extend our hand and pull someone else along.” Cropp also stressed the importance
of not taking time for granted. “No matter what day it is, enjoy today with happiness, success, family, and friends—and celebrate.”

Harvey Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine, spoke about how the world has exchanged old dangers, like that of thermonuclear annihilation, for new, equally daunting challenges, including the risks of nuclear proliferation, the threat of climate change, and the growing gap between the poor and the wealthy. “Your parents’ generation has left you a lot to work on,” he told the graduates. “But you can be an optimist, because the future is truly yours to shape.”

Former U.S. Senator and Connecticut Governor Lowell Weicker, whose granddaughter Amanda was among this year’s graduates, exhorted the Class of 2007—and everyone else in the audience—to cast aside fears of losing and take on challenges. “Win or lose be damned,” he said. “Reality calls all of us—parent, student, teacher—to the courageous acts required of our times. No exceptions, no deferments.” Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), a one-time congressional colleague of Weicker and a GW graduate, and Amanda Weicker, B.A. ’07, presented Weicker to Trachtenberg for the honorary degree.

An Iraqi War veteran, student speaker Catherine O’Connor, B.S. ’07, discussed her experiences at GW and as a marine in the Middle East. “While it’s often daunting to take risks, it’s even scarier to not be able to mold to the changes that life throws at you,” said O’Connor. “Don’t wait for the mere chance that greatness will find you. Go out there and demand it.”

In his final charge to the graduates, Trachtenberg spoke about the importance of second—and even third and fourth—acts both for the graduates and for himself as he transitions to president emeritus and University professor of public service. “This is the last time that I will say a formal goodbye and godspeed to George Washington students as the president of the University. Like you, I will be entering a new phase of life and acquiring a new context for what I do and how I see myself,” he said. “I am counting on you to play your roles brilliantly because I want the best for you and because I am drawing on the courage I need as I enter my own life from you.”

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