December 15, 2011, Greensboro Coliseum

UNCG Graduation Address – Jennifer L. Etnier, professor

 
Good morning! 

It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to speak on such a momentous day to the December 2011 graduates of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, their family, and friends.  Welcome and we thank you for being here today. I will admit that the pressure I feel right now is enormous. I am the last UNCG faculty member who has a chance to tell you something, anything, that you might remember and that might be important before you leave UNCG and move on to the rest of your lives. 

So, when faced with the task of deciding upon what to talk about, I did what all of you have learned to do during your academic careers – I googled it.  The advice that I got from my google search was pretty straightforward.  I was reminded to keep it short because the graduates only want to get their degrees, the families only want to hear their child’s name announced (and pronounced correctly), and the friends only want to check out the bling on the graduation caps and to try to give the loudest cheer when their friend’s name is called.  Now, obviously that advice was helpful, but it didn’t really give me much direction.

So, I took another approach – I asked my friends for their opinion.  The advice that I got from them was not to talk about the economy, definitely not to talk about job prospects, for sure not to mention politics or religion, and above all, not to talk about myself.  Okay, so that’s what NOT to do, but I still didn’t know what to do.  So, I asked my graduate students and they had the best advice yet – they told me what I should do. Their advice was to include Dr. Seuss rhymes, use quotes from famous athletes, and, again, keep it short!  And, so I will be attempting to do these three things, and if I happen to say something you remember until lunch or talk about with one another, then that will be an added bonus. 

So, the first thing that I want to say is: CONGRATULATIONS!By completing a degree at UNCG, you’ve accomplished a remarkable goal. You have successfully taken exams, completed group projects, given oral presentations, and given artistic performances. In addition, you’ve somehow managed to register for courses during the registration window, you’ve figured out what Gen Ed requirements are, you’ve written papers, honor’s projects, theses, or dissertations, you’ve managed to get into the courses that you need, and you’ve completed the forms required to apply for graduation! Although in isolation, any one of these accomplishments might not seem impressive; you have put together the complete string of accomplishments necessary to fulfill the requirements for your degree and that is very impressive. And, because of this, the entire UNCG community is proud of you and happy for you, and we have all come together today to recognize your achievements.

The second thing that I want to say is this: You’re not really done. Okay, now don’t panic.  Moms, Dads, Family Members, Friends, don’t panic. Because I’m not talking about the degree any more.  Once those final grades are posted and the library fines and traffic tickets are paid, you will receive your diploma to confirm that you are in fact done with your degree. But, what I mean is that you’re not really done in the bigger picture…. What I’m talking about now is the rest of your lives. To be successful following your degree is going to require the same skills that helped you to be successful in school. So, let me ask you a few questions and please raise your hands in response to these questions and then I’ll tell you precisely what I’m talking about…..……..

How many of you have started your own family or hope to start a family in the future?

How many of you are going to graduate school or hope to go to graduate school in the future?

How many of you have a job lined up or hope to have a job in the very near future?

So, what do these three experiences have in common? The answers are this: Starting a family, going to graduate school, and starting a new job are all daunting, uncertain, and important for your future happiness. What else do they have in common?  They all require that you continue to learn and success in all of these areas is reliant on hard work, the identification of goals, and a focus on excellence. 

Okay, you’re probably wondering how I could say that you have more to learn when the whole reason you’re here today is because you’ve learned so much at UNCG that today you’ll receive your degree, and this degree tells the world that you have successfully completed a challenging educational program at an exceptional institution.  But, the mistake that I don’t want you to make is to believe for one second that having this degree means that you are done learning. In fact, the opposite is really true. You’ve learned a lot for certain, but to be successful and happy in life requires that you continue to learn for the rest of your lives. If you’re going to graduate school next, then obviously you’ll be continuing your education and you will definitely be learning every single day. If you’re starting a new job, you’ll have to learn new skills and to learn how to apply your academic training to your professional practice. If you are starting a family, this is the ultimate in group projects! You will have to learn to be a good spouse, partner, and parent. If none of these things are happening for you yet, then maybe you’ll be living at home or with friends or trying to figure out how to make it on your own, and if this is you, then you definitely need to be ready to learn new skills to figure out how to jump start your future. So, to be successful and happy following today, you’ll need to commit to being a life-long learner. And now here’s the relevant Dr. Seuss quote.  As Dr. Seuss said: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

In addition to being a life-long learner, you will also need to continue to work hard, to set goals for yourself, and to strive for excellence. Certainly that is the approach that you have taken as you’ve moved through your degree programs – you’ve set goals for yourself, you’ve worked hard toward those goals, and you’ve done all you can to reach your potential. You’ve just accomplished an important goal and this goal has likely been your primary focus for the last several years. So, what now? The answer is:  Set more goals. These goals may be with respect to your career, your family, or your own personal growth. It doesn’t really matter what these goals relate to, the important thing is to identify additional things to accomplish and then to go for them. Don’t be satisfied and don’t become stagnant. A key here is to remember that the most important thing that you have learned in your degree programs is not the content of your courses.  Does that surprise some of you? I know that content is what your professors have focused on and what you have memorized those late nights so that you could perform well on your exams.  But, the truth is that the most important thing you have learned during your program is not the content, but rather the skills that allowed you to master that content. You’ve learned how to manage your time, how to organize your thoughts, how to problem solve, how to memorize, how to study, how to work hard, and how to set and reach goals.These are the skills that have brought you to this place today and these are the skills that will enable you to be successful in the future.  And now for the recommended quote from the famous athlete. As Michael Jordan said, “If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”  What you have learned at UNCG is the skills that enable you to tackle obstacles and if you use these skills and continue to learn, work hard, set goals, and strive for excellence, then your happiness and success in the future are assured… And, so, let me end with one last Dr. Seuss quote: “And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!”

Thank you and congratulations graduates!

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