May 12, 2007
Good afternoon.
Commencement, by its very nature, is a bittersweet exercise. We come together with you, our graduates, to mark the end of one experience, and – in the true spirit of the word – also celebrate the beginning of a new phase in your lives. For some of you, it is the start of a career; for others, volunteer service; for many, professional and graduate school.
All of you share the common thread of becoming Saint Joseph's alumni, and I'd like to suggest that the rewards of being an SJU graduate will grow exponentially as the years go by.
All it takes is one look at the immense pride of the 50-year graduates in our midst today and you’ll know that you are joining a very special alumni association. Congratulations to the Golden Hawks for showing us the way to lead and live.
The end of this academic year also marks a special personal occasion for me. Four years ago, as you were beginning your college careers as freshmen, I was beginning my tenure as the 26th President of Saint Joseph's University. The past four years have seen their challenges and successes, but most notably, I believe that the University has grown tremendously and is prepared to continue that growth.
As exciting as the next several years will be on Saint Joseph's campus, I will always hold you, the class of 2007, close to my heart for your part in inspiring that growth and inspiring me to work even harder in leading this wonderful University.
The Class of 2007 must be applauded for your enthusiastic embrace of education; that enthusiasm has led to many tremendous academic achievements. Congratulations to Matthew Duncan, of Rochester, New York, who has received two fellowships, including a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany; and to Melanie Suebachus, of Horsham, Pennsylvania, who has been accepted to Cambridge University in England but has chosen to go instead to New York University to study Classics.
Congratulations to Patrick Temple-West, who has received the Ralph Flamminio Memorial Scholarship, presented by the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors; he will attend Northwestern University for graduate studies in journalism.
We also recognize Brittany Fasy, of Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania (a recipient of a Goldwater Fellowship), and Lori Cory of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, this year's University Scholars. You and your classmates have made us proud. So, too, have our University College graduates, most of whom have balanced a dedication to family and career while pursuing extremely hard-earned degrees.
As we mark this joyous occasion, we must also take a moment to remember those who cannot share the moment with us. We especially remember those students and faculty who lost their lives at Virginia Tech last month and will not take part in their own graduation ceremonies.
We also commemorate your classmates and the family and friends of the class of 2007 who are no longer with us.
In the face of tragedies like that at Virginia Tech, we must take account of the gifts that God has given us, particularly the gift of a campus community as supportive as Saint Joseph's.
Both in response to challenges and in taking initiative to serve the less fortunate, the Class of 2007 has been exemplary in following the Jesuit message to be men and women with and for others. Because of your dedication and leadership, participation in the Appalachian Experience grew significantly this year to include nearly 400 students, and the Summer Immersion Program expanded to include two new trips to Tanzania and Ecuador.
When I look back at the Class of 2007, I will remember students like Emily Bates of, Bethesda, Maryland, and Amanda Stewart, of Burlington, New Jersey, whose leadership in these programs sets an example for all of us.
Just as the Class of 2007 has served as mentors for your fellow Hawks, we recognize those who have mentored you through your four years here: your teachers. Today's Lindback and Tengelmann Award recipients, Dr. John B. Lord and Dr. Ronald K. Klimberg, are true practitioners of the teacher-scholar model as well as outstanding representatives of their faculty colleagues. Congratulations, and thank you to the entire faculty for the enormous role you have played in the lives of our graduates.
We are also gifted with the presence of a wonderful role model in today's honorary degree recipient, Mary Lou Quinlan of the Class of 1975, whose success is a reminder of the lifelong commitment to education that Saint Joseph's values so greatly.
I am also grateful to John Smithson, the Class of 1968, for serving these last four years as the Chairman of our Board of Trustees. He has led our Board with great distinction. Thanks to Mr. Smithson and others, Saint Joseph's University has reached several important milestones in the lifespan of the Class of 2007.
You celebrated several impressive rankings – the University’s highest in US News & World Report at #9, and of course, who could forget - our No. 1-ranked basketball team. You have seen the acquisition of the Episcopal Academy property – now known as Maguire Campus, the establishment of the Pedro Arrupe Center for Business Ethics, the Academy of Risk Management and Insurance, the Catholic Bioethics Institute, the construction of the Rashford and Borgia Halls, the generosity of two alumni who selflessly donated $10 million each to the University – a first in the history of Saint Joseph's, and so much more. You have also witnessed the beginning of our institutional journey to be recognized as the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.
As students and now alumni, you are a vital part of that journey. The way you have and will continue to live out the core values of Saint Joseph's University – Spirit • Intellect • Purpose – convince me that this vision is well within our reach.
Each of you has been blessed by God with a similar opportunity, one which calls to mind a favorite passage of mine from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, which I read to you four years ago at your orientation: "To God, who is able to accomplish far more than all we can ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to God be glory in the church for all generations." These past years, you have accomplished more than you ever imagined. So my prayer for you as you go forward is this: May God dwell in your hearts; may you be rooted and grounded in love; may you know the fullness of God; and may you accomplish far more than could ever be asked or imagined.
Today, you have our congratulations. Tomorrow and always, you have our prayers. And may God continue to bless you and your families throughout all that lies ahead.