CONWAY, Ark.
(May 16, 2015) – Hendrix College President Bill Tsutsui congratulated members
of the Class of 2015 at the 131st Commencement, his first Hendrix
graduation ceremony as President.
Here is the full text of his remarks:
Good morning
and welcome on this festive and happy day!
We are here to
celebrate and recognize the members of the Class of 2015. Congratulations to you
all: during your years at Hendrix you have worked long and hard, you have grown
and matured, you have made lifelong friends and memories, you have tested your
limits and done things you never imagined you would (or could) do, you have
(most likely) pulled an all-nighter or two, danced in the Brick Pit in a white
shirt and your skivvies, completely rethought your major, your career plans,
and the meaning of life, and you have
had a huge impact on each other, on this community, and on this
institution.
Of course,
between birthday cakes in the Caf and Miller Center mission trips, early
morning practices and toga parties, Word Gardens and “sundae Thursdays,” you
have also gotten a broad and rigorous liberal arts education, in and beyond the
classroom, that will stay with you and shape you long after you have left this
campus. Well done! You have richly earned the funny hats and medieval robes you
are wearing, as well as the fancy pieces of paper with my John Hancock on them
that you will soon receive. Whether you feel ready for it or not, your next big
adventure lies just around the corner.
Now even though
we are here to celebrate you – taking lots of pictures to clog up Facebook, and
sharing plenty of hugs and high-fives and chest bumps and mortar-board tosses
and maybe even a tear or two – I’ve got to be honest with you: you didn’t do it
alone and there are lots of folks here who deserve some of the reflected glory
from your successes. First of all, the families of our graduates today: can I
please ask all the parents and grandparents, great-grandparents and siblings
and any other hangers-on who what to take credit to please stand? You have had
a huge impact on these exceptional and accomplished young people. You have
written checks for them (which we greatly appreciate), slipped them 20s on the
way out the door, and paid their car insurance bills. You overcame the urge to
change the locks on the house when they left for freshman year. You did
laundry, baked cookies, shared their triumphs and challenges by cellphone, text,
and tweet, cheered them on, occasionally kicked them you know where, and have always,
always been there for them. We thank you
and applaud you.
Now let me ask
the members of the Hendrix faculty and staff to stand. You too deserve pats on
the back today for jobs well done. Some of you helped recruit today’s graduates
to campus way back when they were in high school; some of you met them for the
first time in a classroom in August 2011; many of you coached them and fed them
and cleaned up after them; you taught them chemistry and psychology and French
and drawing; you worked with them to write more persuasively, argue more
cogently, think more reflectively, and serve more wholeheartedly. All of you
cared for them, as much as you would care for your own children, cheering them
on and occasionally kicking them you know where. We applaud you as well.
To the members
of the Class of 2015, enjoy this day and allow yourself to wallow a little bit
in the feeling of accomplishment. Getting a Hendrix degree is for real, so be
proud. Goodness knows we are proud of you.
As we send you out today to begin your life’s next chapter, know
that we will miss you here and that you left a mark on this place and on the
people who remain behind. Know too that Hendrix will be always with you, no
matter where your individual paths may lead: the community instilled here, our
tradition of excellence, and our collective commitment to engagement and
service are now as much a part of you as you are forever a part of us. And
remember that, even as today we kick you out of the nest and on to fresh
challenges and new opportunities for growth, that Hendrix and our cherished
Bubble will still be here for you, that we expect to see you back often, and
that this campus and this community of learners and teachers and dreamers and
doers will always be your home.
Congratulations!
About Hendrix
Founded in
1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences
education. This year, Hendrix was named the country’s #1 “Up and Coming”
liberal arts college and #8 in the nation for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” by U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the 2015 Fiske Guide
to Colleges, Forbes magazine's list of America's Top Colleges, the 2014 Princeton Review’s The Best 378 Colleges, and the latest
edition of Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change
the Way You Think about Colleges.
Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For
more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.