Lehigh University:

Commencement Address
May 19, 2008

It is indeed an honor to share the podium with such inspiring individuals. We have been privileged to welcome them into the Lehigh family. My thanks especially to Bill Amelio, not only for his profound remarks today, but also for being such a fine role model, as a successful businessman and as a humanitarian.

Today, however, the spotlight shines on the graduates of 2008, who will be receiving their Lehigh University diplomas in a few minutes. This is the day when you are recognized and rewarded for your diligence, hard work, creativity, and determination, not just for the years you have spent on campus, but also for the years before you arrived on Old South Mountain.

It is also a day for you, our graduates, to recognize that yours have not been solo journeys. Every step of the way, you have been accompanied by family and friends who care deeply about you, have supported you, and have guided you to this point. Many of those family members and friends are here this morning to celebrate with you.

I would like to ask our graduates to take a moment right now to think about what that support has meant to you over the years and contemplate the sacrifices others have made to help get you to this point.

Now, I would like the Class of 2008 to please rise and turn to show your collective thanks for the support of your family and friends with an unrestrained round of applause for them.

As I think about commencement, I think of transformation. Transformation of people, of institutions, and of the world. I think about people like Dr. William S. Pierce, a graduate of the Lehigh Class of 1958, celebrating his 50th reunion with his classmates and celebrating the successes of you, his adopted class of 2008.

People like Dr. Pierce are transforming the world through technology and dedication to improving the lives of others. Dr. Pierce was the first to implant an artificial heart pump into a patient at the Hershey Medical Center. He was also instrumental in starting an artificial heart and circulatory assist program that resulted in the development of the Penn State Heart-Assist Pump, which has been surgically implanted in more than 3,000 patients and is available worldwide. Alumni like Mr. Amelio and Dr. Pierce show how Lehigh University transforms the world through its graduates.

Lehigh University is also undergoing a transformation. Last Friday was an historic day when the University received the largest gift in its 143-year history: 34.2 million dollars from the estate of Donald B. Stabler, Class of 1930. This transformational gift has been designated to provide scholarships to needy students. Mr. Stabler was a successful businessman who, much like Bill Amelio and Bill Pierce, dedicated his life to leadership and service. Mr. Stabler’s generosity and enduring legacy make it possible for countless students to have access to a Lehigh education with financial support. This is a gift of transformation – for our students and for Lehigh for generations to come.

There are other transformations taking place at Lehigh. In 1971, Lehigh University first accepted women into its undergraduate programs, something that surely changed Lehigh.

In 1986, the University transformed its physical footprint with the purchase of the 800-acre mountain top campus. And again in 1988, the University boldly moved its football stadium here, where we are gathered today, enabling construction of a business college and arts center on the site of Taylor stadium on the Asa Packer campus.

We are now actively engaged in transforming the intellectual footprint of the University. What does that mean? It means that we are applying the best thinking of the Lehigh community to determine how we will contribute to the next generation of problem solvers and the creation of new ideas to address the world’s challenges.

We are asking ourselves many questions: For example, in the coming decade, how can we enhance Lehigh’s contribution to society? What is required of us to have the very best faculty and staff to provide the most innovative educational opportunities and to glean new discoveries through our research and graduate programs? How can Lehigh help to solve the world’s most intractable problems?

Let me assure you, however, that there are some things that will not change during this transformation. The first is Lehigh’s fundamental mission to “advance learning through integration of teaching, research, and service.”

We will also continue to adhere to core values that are fundamental to Lehigh: commitment to excellence, integrity and honesty, equity and community, academic freedom, intellectual curiosity, collaboration, and leadership.

This is also a transformational time for you – our graduates. Think back to the day you arrived on campus. Many of you were tentative, and unsure of exactly what was ahead for you. Over time, you learned to navigate the educational process, you learned to explore, and you learned to be diligent in your pursuit of academic excellence. Now you are emerging with confidence, finely-honed problem solving skills, an ability to deal with unexpected outcomes, and with a sense of your role in making our world a better place. Many of you in the Class of 2008 already have a head start in making a difference, and you have been recognized in a variety of forums. Among the amazing things you did this year were: Rock 4 Darfur, a concert that promoted awareness of ethnic cleansing in Western Sudan; and an Earth Day celebration fostering environmental awareness, about recycling, wind power, green buildings, and environmental jobs.

As is generally the case, however, recognition does not always find everyone who deserves it. There are many unsung heroes in the Class of 2008 and I would like to sing the praises of just a few of your classmates this morning. Students such as Meredith Aach, a member of the first class of Global Citizens, who discovered a passion for international exploration during her first-year trip to Chile. After interning with the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in the Asian/Western Hemisphere office, Meredith will join Teach for America, and work in a special education classroom in Washington, D.C. Then there is Sean Kessler, a chemical engineering major whose work as an undergraduate holds great promise for the administration of medicine. Through his department’s Opportunity for Student Innovation program, Sean studied the timed release of an anti-inflammatory drug that could ultimately be used to treat chronic conditions more effectively. Sociology major Tiffany Searles has lived and breathed the concept of community service since her first moment on the Lehigh campus. She has spearheaded several community-based events that have brought thousands of local schoolchildren to the Lehigh campus, and she forged a relationship with the South Bethlehem Library to host reading programs for local families. After graduating today, Tiffany will join AmeriCorps to work in inner city Philadelphia. Importantly, these students have not been singled out because they are a rarity at Lehigh. In fact, they are the norm. There are many, others deserving of mention who came to Lehigh uncertain of their futures, but leave here having changed themselves and Lehigh for the better.

I am fully confident you all will have the same positive impact on the world.

The diploma our graduates are about to receive carries the seal of the university containing the university motto, taken from Francis Bacon: Homo minster et interpres naturae, which loosely translated means “Man, the servant and interpreter of nature.” Serving one another and improving the human condition have been part of Lehigh’s legacy since its founding. Today that legacy, handed down from generation to generation, is entrusted to you, the Class of 2008.

My sincere best wishes to each of our graduates for the brightest and happiest of futures.

Thank you very much.