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Remarks to the Commonwealth College

May 23, 2009

Commencement ceremonies are always memorable occasions because of the accomplishments of the graduating class. The Commonwealth College Honors Convocation is a special occasion because of the high level of academic performance exemplified by the participants. I am particularly pleased to be here today to help you celebrate your careers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It is an honor to be among those who themselves have achieved such honors as undergraduates.

The key to your undergraduate years has been success. You were initially admitted to Commonwealth College because of your success in high school, on this campus, or on other campuses, and you continued to succeed during your undergraduate years. Semester after semester after semester you have proven yourselves to be among our best students. You signed a contract with the Commonwealth College that agreed to an exceptional set of requirements. You pledged to maintain at least a 3.2 GPA; to take specially designed interdisciplinary honors courses unmatched in the breadth and depth of their material; to be academically engaged by courses designed to broaden the scope of your intellectual curiosity; and to do capstone coursework, much of it through your own design and with the consultation of our expert faculty, that solidified your command of your learning areas. All of this reflects your desire to get the most out of your collegiate experience, to be part of an elite and invigorated academic community. And in your time here you have succeeded, and exceeded expectations.

What do we mean when we say “success”? What does it connote for us on such an important day? The great British statesman of the 1800s, Benjamin Disraeli, once remarked that “The secret of success is consistency of purpose,” and you have certainly shown consistency in pursuing your purposes on this campus. Albert Einstein was more mathematical in his reflections on success – and more humorous. He wrote: “If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.” Others have defined “success” more whimsically. The journalist Gerald Nachman tells us that “nothing fails like success.” The celebrated intellectual Christopher Lasch informs us that “nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.” And more famously Woody Allen has stated that “eighty percent of success is showing up,” which provides a wonderful comment on those of you in attendance today.

But perhaps the sentiments that are most appropriate regarding success were uttered by Massachusetts’ own Henry David Thoreau, who believed that all individuals are born to succeed, not fail. At one point Thoreau opined “success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” I think that outlook applies well to the graduates of Commonwealth College, who have done so much in so little time that they had no leisure to seek success, but have achieved it nonetheless.

I am delighted to say that the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the campus from which you are graduating, has likewise attained a modicum of success over the years. We are the only public research university in the Commonwealth to be included in the category “very high research activity” by the prestigious Carnegie Foundation, and we were recently listed among the top 100 universities in the world, an honor accorded to only twenty public research institutions in the entire United States.

This year we admitted a class with the highest academic qualifications we’ve ever had, but from admissions data just recently compiled we know that next year the academic indicators of the incoming cohort will be even better. We also had recipients of a Truman scholarship and a Goldwater scholarship this year, as well as eight Fulbright recipients who will go to various countries across the globe next year with their grants.

I would be remiss here if I did not mention the success of the very college from which you are graduating: Commonwealth College. We are celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and I think everyone associated with it agrees it has been an unmitigated success. Its programs, its faculty, and its consistent dedication to academic excellence have attracted top students from across the state, the region, and the country.

As graduates today you share in not only a personal success that is remarkable, but also the institutional success of your college and your campus.

Success, however, also entails obligations. You are destined to be leaders in your communities, in the Commonwealth, and in the nation, and each of you has the obligation to use your education well. But you also have one other obligation, and that’s an obligation to your alma mater. As you know, we are a public institution, but we are increasingly reliant on private giving to provide quality education to you and to the generations that will follow in your footsteps.

So take what we’ve given you here, but don’t forget to give back something of what you’ve taken.

For now, however, allow me to congratulate you again on your success and wish you all the best in your future endeavors. We are fortunate to have had each one of you at UMass Amherst, and I know I speak on behalf of our entire campus community in extending my heartfelt congratulations to you and your families.