Virtual Commencement
Ceremony
Commencement Address from:
Commencement Address from Sue Maes
- Sue C. Maes
- Watch the commencement address (ram)
It is with warmest regards that I greet you today. I'm honored to extend my congratulations to you. While I would rather personally greet you and shake your hand, I realize that you have completed your degree using virtual learning...thus, I greet you through the virtual world. On behalf of President Jon Wefald, I wish to say that we are gratified that you chose Kansas State University for your degree attainment using the distance learning opportunities afforded to you by the Division of Continuing Education.
My message is forever simple. Now that you have completed a degree from Kansas State University, whether it is a bachelor's or a master's, whatever pathway your degree allows you to choose, love what you do. Be good at it and command respect and attention for your efforts. I know that you will bring creativity and courage to every field of your endeavors.
Recently I read a commencement address that Doris Kearns Goodwin gave at Dartmouth University. In the address she recalled a seminar she attended by Harvard psychologist Erik Erikson. Quoting Goodwin, “
he taught her that the richest and fullest lives attain an inner balance of work, love and play, in equal order, that to pursue one to the disregard of others is to open oneself to ultimate sadness in older age, whereas to pursue all three with equal dedication is to make possible an old age filled with serenity, peace, and fulfillment.”Obtaining a degree should be used as a stepping-stone to open new job opportunities, while at the same time taking the time to value quality family time and to re-engage with your community and friends. Thus, let your degree attainment only deepen those bonds and ties. Give back to your family and to the world around you.
Challenge yourself to achieve your fullest potential. As Mark Twain wrote: “
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore! Dream! Discover!”
- Commencement Address
- Sue C. Maes, PhD
- Interim Dean
- Division of Continuing Education
- Kansas State University
Commencement Address from M. Duane Nellis
- Duane Nellis
- Watch the commencement address (ram)
I would like to take a moment to congratulate all of you who are graduating today in this virtual commencement on completing your degree requirements. Graduation is always a milestone marking a major achievement, and is perhaps even more so for those of you who are learning from a distance, without the convenience of being on our college campus.
You, in many cases, have had to make more and bigger sacrifices than many of our other students, yet you have had the long-term vision, which you have pursued, and we admire and praise you for bringing this to a successful conclusion. Many of you have families, jobs, or at the very least greater distance and distractions from academics than other students who have the luxury of being in our traditional classrooms, yet you have balanced these various tasks to a successful conclusion.
You looked to the future and saw the importance of education. You looked to the future and realized that hard work now would open opportunities for tomorrow. You looked to the future, set your goals high, and persevered through the preparation for a new role. So you certainly deserve extra special congratulations as we applaud your accomplishments today.
The diploma you are receiving represents more than just the time spent studying, writing papers, and taking tests. It represents the development of your mind through the acquisition of a body of knowledge that you will keep for the rest of your life through lifelong learning. It represents a commitment to reach your dreams and a willingness to work for that, which is worthwhile. And it represents your ability to adapt to the advances of technology, which is becoming increasingly crucial as computers are continuously being integrated into our society and as part of our way of life.
Twenty years ago we could not have predicted how much personal computers would transform our offices and our interactions with one another. It is impossible to predict what discoveries will be made and how technology will change our lives in the next twenty years and beyond. But we do know that technology will continue to advance and transform our lives and work. Through completing your education from a distance and through participating in this commencement via the Internet, you are showing that you are able and prepared to adapt to whatever technology changes bring to your life.
You're not only making advances to help prepare yourselves for the future, you're also helping our university prepare to meet the needs of our future students. You're the pioneers venturing into the unknown territory of education transformed by technology and transported across distance and time. Though this is a relatively new way to earn your college degree you can be confident that the education you have fulfilled is worthwhile and valuable. K-State has been aggressive in adopting and maximizing the potential of new technologies and has been working to ensure that education delivered online has the same level of quality we expect in our campus classrooms. Those expectations of excellence have been reflected in over 40 distance education awards won in the past 10 years here at Kansas State University and in the enrollment increase to more than 10,000 students in distance programs for credit. This is just one more way that Kansas State University is seeking to meet the changing needs of students and the larger community as we fulfill our goal of becoming a top-ten land grant institution. Kansas State University's distance education is extending intellectual resources and educational opportunities to individuals when and where they need them. And you are helping us to develop better programs and are paving the way for others who will come after you.
Research shows that those with a college degree will earn significantly more income over their lifetime than those who do not have a college education. But higher education isn't just about economic advantages that it will bring. It's about enlightened minds, informed citizenship, and fulfilling one's dreams. Your families have seen your efforts and perseverance, and will benefit not only in the gains that higher education will bring to your families, but even more from seeing and following your example of perseverance, dedication, and commitment to balancing priorities in all of the roles that you have had to juggle during your time in pursuing your university degree. You have a lot to be proud of, and it is with great pride that we celebrate your accomplishments today.
Congratulations and best wishes on the journey ahead.
- Provost M. Duane Nellis
