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Speakers
Offer Words of Wisdom, Inspiration at 118th Commencement
Caps
were tossed and tassels turned at American University's 118th Commencement
on May 9. Proud students and their families and friends couldn’t
have been happier with the fantastic weather than Mother Nature delivered
for the momentous occasion, complete with blue sky, sunshine, and low
humidity.
 CNN
Anchor Judy
Woodruff, who addressed the SOC and Kogod commencement ceremony, noted
that the class of 2004 will always look back on college as a tumultuous
experience. “And it won't be just the fire alarms at 3 o'clock in
the morning. Being at a college in the nation's capital has shaped your
experiences in more ways than you ever dreamed. Those of you who entered
college in the fall of 2000, had barely found your way around campus,
when you were witness to the closest Presidential election in American
history.” She also referred to the world-changing events of September
11th, and the War with Iraq. “Whether you go into the profit, or
the non-profit or public sector, make a difference, as the education at
this great institution has so prepared you; always remember the values
you learned here,” said Woodruff. “Set your sights high. Fight
for integrity.”
 Founder
and Director of the Shalom Hartman Institute Rabbi David
Hartman, who addressed the College of Arts and Sciences ceremony,
spoke of pluralism and its importance in today’s world. The Brooklyn
and Brownsville, N.Y.-raised rabbi said he learned living pluralism in
Lincoln Terrace Park. “On the basketball court, no one asked you
what your religious affiliation was, and what your ideology was. The elbow
that I used to get under the boards made no distinction of religion, faith
or philosophy.” Hartman said what makes America great is there’s
room for diversity. “To live in America is to hear the music of
so many different cultures… I hear that American University is known
for this. This is what makes it a great university and what makes America
great.” Hartman asked graduates to “make a heart of many rooms”
for differing opinions and to accept people from other cultures. No matter
what faith you affiliate with, he added, “May God bless you with
the courage to be able to live in the world with conviction, without having
to say I have the exclusive truth.”
 Director
of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Lee
Hamilton, who addressed the SPA and SIS ceremonies, commended graduates
for their future service to America. “All of us are being challenged
in unprecedented ways — to think about America’s place in
the world,” he said. “Events often move faster than our ability
to comprehend them. But despite this breathtaking pace, I believe in the
capacity of our democracy to meet these challenges… The processes
of democracy may be messy, imprecise, and frustratingly slow. But in the
end our government usually… will try to do what is right. It works,
not for everybody, not all the time, not perfectly; but it works for most
of us most of the time.” Hamilton noted that the new AU grads have
had a front-row seat to the process. “No doubt it has let you down
at times,” he said, but rather than give up, the solution is to
“confirm by word and act our faith in American democracy.”
That, he noted, “is why I particularly congratulate you for focusing
your education on public affairs and international service, and I am encouraged
by your actions.”
 The
Washington College of Law Commencement on May 23 featured speaker Arieh
Neier, former national director of the American Civil Liberties Union
and a founder of Human Rights Watch. Neier reflected on the recent 50-year
anniversary of the landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education –
and the media’s near disregard of the foreign policy considerations
at stake in the case or on the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision
on the role of the United States in world affairs. America is at a moment
in history when there is, again, a close connection between domestic policy
and America’s role in the world, he said. In May 1954, the day after
Brown was decided, a number of media outlets commented that, when foreigners
accused Americans of being a class society, we could recite the courageous
words of the Brown v. Board of education opinion in our defense. Had this
decision gone the other way, “the loss to the free world…
would have been incalculable.” As the new grads pursue their work,
Neier said he hoped it would reflect WCL’s philosophy “that
fidelity to American values at home, and commitment to the promotion of
those values throughout the world, go hand in hand.” The need to
recognize that connection may be as important today as it was when the
Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board of Education.
In addition to the formal convocation ceremonies, more than 180 students
were honored at a separate University Honors Convocation. To receive University
Honors, students must take a certain number of honors courses, maintain
a high GPA, and complete a major independent project. Six honors students
won prizes for their work in a new Honors Capstone Competition. And 15
seniors and graduate students were recognized for outstanding achievements
in scholarship, leadership, intercultural dialogue, and service to the
university community. Their names were added to a Wall of Achievement
recently erected in Mary Graydon Center’s well-traveled first floor
as a permanent recognition of the contributions of extraordinary AU students.
Congratulations
again to the Class of 2004!
To
read the entire transcript of each speaker's speech, visit: http://www.american.edu/media.
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