"An Applied Degree in Serving Others"

Undergraduate Commencement Speech
Beverley J. Pitts
May 2, 2009

Editor’s Note: Scheduled 2009 Undergraduate Commencement speaker Jerry Throgmartin, chairman and CEO of HH Gregg and a UIndy alumnus and trustee, was unable to attend the ceremony due to illness. President Beverley Pitts delivered this Commencement address.

I am disappointed to report that our honoree and Commencement speaker, Jerry Throgmartin, cannot be with us today. We will honor him at a later time.

I am pleased to give the commencement address. It is especially pleasing to me to have this opportunity to speak to the class of 2009 because we came to UIndy together four years ago, and it has been a joy to watch you learn and grow.

It's no secret that we as a nation, and in fact the world, are facing some difficult times. On Wednesday night, when President Obama was asked about new difficulties in the automobile industry, he said, "If you could tell me right now that when I walked into this office that the banks were humming, that autos were selling, and that all you had to worry about was Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, getting health care passed, figuring out how to deal with energy independence, deal with Iran and a pandemic flu–I would take that deal."

His words were a strong reminder of just how many major problems we face today. We are all overwhelmed with the circumstances we find ourselves in.

You may be feeling the same way. Commencement is a wonderfully joyful time, but it can also be a bit frightening.

It is a truism that your whole future lies before you, but at a graduation ceremony it seems more palpably true. There are so many decisions ahead, such as where to work or where to live, whether to go to graduate school, or whether to pursue marriage and a family, for example. Even if you are fortunate enough to have all these issues resolved, the global angst is nearly inescapable, and we are reminded daily of the problems we face.

We've faced months of economic turmoil, and now along with continuing concerns about an unsettled world, we have a possible pandemic on our hands. In a few moments, in fact, I’ll be awarding each of you a diploma, and I won’t be shaking your hand, which is probably a first in the annals of University of Indianapolis history.

So what are we to do as we face all this turmoil and woe? Over the past few months, you may have grown weary of the inevitable question on everyone's lips as they considered your impending graduation: What are you going to do?

That question is almost always difficult, but in a severe economic recession it's bound to be more painful than ever. You know too well that our economy is shedding jobs at an astounding rate. So how will you make your way?

I believe that you will overcome these difficulties, that you will succeed. You have a great advantage. You are a college graduate. You are a graduate of the University of Indianapolis. You know how to think, and you know how to communicate–two of the most valuable attributes in any employee or employer at any time. You have been carefully taught by some of the most well-educated and experienced faculty to be found.

You have gained real-world experience in addition to your classroom studies. You are remarkably well prepared for a job and a career. Right now, your future seems to be barreling toward you, but remember the wise words from the ancient tale about King Solomon: This too shall pass. History is a story of cycles, and there’s a long cycle of success ahead for you.

But this story isn't just about you and your career future. It's about all of your fellow human beings. And you have learned some things over the last four years about what it means to be responsible for the well being of others.

Our University motto is "Education for Service." And I believe that you, our graduates–perhaps without even making a conscious decision–will put your service ethic immediately to work.

Many of you have already rolled up your sleeves and begun to tackle the problems you see around you, and have been doing so for years, because that's the kind of student that chooses UIndy and the kind of person who graduates from UIndy.

As I look around at these familiar faces, I recognize many of you as people who have been very active in service to others, in Indianapolis, around the nation, and abroad, and I am both proud and grateful. As large as these obstacles are, we can never afford to lose sight of the need to serve. We will continue to be about the business of building and rebuilding, of caring for others, of making the world the kind of place it can be.

I know you all are very committed to what I will call "doing good" in the way you live your lives and plan your futures. There's a remarkable care about others that permeates our campus, from first–semester freshmen on a cleanup walk to seniors committing their lives to careers of service. And service provides skills that will serve you well in your lives, regardless of whether or not you choose to make it a career.

In just the past few weeks and months, we’ve seen glorious examples of this fundamental generosity of spirit and eagerness to make a positive mark on the world. For the fourth consecutive year, for example, students and faculty from the School of Nursing spent their spring break in the Dominican Republic, providing basic medical care for hundreds of impoverished villagers.

Every January for the past 26 years, a group of students, faculty, and staff participate in the Appalachia Service Project during our semester break. They spend a week making the homes of low–income Central Appalachian families warmer, safer, and drier.

And this month, two groups are scheduled to travel to Central and South America. It would be hard to tackle a greater variety of service projects in two weeks than the group of UIndy students and faculty traveling to Belize.

The group will work with a ceramics cottage industry; promote AIDS awareness; collect oral histories from senior citizens; teach improvisational theater to high school students; beautify the grounds at a senior center; and teach computer literacy and tutoring English in two schools.

And a group of nursing students will head to Ecuador this month to work in medical clinics in conjunction with local churches–checking vital signs, irrigating ears, testing blood-sugar levels, fitting patients for reading glasses, working with a nurse to distribute medications, and working with the doctor or nurse practitioner on site.

It is remarkable to me that, throughout UIndy's history, in the face of amazing growth and countless changes to our institution, one of the constants has been that we remain a community dedicated to serving others.

In my favorite Bible verse, Matthew 25:40, we are reminded that, "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

This is who you are in troubled times. This is the heart and soul of UIndy.

It is more important than ever that we bear that message in mind. I have every confidence that you will do just that. I have every confidence that you will make a difference in your communities.

I have every confidence that you will flourish as alumni of this institution and as citizens of the world. It has been a privilege to share in your lives over the past few years.

Go and do good with what you know. We send you with our love and confidence of success on every front.

Congratulations.