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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 10/2/07 |
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In
the News Archive - Year: Excerpts from UW-Green Bay Commencement Frederick Mohs, University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents
Thank you. It is a privilege for me to represent the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents this afternoon, and welcome the graduates, their families and guests to the 2000 winter commencement.
(On what Regents do, on what chancellors do, on UW-Green Bay and its leadership)
... Choosing leadership is a major responsibility of the Board. The Chancellors and their staffs are very important. In the case of your chancellor, Mark Perkins, who I've had the pleasure of having close contact with, I've been able to see what a chancellor does, and how one interacts with the Board of Regents.
As you all have heard, I'm sure, this University has undertaken a dramatic and important change in course, a re-evaluation of its mission and its mechanisms for teaching...
Universities are much more complicated than an ordinary business enterprise, where there's a hierarchy, and the chairman of the board and the president pass things down and people take orders. The university is just a little bit different than that. It needs a tremendous amount of consensus... people have to buy in. They are professionals. They demand their say, and should. The students get to weigh in, and be heard...
As that process goes along, leadership by the chancellor is important. I'd like to share an example. Regent (Jonathan) Barry invited me down to his farm south of Madison. He said, "We'll have a little lunch, and Mark Perkins is going to come down for a chat. So I drove down, prepared for lunch and a little social time. Well, I realized immediately that it was one of these bait-and-switch things. I walked into a darkened room, and Chancellor Perkins had his laptop and screen out and I spent the next 45 minutes in the dark, trapped, listening to what was going to be happening at UW-Green Bay. But that's what it took. He went around and trapped every other Regent, too (laughter). But that's what we're looking for in leadership.
(On support for UW-Green Bay's Initiative)
When I was up here last year for Commencement, I talked to many of your faculty, and I was impressed with your buy-in. I also talked to many students, who truly understand what is going on... So that's what I mean, when I talk about leadership.
(On learning)
What happened for me, and what has happened for you graduating seniors, is that you have learned how to learn. You are now educated — yes, you have the body of knowledge, but it won't stop there. The wonderful thing about your lives is that you will continue to learn... That's the greatest blessing. There is no person in this audience who is my age who wouldn't trade places with you in a minute... Congratulations on your accomplishments here...
Bob Wood ... Well, it's over. You did it! No more papers, no more exams, no more lectures. This is an exciting day. You have every right to feel proud of yourselves, and to take pride in graduating from one of the finest university systems in the world: The University of Wisconsin. And you should take pride in graduating from one of the real jewels of our System, UW-Green Bay... (On his being invited to speak at UW-Green Bay, and advice he received) ... I had anticipated receiving suggestions that I should be witty and profound and that I should lift you out of your seats and exhort you to future greatness. Unfortunately, the only consistent piece of advice I received was that I should be brief, as most commencement speakers are remembered most for how long they spoke, and not for what they had to say. I must admit, when Chancellor Perkins asked me to speak to you today I was a little taken aback. Me? Why would your graduates want to hear from Bob Wood? When I think of commencement speakers, and I've seen a few recently on C-SPAN, I think of Bill Cosby, the president, Oprah Winfrey, congressmen and, yes, governors. But then I remembered...(turning to face the chancellor) ah, yes... it is a budget year. (laughter, applause from audience) Looking out at this great class of 2000 I must agree, chancellor — it would be nice to see the class of 2004 watching the Fighting Phoenix advance to another NCAA berth in a brand-new arena right here on campus! (applause from audience) (On simple advice for graduates) ...The first comes from my father, who told me, "Bob, you have two ears and one mouth, use them in that proportion and you'll do just fine." It is probably the most profound piece of advice I have ever received, advice rooted in good ol' common sense. Listen to people. Be open to their ideas, their opinions, their concerns and their fears... ...You simply cannot succed in life, and truly be happy, without being bold. Without taking risks. Everyone told us we couldn't reform welfare. Now Wisconsin is once again the envy of the nation, decreasing the welfare rolls over 90 percent. With any visionary project there will always be opposition and setbacks, and we've had our share, but don't give up. Be bolder. Don't ever let anyone talk you out of pursing a great idea... ...Be patient. We're not all going to be dot-com CEOs or venture capitalist millionaires by our 24th birthday. Now don't get me wrong. We should all strive for our goals and aspirations. But focus on getting the job done, and developing skills first. Pay should be second. No, I'm not off my rocker. My first salary in a paid political job was $12,000 a year handling constituent problems. The pay will come, and invariably in larger amounts than if that was what you had focused on all along. ...Cherish your family...Of all I have achieved, all that I hope to achieve, there is nothing I cherish more than my family. The same will hold true for you. For down the road, and it will come quicker than we think, we will be sitting in those seats proudly watching our children cross this stage. As you go through life, don't ever forget where you came from, and don't ever forget what really matters in life: your family. Join me in thanking your family for their support, their encouragement, and their love. (Applause)
Andrea Stiff Are you, my fellow graduates in debt? "For most college students the idea of debt is immediately correlated to the words "student loans"... I would make the argument that all of us graduating here today are in debt for the education we have received at UW-Green Bay. Quoting the American Philanthropist George Peabody, "Education itself is a debt from present to future generations." Peabody recognized that education is comprised of a great deal more than any of us have ever paid for in the form of tuition. Her examples to her fellow graduates: * You were likely surrounded by people who encouraged you to pursue your degree. * Maybe a friend helped you with a paper when you were struggling... * University professionals may have gone above and beyond their call of duty to provide you with the best possible education. * A professor might have extended office hours to re-explain a difficult concept until you finally understood. * Advisers may have been a source of continual guidance and support. In all instances, these people assisted us in becoming the best students and the best people we could become." "...With commencement marks the beginning of our repayment of what we owe to society.
How can you repay your educational debt? Reimbursement will be as unique a method as each of you graduating today. Today each one of us is in debt. Remember the good news. In sharing our wisdom and talent in the same unselfish manner in which others gave to us, we can repay our education debts and leave this society a wealthier and wiser place than when we graduated."
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