Fall 2006 commencement address
President Jo Ann M. Gora
Dec. 17
Worthen Arena

Good afternoon and congratulations, graduates. I hope you find that this ceremony caps what, for many of you, will be a day-long celebration with family and friends. 

Commencement day is a celebration for each of our seven academic colleges and recognizes the fact that our graduates have earned the right to enter into the ranks of learned women and men.

But in considering what I would say to you today, I must admit I found inspiration in one of the most basic lessons taught to journalism students in our College of Communication, Information, and Media.

All budding journalists learn that any good news story is built on the answers to six, one-word questions-who, what, when, where, why, and how?

For instance, we could concisely and truthfully tell the story of this event by saying "a large number of students graduated from college today."

However, providing answers to all six of those questions provides a more interesting rendition.  "Nearly 12-hundred Ball State students took part in  commencement ceremonies December 17 in Worthen Arena having earned enough credits to receive bachelor's, master's, doctoral and specialist in education degrees."

And since you are about to start the next chapter of your lives, I would like to consider those six simple questions in the context of your experiences at Ball State and your futures.  Let's walk the next chapter of your lives.

Let's start with who?  In understanding who you are, maybe we should ask who was your mentor at Ball State, and whom will you mentor as you progress through life and become an expert in your chosen field?

One of the hallmarks of a Ball State education is the way students interact with faculty, becoming collaborators in learning, rather than following the traditional faculty-student model.

I have little doubt most of you can recall a faculty or staff member reaching out to you, helping you through a difficult moment, and continuing to provide you with guidance that steered you through college life and to this moment.

Those of us engaged in higher education find mentoring one of the most rewarding aspects of what we do. I would encourage you to look for opportunities to take someone under your wing. And, if you do, you may find greatness in seemingly unlikely places.  And, you may learn much about yourself in the process.

Consider the story of Chris Carmichael, a United States cycling coach who had discovered a great protégé. Other coaches had written this protégé off as brash and unwilling to learn. Carmichael saw it firsthand during one of the cyclist's races in his early career.

The cyclist was just supposed to sit in with the pack of cyclists to save his energy for the end of the race. Halfway through the race, the cyclist disregarded his orders and rode into the lead on his own, away from the protection of the pack. Going past Carmichael, who was standing on the side of the road, the cyclist gave a wave as if to say, "I know what I'm doing." But he didn't.

The cyclist spent all of his energy, got caught, and eventually lost the race. Carmichael could have dropped him from the team right then. But he stayed with him, believing he could change the brash Texan's ways.  And, recognizing in the cyclist, many elements of his own personality.

The cyclist is still considered brash by many, but he also went on to win the Tour de France seven times-more than any other cyclist in the world. Lance Armstrong owes a great deal of his success to this mentor, who had the patience to help Lance reach his potential as a cyclist.  And, in the process, learned to exercise a new level of patience in his own life.

The word "when" adds a sense of timing or urgency to any discussion. Now that you have earned your degree, when will you take the next step in life? Some of you will leave here looking for a job, some of you have already accepted one and others have decided to pursue an advanced degree. And there are some of you who don't know what your next step will be.

No matter the situation, you now must begin to prove yourself to an employer, an instructor, or even to your parents-again. You may have time for a break before your next endeavor, but when the time comes to act, you must be ready. Shakespeare said "action is eloquence," and Victor Kiam, who made his fortune from Remington razors, once proclaimed that "procrastination is opportunity's assassin."

There are many "when" questions ahead of you with exciting, life-changing answers. When should I change jobs?  When should I change careers?  When should I get married?  When should we have a baby?
 
We often ask when questions because we want to map out our futures. Timing is everything in this life.  Some say that you just know when the time is right for change. I hope for your sake that you do, or you, like Mark Twain, might be left saying you never saw an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.

Determining when you will take action will naturally lead you to the next question.

Where? Where will you go in life? Will you stay close to home or venture far to begin your career? Some of you may be hoping to help your hometown improve its economy, cultural offerings, health care or educational systems.

Others may be looking for adventures in new places, either elsewhere in Indiana, another state, or another country. There are merits to all these options, but in each case I would encourage you to join clubs, organizations, or institutions that will provide you with a greater sense of connectedness and community. Often the people you meet in these circles will provide you with support, ideas, and inspiration.

No matter where you go, I would also caution you against getting complacent or simply settling for what is comfortable. Historian Kenneth Davis, who wrote a highly acclaimed series of books on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, once said that "Any life truly lived is a risky business, and if one puts up too many fences against the risks-one  ends by shutting out life itself."

Change is the essence of life, and if you are like those members of your generation who have preceded you from here, you will embrace change, particularly in your careers. Gone is the day when most Americans held one job for their entire working life. Instead, Americans now tend to change careers more than five times on average.   Your Ball State education has prepared you not just for your first job, but for a lifetime of careers.  So be brave, risk change.  Think of life as an adventure and you'll go far.

That brings us to the question, why? If you ask your parents, many of them will tell you that this was the first question you asked. Why? Why must I eat my peas or why must I go to bed early? And, your parents are likely to say you haven't stopped asking why? Why can't I take a car to college? Why must I be in by 3 a.m. when I'm home over the weekend or breaks?

"Why" is a question that opens the doors of discovery, providing us with answers to the workings of our world.  The recent film, "Bobby" is providing a new generation a glimpse at one of the heroes of my generation, Bobby Kennedy. He was fond of citing George Bernard Shaw and saying, "There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"

I see this spirit daily in many of our students. They are willing to question conventional wisdom and strike out in search of alternatives. This attitude drives many of the immersive learning experiences I have seen on campus, where students lead the learning process under the guidance of faculty, taking risks, learning to succeed after failing, and producing remarkable results.

Asking "why" is the basis for lifelong learning, a process for which I believe Ball State has prepared you well. Witnessing your creativity, persistence, and effort provides me with great confidence that your generation is ready to face the myriad challenges posed by everyday life in our global society.

And next:  What? What will you give back to your family, your community, your alma mater for what they have given you?

Philanthropy comes in many forms;

• taking care of a parent or spouse who is too sick to care for themselves
• giving to a social agency or an organization because you believe in its mission
• funding a scholarship so that someone else gets the chance to experience a Ball State education
• volunteering, as so many of you have done during your time at Ball State.

In the book "Tuesdays with Morrie," author Mitch Albom recounts a series of conversations he had over several Tuesdays with his dying, former college professor Morrie Schwartz.

On the eighth Tuesday, Morrie and Mitch talked about money. Morrie said there was great confusion in this country over what we want versus what we need and that you don't get satisfaction from material things. Instead, he said, the greatest satisfaction comes from "Offering others what you have to give," and, he added, "Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

If you follow this advice, you will have no problem answering my final question, how. How will you live your life?

We live in a world where we are bombarded by messages that promote materialism and individualism, and technological advances force all of us to learn new ways of going about our life's work. In our culture, it can be tempting to see a challenge before us and selfishly take a detour around it.

Doing so may mean cheating others with whom you live or work, but it will certainly mean cheating yourself. 

In his New York Times bestselling book "Season of Life," Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Marx tells the story of two men, one a former pro football player and the other a wealthy financial manager, who team up to coach football at a private boys school in Maryland. In a pep talk to their team, one of the men refers to the school's former headmaster, a Mr. Finney, who told his students they should have "revolving integrity."

Revolving integrity. By that, Mr. Finney meant that no matter which way you turn, in what circumstance you find yourself, or in whose company you are present, people will see the same integrity in every situation. It doesn't change when the situation is easy or hard. It doesn't change when you are with a group of your best friends or alone.

If you ask yourself the questions who, when, where, why, what, and how, you can begin to outline the story of your life. In writing the next chapter, being true to yourself every day and maintaining your integrity is difficult, but it will provide you with the greatest measure of success.   You will no longer be judged by the grades you receive on tests but by the values you espouse and the role you play in creating a thoughtful, supportive and purposeful family, workplace and community.

I hope you enjoy the time you will spend today with your friends, fellow graduates, and families. And again, congratulations on the accomplishments represented by your graduation here today.