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COMMENCEMENT

Live, from Franklin Field …

The sky was still ominous on the morning of May 13, as the black-gowned students began streaming toward Franklin Field, clutching umbrellas and cell phones. Rain had already cancelled the academic procession, and more was forecast throughout the day. But for a couple of crucial hours it held off, and to the relief of the 6,000 students and their relatives, friends, professors, and administrators, Penn’s 246th Commencement went off without a hitch. By noon, the speeches had been made; the students had their degrees bestowed upon them en masse; the faithful had swung their arms to “The Red and Blue”; and hundreds of lightweight emergency ponchos had been flung into the air by the newest members of Penn’s ever-swelling family of alumni, the Class of 2002.

Herewith, a collection of verbal snapshots and sound bites.

On the Elements
“Good morning, Class of 2002. It’s a beautiful day today!”
—Provost Robert Barchi Gr’72 M’72 GM’73.

On Your Mark …
“Graduates, are you ready to roll?”
—Penn President Judith Rodin CW’66.

Self Importance
“Please be assured that I am well aware that the least relevant person involved at a Commencement is the Commencement speaker.”
—Commencement speaker Jim Lehrer, executive editor and anchor of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

On the Significance of Commencement
“Don’t make a mistake about what is happening here today. The fact that you are about to get a diploma from one of America’s finest institutions of higher learning does not mean you are educated. Some of the dumbest people I know have degrees from some of America’s greatest institutions of higher learning. They took their diploma in hot little hand, and proceeded to never read another book, entertain another fresh or new idea, and, most tragically for their society and country, never again paid attention to much of anything other than themselves, to much of anything that was happening around them, or to others. Please, please do not do that. Leave here today caring about your mind, and your neighborhood, and your government, your country, and your world.”
—Jim Lehrer.

Science, Policy, and Power
“An alarming knowledge gap is growing between the nation’s scientists who are on the brink of many life-saving discoveries and advances, and the nation’s policymakers who have the power to promote or stifle scientific progress. So it’s especially important for you to find an effective way to speak the truths of science to those in power.”
—Dr. Judith Rodin.

Remembrance of Risks Past
“It is unlikely that any of you will have occasion to remember me or my Commencement address. I don’t blame you. But if by chance something does linger, I hope it’s just that there was a guy up here who kept saying, ‘Risk. Risk. The way to happiness is to risk it. Risk it.’”
—Jim Lehrer, quoting from a fictional Commencement address by a fictional lieutenant governor of Oklahoma in a 1990 novel titled The Sooner Spy, written by Jim Lehrer.

The State of the Fourth Estate
“Journalism is in trouble with the public for reasons that are out there for all to see … But, amidst the horror and the awfulness [of September 11th], there have been some heartening things happening, and one of them is what it has done to American journalism.

“I believe that, for the most part, the story and its many pieces and tentacles have been responsibly covered by the mainstream organizations, electronic as well as print. But more importantly, it has brought home a message loud and clear to some of my sister and fellow practitioners. That there is, and has been, a serious world out there that deserves to be covered seriously.”
—Jim Lehrer.

Now Get to Work!
“As the heirs of Franklin, each of you now is a public-spirited citizen of the world. So I expect to see one or two of you in the Oval Office, a few of you accepting Nobel Prizes, a lot of you prospering, and all of you leading full lives that bring joy and meaning to yourselves, credit to Penn, and lasting benefits to humanity.

“I am so very proud of you. Congratulations.”
—Dr. Judith Rodin.

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Copyright 2002 The Pennsylvania Gazette Last modified 7/01/02

Humility
“If we are in fact known by the company we keep, I know I will never do any
better than this.”
—Jim Lehrer.

Wired
A senior in mortarboard and gown follows a group of fellow seniors down Locust Walk, heading toward Franklin Field. In his right hand, he holds a digital camcorder high over his head, aiming it at the other seniors. In his left hand, he cradles a cell phone against his ear, talking to … who knows?

Cell-Phone Dialogue
(Overheard in the East Stands)
Father: “Where are you?”
Daughter: “Behind the stage.”
Father: “Oh.”

So Much for Those Masking-Tape Mortarboard Messages
“Welcome to MarchingOrder! This site helps the University of Pennsylvania collect important information from potential commencement participants. It also helps create personal graduation display pages that will be displayed for each graduate during the actual ceremony on the JumboTron.

“To see a demo of the MarchingOrder system, please click the button below.”
—From the temporary Web site for MarchingOrder, a software program created by David Badler Eng’02 W’02 and Tyler Mullins Eng’02 W’02; the Web site was designed by Matt Uffalussy Eng’O2. The program was used in the individual-degree ceremonies of the Wharton MBA program, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Graduate School of Education, and the School of Nursing.

Virtues and Values
“We would like to believe that the virtues and value of internationalism and academic freedom are self-evident. Yet, some argue that in order to protect our freedoms and pluralistic society, we must close our doors to international students and scholars. To be sure, homeland security will require greater scrutiny at our borders, and greater screening of those who wish to come here. But we must protect the multiplicity of cultures and peoples that makes us strong.”
—Dr. Judith Rodin.