Winter 2022 Commencement Ceremony Remarks

Congratulations Graduates!

One of the great opportunities of being president of the University is that I get to give you some last important words of advice before you go out into the world. So, here are 10 pieces of sagacious advice I want to leave you with this morning:

1. Civilized societies embrace a common good. This good comes from mutual respect, from taking care of one another and from lending a hand to those in need. Nurture this precious commonwealth through a life of service.
2. Always respect people who own house cats. These people have the confidence and courage to live with a savage, barely domesticated predator who has no interest in them whatsoever.
3. The single most important characteristic of successful highly educated people like you is they don't believe they have finished their education. Keep learning. It is the only way to succeed.
4. Some of you will become billionaires. When you do, please do not build space rockets. We have enough of those guys already. Instead, buy yourself a nice car and give the rest to The University of Akron.
5. Despite what you may have heard there is truth. As an educated person it is your obligation to seek it. As an educated person it is your obligation to speak it.
6. If you must gamble, gamble on yourself. You will have a much better chance of winning.
7. If you want to persuade someone of something, the first thing you have to do is listen to them very carefully. Understanding another person's perspective – even if you disagree with that perspective – is the only way to get that person to understand what you think.
8. Most of the Earth is water. Learn to swim!
9. Embrace the arts. To paraphrase the American writer and poet Thomas Merton, "Art enables you to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time."
10. Love is not a thing. Love is the only thing! Find love. Give love. This is the way to be happy.

Congratulations to all of you. Take care of one another and remember, you are always a ZIP.