120th Spring Commencement
The University of Texas at Austin
May 17, 2003
Welcome to the 120th Commencement of The University of Texas at Austin.
Some of you have waited a long time for this event. If you are a parent, this academic endeavor may have seemed endless.
There are 7,485 degree candidates for this ceremony. More than 7,000 long, eventful paths leading here to the Main Mall. For you graduates, this is a time for reflecting upon your past and considering your future. A time for celebration. A time to remember those who helped you along the way.
Commencement is a family affair. Many graduates are joined by multiple generations of their families tonight. We are honored to have you here. Thank you for coming.
Commencement is also an academic ritual. You arrive on the Main Mall as students and leave as graduates. An abbreviation will now follow your name throughout your life. B.A. -- Ph.D -- J.D. -- M.F.A. And one I earned along the way, the evocative B.S. In my job, the B.S. has always come in handy.
At UT, Commencement is an international affair. Not only do we have students from almost all 254 counties in Texas, but the student body also includes people from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. On this campus, our diversity is one of our greatest strengths. We represent "Texas at large." Big, open, all-embracing, spread out under a big sky from river to river and far beyond. Such descriptions may seem quaint in a modern world of nanoscience and "Mini Me." But in Texas there is room for everyone under the big sky. And under the lights of the Tower, where we have gathered tonight.
Graduates, I am impressed by the stories of achievement, resourcefulness, and sheer stamina that have brought you here to Commencement. I'd like to share just a few stories with you.
Roberto Diaz is an aerospace engineering senior from El Paso. He's graduating tonight in the College of Engineering. Roberto, please stand and wave!
During his undergraduate study, Roberto completed three internships with NASA, where he worked on space shuttle ascent, space station safety, and thermo-protection systems.
Roberto has been accepted for graduate study at the U.S. Air Force Civilian Scientist and Engineering Professional Development Program at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. His ultimate goal is to come back to Texas and teach physics and calculus to high school students. Roberto, we are proud of you.
Alene Riley will receive her master's degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Please rise and be recognized, Alene!
Alene is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow who chose UT over several other universities. While at the LBJ School, she created a youth development program called "Spider Web," which mentors teenage girls in Austin. She has worked as a legislative aide during two sessions of the Texas Legislature. Alene is from Houston, and her hometown hero has always been Barbara Jordan. In fact, Alene first came to UT as a finalist in the Barbara Jordan Historical Essay Contest. And she later received the Barbara Jordan Scholarship at the LBJ School.
In July, Alene will head for Washington, D.C., where she has been accepted in the Presidential Management Internship program. Someday, she intends to seek public office. We are proud of you, Alene. And we need you! Hurry back to Texas.
San Antonio native Will Renthal has earned a biochemistry degree from the College of Natural Sciences. Will, please stand and be accounted for.
Will's mother and I were in the same UT graduate chemistry research group back in the sixties. [By the way, Annie, do you need your notes back for Chemistry 390L?] It's inspiring to watch another generation of Longhorns enjoy the benefits of this great University.
Will's undergraduate research involved designing new antibiotics. As a UT student, he also volunteered at the Brackenridge Hospital ER. After working in the trauma unit for a semester, he says he never wants to ride a motorcycle -- ever! In June, he begins a seven-year joint M.D./Ph.D. program at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, with an interest in neuroscience. Will, we are proud of you.
Vivian Li, from Richardson, Texas, is a graduating senior in Plan II and art history. This evening Vivian is a flag bearer for the College of Fine Arts. Where are you, Vivian?
Vivian has devoted a great deal of her undergraduate life to her love of art. Her art history honors thesis examined Zen and the art and music of experimentalist John Cage. A tireless volunteer, she has ushered at the Performing Arts Center, served as a student docent at the Blanton Museum of Art, created conservation boxes for precious books and fragile manuscripts at the Ransom Center, and interned at art museums in Dallas and Houston. While at UT, she has also taught ESL classes for Chinese and Vietnamese speakers. It's not clear what led Vivian to establish a registered student organization called the University Mycological Society -- that's the study of mushrooms, by the way -- but she assures us there was nothing magic about their forays into the creek beds around Austin.
In that great century-old tradition of artists and art seekers, Vivian Li is leaving for New York City this summer to follow her heart to the world's art center, where she hopes to find museum work. Good luck, Vivian. We are proud of you.
Each of you has a unique story to tell. But you all have something in common. All of you graduates here tonight had the courage to face the challenges of attending the largest university in the nation! You had the courage to think big and aim high! And you survived. Congratulations on your hard work and the success you have achieved. How about a round of applause for the graduating class of 2003!
Parents, be proud that your children had the drive and the ambition to come to this large and complex academic community -- and to earn one of life's most enriching rewards -- a college degree.
We all depend upon the family and friends around us for support. No one accomplishes much in life without the help of others. And we have many helpers with us tonight. I now invite the Class of 2003 to salute your parents, families, and friends for their devotion and support. Would the families and supporting friends of our graduates please rise and be recognized.
Class of 2003, during your time here the world has become a more uncertain place. We need bright, open, educated minds to create solutions for the difficult problems we face. Among the nearly 7,500 graduates we honor tonight -- there is the talent and imagination to build a better future. You graduates have had the opportunity to explore a world of discovery and to broaden your understanding. You have lived and studied in a microcosm of the world at large -- and as loyal Longhorns, you have come to understand the importance of respect and tolerance for your fellow students. Now we ask you to put your skills to work. The world needs the knowledge, creativity, and optimism you have to offer. Accept the responsibility the world entrusts to its leaders and productive citizens. Make a difference. It is your turn to go out and leave your footprint on this planet.
The strength of this institution rests upon the foundation of our faculty and their commitment to excellence in teaching as well as research. Several years ago, the Academy of Distinguished Teachers was formed to honor members of our faculty who exemplify this commitment. Tonight, we are joined by five of the newest inductees. I ask them to stand as a group and be recognized.
Now I would like all faculty members to stand and also be recognized.
There are 10,000 staff members at this University -- at least one for each of you graduates -- who make sure that this campus runs smoothly. They manage programs, assist faculty and administrators, maintain the campus grounds and facilities, feed students, and perform a hundred other tasks that are essential to our success. In fact, staff members are responsible for the incredible Commencement program you are enjoying tonight. Ray Orta, an assistant supervisor in the Construction Shop, has been with us for 31 years and has missed only one Commencement. He is the person in charge of the juggling act of banner distribution. We have 80 University banners that appear at the 27 College and School ceremonies within a two-day period. I know you're out there, Ray. Thank you!
Let's show our appreciation for Ray Orta and the entire University of Texas staff with a round of applause for their tireless work.
The procession this evening included the recipients of the 2003 Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award. I look forward to seeing some of tonight's graduates return to receive this award in the future:
Lisa Beyer earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1983. While at UT she was the editor of The Daily Texan and then began a career as a professional journalist. In 1995 she won the "Best Magazine Reporting from Abroad" award from the Overseas Press Club. She is now the foreign editor for Time magazine and lives in New York.
Jack Furst received an MBA from UT in 1984. He is the director and trustee of several civic and community organizations and was named a 1998 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He lives in Dallas and is a partner in the investment firm of Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst.
Duy-Loan T. Le earned a bachelor of science degree from UT in electrical engineering in 1982. She is a design engineer who started at Texas Instruments at the age of 19 and became the first woman in the company's history to be elected to the rank of Senior Fellow. The holder of 20 patents, she has been inducted into the Hall of Fame by Women in Technology International. She lives in Stafford, Texas.
Arthel Neville received a bachelor's degree in journalism from UT in 1986. She is enjoying a stellar career in television news and entertainment news. She has conducted more than 200 interviews on her E! Entertainment Television program; anchored the entertainment news magazine "Extra"; and hosted the CNN program "Talk Back Live with Arthel Neville." And yes, Arthel is the daughter of one of the legendary Neville Brothers.
These Young Texas Exes are, in a word, fantastic. Our next guest, Harvey Schmidt, has the distinction of being named "THE" Fantastik Alumnus of 1952 at his 50-year class reunion last spring. Among his numerous accomplishments, Mr. Schmidt wrote the music to the world's longest running Broadway musical, The Fantastiks. In its 40 years on Broadway, the work was performed 17,162 times. Although he may no longer claim to be a young Texas-Ex, Harvey Schmidt will invite us all to "try to remember . . . that kind of September . . . when he too was a young and callow fellow." Ladies and Gentlemen -- Mr. Harvey Schmidt, with the University of Texas Chamber Singers and Concert Chorale, performing "Try to Remember" from The Fantastiks.
Our 2003 Commencement speaker is Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell. It makes it easier to remember where you work when your last name is the same as your company's.
As president, I often give tried-and-true advice that has served students well for decades: stay in school, concentrate on your studies, listen to your parents, spend your money on sensible things, don't use your dorm room as a computer spare parts assembly line and stash the wreckage behind the shower curtain when your parents come to visit.
Tonight, I must confess I have second thoughts about certain formerly held truths.
Our distinguished Commencement speaker managed to break every one of these rules by the end of his freshman year here at UT. In his book, Direct from Dell: Strategies that Revolutionized an Industry, he wrote: "Fortunately, The University of Texas at Austin is a very large school. And, well, the benefit of going to a very large school is that nobody really knows what you're doing, so you can drift off and do something else. . . . Like start a business."
The business that began in a dorm room in Dobie Center in 1983 is now a Fortune 50 company with revenues of more than $35 billion. Dell has opened sales offices worldwide, with 40,000 employees around the globe. In 1992, Michael became the youngest CEO ever to reach the Fortune 500. He has been honored numerous times for his leadership and has served as an adviser to other world leaders in the fields of business and technology. This includes membership on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Graduates, bear in mind that Mr. Dell has only one-quarter of your UT education. Who knows how much better he and his company would be doing right now if he'd stayed in school and finished his University of Texas degree?
So let me add one more piece of advice I have learned from the Michael Dell story: sometimes you've just gotta wander off the beaten path and follow your dream.
Dudes, you're getting a Dell.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our 2003 Commencement speaker -- Michael Dell.
By virtue of the authority delegated to me by the Board of Regents and upon recommendation of the General Faculty of The University, I now confer upon each of you the respective academic degree for which you have been recommended, with all the rights, privileges, responsibilities, and obligations connected with that degree.
Congratulations to you all.
Graduates of The University of Texas at Austin: As you venture forth in pursuit of your dreams and new worlds of discovery, draw strength from the values and the lessons you have learned on this campus. A place that inspires big dreams. A place imbued with a sense of limitless possibility. Remember this night, when--surrounded by your loved ones--you set off on the rest of your journey.
It has become a commencement tradition to call to mind the University’s core values. These 71 words capture the meaning of this institution:
Our purpose --To transform lives for the benefit of society.
Our six core values:
LEARNING:
A caring community, all of us students, helping one another
grow.
DISCOVERY:
Expanding knowledge and human understanding.
FREEDOM:
To seek the truth and express it.
LEADERSHIP:
The will to excel with integrity and the spirit that nothing
is impossible.
INDIVIDUAL OPPORTUNITY:
Many options, diverse people and ideas, one University.
RESPONSIBILITY:
To serve as a catalyst for positive change in Texas and beyond.
As you go forth, remember that this is your home. You will always be welcome here. Return to visit your professors, to attend Longhorn games, or just to stroll the 40 Acres and recall a special moment in your favorite corner of the campus.
No matter where you are from, you are now forever identified with Texas. Take the spirit of Texas--the spirit that nothing is impossible--with you on your journey.
Graduates, I salute you. Good luck and Godspeed!
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