www.csbsju.edu
St. Joseph, MN
May 13, 2006

MaryAnn Baenninger, president of the College of Saint Benedict

"As you contemplate the different directions your life may take you, please consider carefully the character that will be with you where ever you go, what ever you do. Remember to lead with character and talent.  Don't just play a role, and especially don't play a role in which you always put yourself last.  When you meet other people, be curious about their character as well as their roles. And be sure to include character models among your role models.”

www.stkate.edu
St. Paul, MN
May 21, 2006

Sara Gavin, president of Weber Shandwick/Minneapolis

"May you do something - or some things - that matters.  Now let me clarify: matter to you.  People who care deeply about something - whether the plight of immigrants, advances in nanotechnology, amateur soccer, piloting a small plane, adventure travel, Creole cooking,  politics,  or crossword puzzles - are among the most interesting and fortunate people I know.  Figure out what you really care about and stay close to that. Consider your work, your family, your hobbies, volunteering, friends, where and how you live, how you spend your time.”

Karen Rauenhorst, community leader

"Days like today remind us that hope is the ultimate healer. They remind us that the possibility of change, and growth and progress are always present in the world.  And remember that our participation - with whatever gifts we have - is essential.  All the technical innovations in the world are meaningless without the human capacity for bringing hope to those who are vulnerable and in need of care.”

www.cse.edu
Morristown, NJ
May 13, 2006

Marilyn A. Fingerhut '64, pioneer in the field of science and first chief of staff of the Center for Disease Control National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

"You are being called upon to live your lives so that you do make a difference for all of us on the planet.  It is time now for you to go forth from this College to forge your future, as graduates of this institution and as citizens and leaders of our global village.  It is time now to go out and save the world.  This is a heavy burden, and on that all of us share.  Do your part to bring peace and prosperity.  Make your personal and professional choices so that you advance compassionate globalism. Don't delay.”

www.csm.edu
Omaha, NE
May 21, 2006

Rainbow Rowell, columnist for the Omaha World-Herald

"Education is something you do for yourself, and that no one can take away from you. You can lose a job. Money comes and goes, and so do boyfriends.  And beauty can fade. But today, you've earned something that does last, something you'll always get to keep.”

www.converse.edu
Spartanburg, NC
May 20, 2006

William Campbell III, president of Discovery Networks U.S.

"Real life beckons you.  Your education will carry you through the years but the world you are about to enter is traveling at Mach speed. The mantra of 'live and learn' is one that you should carry with you. You should not be afraid of failing because you learn more from your failures. When those failures come, just dust yourself off. You should also dream big and use your imagination daily.”

www.douglass.rutgers.edu
New Brunswick, NJ
May 18, 2006

The Honorable Jaynee LaVecchia '76, Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court

"Our graduates have followed their hearts and their interests wherever they were led, and have not allowed themselves or anyone else to treat gender as barrier to success. They celebrated their feminine state and appreciated the role it played in all of the challenges that life brings.”

www.georgian.edu
Lakewood, NJ
May 19, 2006

Ruth B. Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University

"Over the past thirty years, individual women, their families, this university, and our society as a whole have been changed immeasurably as a result of a feminist social movement.  You - both women and men - have inherited its accomplishments and also its unfinished agenda. 

One item on that unfinished agenda is about encouraging new leadership - leadership on the part of people who were traditionally excluded from arenas of decision making and power, who had no say in shaping the big issues and policies that had an impact on their lives. 

Now opportunities beckon for those who are attracted to leadership roles whether in the professions, the military, in business, and the private sector, or in the community in civic and organizational affairs, or in public life and government. 

Public leadership is about extending one's talents and energies to influence the larger world and to make it a better place.  Extend the circle of your caring to the larger community beyond your own household, and make the bigger world a little better because of your contribution.”

www.hollins.edu
Roanoke, VA
May 21, 2006

Suzanne Allen Redpath '69, senior coordinating producer for CBS News

"Live your life wisely.  When you write down your goals for what you want to achieve in the coming years, what will your list look like?  What will be your spark?  What will challenge you?  Always consider how you can make your life matter, and what you will leave behind.”

www.judson.edu
Marion, AL
June 26, 2006

Thomas Corts, retiring president of Samford University

"The question for this generation is: can we survive abundance? We live with abundance produced from the scarcity of our forebears. Do the next thing in your lives with grace and gratitude, and as Browning said, greet every new responsibility with cheer."

www.mbc.edu
Staunton, Virginia
May 21, 2006

Charlotte Jackson Berry '51, community volunteer and recipient of the highest award for volunteers from the American Red Cross

"My hope today is to challenge each of you to make a difference in your world in whatever your chosen profession or career may be. Time, talent, and treasure: it is possible to give all and to benefit personally from being part of the action instead of sitting on the sidelines.”

www.meredith.edu
Raleigh, NC
May 14, 2006

The Honorable Beverly Perdue, Lieutenant Governor of the State of North Carolina

"Approach the rest of your lives with the same energy and determination with which you approached your studies.  Imagine what the history books will say about your generation.  This class (of 2006) may be 'The Generation' - the generation to figure out how to find world peace, to end poverty in America, to cure cancer, to finally figure out how to embrace rather than react to diversity, and to finally establish that we have but one earth and we have to take care of it.  Meredith College has given you a first rate education. Now, you go out there and make a first rate difference. That is your challenge, and that is your call to arms.”