Mr. David Halberstam; Dr. Joseph Morone; Chancellor Adamian; members of the Board; faculty and staff; families and friends . . . welcome to Commencement 2006.
And to the Class of 2006. . . welcome to your commencement!
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If those of you not dressed in a commencement robe will bear with me for a few minutes, I’d like to direct my first few thoughts to today’s 940 graduates.
29 years ago I also sat under this tent waiting to hear the words of my distinguished graduation speaker, CBS news correspondent Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes fame. By the way if you think I’m old having graduated 29 years ago, Mike Wallace turned 88 earlier this month.
It’s amazing to think back on your first day at Bentley, isn’t it? …the Bentley you came to was a vastly different place.
All around you Bentley has evolved. The student center, the Fenway dorm, the lower campus parking deck, the new turf fields, the new North Campus dorms, the totally rebuilt library and the expansion to the Dana Center. I know it was particularly challenging to wait for those last two changes – and we appreciated your patience more than you know. We worked very hard to complete them this spring so you would be able to experience both new facilities before your commencement. I hope you were able to make the most of them during these past few months.
Like this place you’ve called home these last four years, each one of you has gone through your own evolution.
When we first met you it was in the form of an application, or a brief conversation or maybe during a campus tour. At that point in time, there were more than 5,000 students who wanted to come to Bentley.
But we chose a small, select group. We wanted to build the best class in Bentley’s history….a class that balanced academic achievement with athletic accomplishment and a real commitment to community service.
In 2002, we were extremely optimistic about what you might accomplish if you came here. What you have actually accomplished beat all of our expectations.
Just look at your class achievements collectively –
You’ve taken interdisciplinary learning to places we never expected when you combined your academic rigor with community service in support of Hurricane Katrina victims. Your unique support of Dr. Regina Benjamin and her Bayou LaBatre health clinic in Alabama has redefined how we will work and teach at Bentley forever. You’ve put us on the national stage with your efforts.
Your curiosity about global competition has taken our study abroad program to destinations once unavailable to Bentley students – Egypt, Brazil, Spain and Singapore to name a few.
You created the Bentley Civic Leadership Program, challenging not only your class but all that follow you to make social responsibility a lifetime commitment.
You continued Bentley’s winning history in national Case Competitions. Competing against teams from colleges and universities nationwide, you took home not just one, but two top prizes in the prestigious national competition sponsored by the Society for Advancement of Management.
You led amazing athletic runs in football, men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, volleyball, swimming and diving, ice hockey and field hockey.
In fact, after 89 years as an institution, you hosted our first Division 1 hockey playoff game (by the way, we won that game).
And you led us on our first trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in volleyball.
You also created a greater sense of community all over this campus; you redefined Tuesday nights at Joe’s;
You helped created new student groups like the National Association of Asian Professionals, the Vietnam Student Association and, not to be outdone, the Sailing Club.
Speaking of clubs, you also led the men’s rugby team to its first ever national championship.
Be proud of the records you’ve set and the spirit your class brought to this campus.
Of the many people here today who are proud of you, I’d like to single out two in particular. Our friend and former president, Joe Morone and his wife, Lindsay. I’m sure you remember Joe conducted convocation during your first week on campus. Joe and Lindsay were here for 3 of your 4 years at Bentley working alongside each of you, investing themselves in your success. They have much to be proud of today.
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Our goal at Bentley is to prepare you for your career and for life. That unique “Bentley” combination of business, technology and the liberal arts has given you the depth that the real world demands and the breadth that a fulfilling life requires.
In a few minutes you’ll hear from a prophetic and prolific writer – Pulitzer prize-winning author, journalist and historian David Halberstam. His books are eloquent accounts of history, society and
culture. A true understanding of each is increasingly important as our lives become more global and the world moves even further towards both democracy and capitalism.
You have absorbed the business skills and technological savvy that will carry you far in your career. However, this knowledge of business and technology isn’t enough. The workplace is now a global stage.
The richness of your liberal arts instruction at Bentley will prepare you for leadership and success on this global stage.
You have become critical thinkers, creative, culturally literate, and socially responsible. You are just the kind of talent that the business world needs right now. Future leaders of whom we can all be proud.
PAUSE
Soon, you’ll walk across this stage one last time, and we’ll mark with a simple handshake the end of your college days and the beginning of your new life as Bentley alumni.
Bentley is a much better place because you were here. And now you become our ambassadors, representing Bentley on the global stage.
The excitement, pride and ambition I see in each of your faces is inspiring. We have never been more optimistic about where a Bentley education can take you and where you will take your Bentley education.
Take all the goodwill that you created and experienced here and share it with your families, your co-workers, your friends, your mentors and those you will mentor. You are the future of this institution.
PAUSE
So please continue what you started here as students. Stay close to Bentley, stay invested, stay connected, and remember that this relationship is one that stays with you.
I know I speak for everyone on this stage, and for the entire Bentley community, when I say that we could not be more proud of you -- proud of how each of you has grown and proud of who you’ve become in your time at Bentley.
Congratulations, and very best wishes for happiness, good health and success in everything you set out to do.