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|Commencement Convocation
May 13, 2005
Maverick Stadium
Thank you, Regent Estrada, for that generous introduction. We're pleased that you have joined us this evening, and we deeply appreciate your support of The University of Texas at Arlington.
And I'm thrilled to see all of you here. We're beginning a new tradition at U.T. Arlington. This is an historic occasion, and I'm pleased we can share it together. Also, many thanks to our faculty who have come to honor the Class of 2005. Your role has been instrumental to the success of every graduate. I'd also like to congratulate the parents and family members of our graduates. If you are a parent or family member of one of our graduates, would you please stand?
Of course, our guests of honor are our graduates. You are the reason we're all here, and I echo Provost Dunn and Regent Estrada in congratulating each one of you. Years from now, when remembering your time at UTA, I hope you'll recognize that this university-our university-made a difference in your life. My fervent hope is that you will have an ongoing, lifelong relationship with U.T. Arlington.
I've always appreciated how much students in general, and our students in particular, must juggle in pursuit of an education. Some of you, I'm sure, worked-perhaps fulltime-during your college careers. Some of you wore one hat as student, another as husband or wife, and another as mother, father, son, or daughter. You've had to find just the right balance in your lives to pursue your education while taking care of everything else.
You are all examples of dedication and perseverance. You all personify the importance of education. No matter how bumpy your road may have been at times, you pressed on. You realized that pursuing an education is more than receiving a diploma. Whether you knew it or not, you heeded the famous admonition of Winston Churchill: Never, never give up!
Let me say to you now...relax! Enjoy this moment with friends, family, and classmates. Exhale! You've earned this, and you deserve the opportunity to savor this occasion. As reality sets in again, however, and many of you begin a new career, pursuit of a graduate or professional degree, or a new life in a new place, understand this: You're well-prepared for what lies ahead, no matter what it may be, because you've received a well-rounded education from a first-class university. You've learned not only how to cope, but to thrive. Just as Regent Estrada so eloquently said a moment ago, you've got the world at your doorstep.
President John F. Kennedy said: "Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into a benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation."
I want to speak briefly about developing your greatest abilities. No doubt, that means something different for each of you because have studied in different disciplines and are entering different fields. Maybe it means becoming the next great trailblazer in physics, engineering, mathematics, or biology. Maybe your greatest abilities involve writing poetry, analyzing political theory, or rewriting history. Maybe for you it means being the best parent, spouse, or friend you can be. What's unique about a university education is that, while each of you came together at UTA from different places and with different life experiences, you are leaving now as better-educated and better-prepared citizens for the rest of your lives.
President Ronald Reagan once said this: "There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder." In other words, the only barriers you will find are those you put upon yourself and those that you accept from others. As long as you dream, imagine, and believe-as long as you use your education-you cannot and will not be inhibited. So never stop dreaming-or believing in yourself.
Though it's important, to be sure, what you learned in the classroom and through course readings is only part of the picture. There's another education UTA has afforded you, and it's no less critical for your future and no less essential in measuring our performance as a university. I'm talking about the lifelong skills of critical thinking, discernment, tolerance, understanding, patience, and self-reliance. The virtues of an engaged citizen are all too important in developing your greatest abilities.
I'm reminded of a remarkable book called American Heroines: The Spirited Women who Shaped Our Country, written by Senator Hutchison, our keynote speaker. Senator Hutchison's book tells the stories of dozens of often-overshadowed champions in American history. It's a wonderful book with a treasure of American stories of women who made a special mark in American history. I recommend it to all. Women like Clara Barton. Mary Cassatt. Sally Ride. Madeline Albright. These women were pioneers in nursing, art, science, and politics, and they all made a difference. Theirs are important stories from our past and present, with fundamental relevance for our future, because they reveal lives developed to their greatest abilities.
Here, among you tonight, may be another Clara Barton or another Sally Ride. But I remind you: You need not be famous to be great; you need not be celebrated to make a difference. Some of you already know this. Some of you have made a difference at UTA as student leaders, peer helpers, mentors, tutors, or eager participants in your civic responsibilities of giving back.
The UTA campus has changed in the years since many of you first enrolled here. We've constructed new buildings, such as our Studio Arts Center and KC Hall. We've refurbished existing ones, such as the University Center and the Fine Arts Building. Our philosophy has changed, too. Campus life has become more important with our highest-ever enrollment last fall and the highest percentage of on-campus residents in the U.T. System. Yet UTA remains a university for all our students-whether living on campus or at home, whether you can walk to campus or must drive many miles each day, as many of our students do.
More obvious than ever is the importance of research at UTA and other universities, and our faculty and students are involved in some pioneering, life-changing work. Our faculty and students-many of you-are advancing knowledge in healthcare to save lives and arts to enhance them. You're developing technologies to assist our citizens, and examining philosophies to give them relevance. By breaking ground in science, you're breaking barriers in the world.
Class of 2005, you are our newest ambassadors to the world. Be proud of your UTA degree. It will always serve you well. I invite you to stay connected to this great University as alumni and supports to ensure that the future is even brighter than the present. I encourage you to lift up others, just as you've been lifted up along the way. And I ask you to use your education to develop your greatest abilities... "because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into a benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation."
Finally, I want to remind you of what was once said about Eleanor Roosevelt-that she would rather light candles than curse the darkness. I urge you to be in the lifelong business of lighting candles, with the words you speak, with the work you do, and with the lives you live.
Thank you.
Now I have the privilege to introduce someone who's not only an outstanding leader in the U.S. Senate, but a passionate advocate for education and a great supporter of U.T. Arlington. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is widely recognized as one of the most knowledgeable and thoughtful U.S. Senators, and she is well-respected across party lines, throughout Texas and the nation. It's our privilege to have her with us tonight.
Please welcome, our own American Heroine, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison...
