Above, President Stuart Steiner delivers his commencement speech to the 2011 graduates of Gensee Community College.
Steiner is finishing out his final academic year as president of GCC.
After the jump, a list of graduates highlighted by the college.
UPDATE: We've added Dr. Steiner's speech after the jump.
Djibril Gueye -- An international student from Dakar, Senegal, Djibril came to GCC for a degree in Sports Management and to learn how to apply business principals to the vast sport industry. After graduation, Djibril plans to transfer his credits to Brooklyn College and continue his education. Ultimately, he wants to use his education along with his love of sports to become a professional athlete’s agent. Djibril played on the Men’s Soccer team at GCC, proudly wearing #24 on his jersey throughout their victorious 15-1 season. His favorite instructor at GCC was Business Professor Barb Shine, and his favorite class will remain BUS 225, Entrepreneurship. After graduation, he says he will miss spending time in the college’s library.
Krystie Mary Laurey -- A stellar student-athlete, Krystie hails from Horseheads, NY, where she graduated from high school with Honors and was a member of the National Honor’s Society. She is earning her General Studies degree from GCC also with Honors, and she plans to transfer to a yet-to-be-named four-year college or university. Alongside her academic achievements, Krystie has made significant contributions to the Lady Cougars Basketball team where she played guard and small forward with the team going 18-12 this past season. She was awarded “Player of the Year” in 2011, and received the Coaches Award, Scholar Athlete Award and was the 2nd Team All-American Nominee. While her dream is to play with the Women’s NBA, she also has her sights on becoming a sports agent.
Lori A. Mould -- As a nontraditional student at age 48, Lori embraces every educational opportunity that comes her way. With dual GCC degrees in Communication and Media Arts and Fine Arts, Lori has been involved with numerous college activities and received numerous awards. She currently is the student representative to the college’s Board of Trustees, but previously she served as SGA president. She received: the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence 2009-2010; GCC Board of Trustees Award; SGA Award; Phi Theta Kappa International Most Distinguished Regional Officer (2009-2010); Phi Theta Kappa International Most Distinguished Regional Officer Team (2009-2010); Phi Theta Kappa International Most Distinguished Chapter Officer (2010-2011); Phi Theta Kappa International Most Distinguished Chapter Officer Team; Omega Nu Chapter Award for the Quiet Hero; New York Phi Theta Most Distinguished Regional Officer (2009-2010); and All-USA New York All Academic First Team. She was on the President's List for all eight semesters; Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges for seven semesters; RACCE Outstanding Adult Student for two years; GCC Student of the Month, Student of the Semester, and Volunteer of the Month. She plans to continue her education at Empire State College as well as her volunteer work in Louisiana, which includes increasing awareness about the environmental and social issues in that area.
Thao Hoang Phuong -- An international student from Ha Noi, Viet Nam, Thao is earning a degree in Business Administration from GCC. She has remained on the President’s List since the Fall of 2009. Thao is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, undertaking responsibilities of the Public Relations secretary. She was also a founding member and the vice president of Education for the college’s newly formed Toastmasters International Club. She is a member of Who’s Who Among American Students in American Universities and Colleges. Thao completed the Leadership Certificate program along with the Student Development Series for which she received the Student Development Award. As a resident assistant at College Village and a member of the Student Government Association, Thao was given the Respect Award at the college for her trustworthiness, dependability, cheerfulness and willingness to go above and beyond expected tasks. She plans to transfer to a four-year school to major in Finance and one day return to Viet Nam to continue to develop her family’s business while working in finance, banking and education.
Leah Reino -- As the first Biotechnology student from GCC to study in Brisbane, Australia, Leah is an overachiever with numerous accomplishments, including several honors for her writing skills. She gives credit to her first English professor at GCC for challenging her to be a better writer. Last year, her entry was chosen for First Place in the David A. Garfinkel Essay Contest, sponsored by the New York State Court of Appeals. She’s a two-time winner of the GCC Student Poetry Contest and also took home First Place in the Literary Art Category in the Earth Day Art Contest. She placed in the top 10 (out of 1,300) in the nationwide NISOD Student Essay Contest for her piece, “Professor Weston and the Last Crusade.” Leah has been in Who’s Who in American Universities and colleges from 2009 to 2011. She’s made the President’s list and the Dean’s list for a number of semesters during her studies, and was awarded Student of the Semester in the spring of 2008 at the Arcade Campus Center. Perhaps most prestigiously, was her receiving the SUNY Chancellor’s Award this spring. Formerly a homeschooled student in Franklinville, Leah came to GCC for the Abilities to Benefit program, which allowed her to get her high-school equivalency. She plans to transfer to a four-year school to ultimately earn a Ph.D and pursue a career in biomedical sciences, cancer, and/or genetic research. Leah is also a graduate of GCC’s Honors Program, which prompted her to complete a number of projects including a paper on World War II, an anthology of poetry and artwork, and a research project on the genetic diversity of red-tailed hawks. Her blog -- including some stellar photos from her travels in Australia and New Zealand -- are available at: http://gccblogs.wordpress.com/
Joseff James Brockmann Smith – As his family is from Albion, NY, Joseff came to GCC because he wanted to stay close to home to remain involved in local church ministries. While Joseff remains open to change, for now, he plans to transfer to a four-year school to obtain his bachelor’s degree after studying at GCC for Teacher Education with a Coaching Certificate. Along with his faith, Joseff has dedicated himself to being a scholar-athlete, earning Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and Academic Athlete of the Week awards. Although he’s quite humble about his achievements, Joseff has also been Student of the Month, NJCAA Academic All American, Academic All Region, and named to the NYS 2nd All Academic Team. He is also a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award as well as the Nicolas J. Georgian Scholarship Award. As a member of the Men’s Soccer Team and the Christian Students United group, Joseff says he always does his best to serve others, practice his faith, and consistently looks for opportunities to make a positive difference. He has three siblings who have also chosen to study at GCC.
Dr. Steiner's speech:
GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
COMMENCEMENT 2011
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. STUART STEINER
MAY 22, 2011
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO THANK THE MEMBERS OF THE GRADUATING CLASS FOR INVITING ME TO BE THIS YEAR’S COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER. THERE ARE FEW HONORS THAT A COLLEGE PRESIDENT CHERISHES MORE THAN RECEIVING THIS TYPE OF INVITATION. IT IS ESPECIALLY MEANINGFUL TO ME AS I CONCLUDE MY FORTY-FOURTH YEAR AT GCC AND MY THIRTY-SIXTH YEAR AS PRESIDENT.
SINCE THIS IS YOUR GRADUATION, I ASKED A NUMBER OF YOU WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO TALK ABOUT. MANY OF YOU ASKED ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY TIME AND EXPERIENCES AT THE COLLEGE AND OTHERS ASKED ME TO SHARE THE ROAD MAP I FOLLOWED IN MY LIFE AND CAREER.
SO, I WILL SHARE SOME OF MY STORY WITH YOU. BUT I WILL ALSO TELL YOU THAT I DID NOT HAVE A ROADMAP AND I NEVER EXPECTED TO HAVE A CAREER IN HIGHER EDUCATION, AND I CERTAINLY NEVER EXPECTED TO BE A COLLEGE PRESIDENT.
LET ME SHARE SOME FAMILY BACKGROUND WITH YOU SO YOU MIGHT BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY MY PARENTS PLACED SUCH A HIGH VALUE ON EDUCATION. MY MOTHER’S PARENTS IMMIGRATED TO THE US FROM RUSSIA IN THE LATER PART OF THE 19TH CENTURY. THEY CAME THROUGH ELLIS ISLAND AND LATER SETTLED IN BALTIMORE. THEY LIVED AND WORKED IN WHAT WAS CALLED A “BLUE COLLAR” NEIGHBORHOOD. MY FATHER’S PARENTS LIVED IN AUSTRIA AND WHEN HE WAS TEN YEARS OLD, THERE WAS MUCH POLITICAL UNREST IN HIS TOWN. THE SITUATION BECAME SO BAD THAT HIS PARENTS PUT HIM ON A SHIP, ALONE, SO HE COULD COME TO THE UNITED STATES AND LIVE WITH AN UNCLE. HE GREW UP IN CHICAGO AND AS A TEEN ENLISTED IN THE US ARMY.
MY MOM’S PARENTS WERE WORKING CLASS PEOPLE AND MY MOM AND DAD WERE THE SAME, DOING HARD WORK AND WORKING LONG HOURS. HOWEVER, THEY ALWAYS EXPRESSED TWO DEEP BELIEFS THAT I WOULD CONTINUALLY HEAR AND I NOW PASS ON TO YOU – FIRST, EDUCATION IS THE KEY FOUNDATION FOR WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO, AND WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO – DO SOMETHING THAT YOU FEEL IS SATISFYING AND THAT YOU HAVE A PASSION FOR DOING.
I WAS THE YOUNGER OF TWO BOYS, BORN DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION. WE HAD VERY MODEST RESOURCES – BUT I NEVER FELT “POOR” SINCE ALL OF OUR FRIENDS LIVED IN A SIMILAR FASHION. WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY CENTRAL HEATING, BUT WE HAD A COAL STOVE. I THOUGHT THAT WAS HOW MOST FAMILIES LIVED. WE DIDN’T HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY SO WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND LATER IN COLLEGE, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN A BREWERY DURING SUMMERS, SELL NEWSPAPERS, SELL PROGRAMS AT THE NAVY FOOTBALL GAMES, WORK IN A PHARMACY, WORK AT THE POST OFFICE AND, BEST OF ALL, BE A SCORECARD VENDOR WHEN THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES RETURNED TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES TO PLAY BASEBALL IN THE MID 1950’S. THERE WAS NO PATTERN OF PLANNING HERE. WE DID WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO GET TO THE NEXT DAY, WEEK OR MONTH.
WHEN I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD NO IDEA OF WHAT I WANTED TO DO BUT MANY OF MY FRIENDS WERE EITHER GETTING THE TYPE OF JOBS THAT DIDN’T ESPECIALLY APPEAL TO ME OR GOING OFF TO COLLEGE. COLLEGE SEEMED THE BETTER OPTION AND, AT A COST OF LESS THAN $100 A SEMESTER, I ENROLLED AT BALTIMORE JUNIOR COLLEGE – NOW BALTIMORE CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE. I STILL DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO DO, BUT WHAT I DID ACCOMPLISH WAS TO MAKE MY PARENTS VERY HAPPY --- THEIR SON WAS GOING TO COLLEGE – AND SEEING THEM HAPPY ABOUT THIS GAVE ME A DEEP SENSE OF PRIDE AND SATISFACTION.
GRADUATION FROM BJC WAS AN EXCITING TIME FOR MY FAMILY. MY BROTHER HAD JOINED THE AIR FORCE AND NOW I WAS NOT ONLY THE FIRST ONE IN THE FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE, BUT I WAS THE FIRST COLLEGE GRADUATE IN THE FAMILY. I THINK BEING THE FIRST PERSON IN THE FAMILY TO GRADUATE COLLEGE MAY BE A SIMILAR STORY FOR MANY OF YOU WHO ARE GRADUATING TODAY.
NOW I WAS FOCUSED IN ON A PLAN – RIGHT. SAD TO SAY THE ANSWER WAS STILL NO. I WAS NOW LOOKING AT MY OPTIONS. I WAS FORTUNATE – I HAD DONE WELL ACADEMICALLY AT BJC WHILE ALSO PLAYING ON THE BASKETBALL AND TENNIS TEAMS. AS A RESULT, I RECEIVED SOME SCHOLARSHIP MONEY OFFERS AND SINCE I HAD FRIENDS THAT WERE GOING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AND MARYLAND WAS WILLING TO TRANSFER ALL OF MY CREDITS AND ACCEPT ME WITH THIRD YEAR STANDING AS A BUSINESS MAJOR, I ENTHUSIASTICALLY ACCEPTED THE OFFER. I WAS NOW 20 – AND I STILL LACKED A CLEAR PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. TWO YEARS LATER, I WAS GRADUATING FROM THE UNIVERSITY – WITH MUCH EXCITEMENT AND THE PLEASURE OF ONCE AGAIN SEEING MY PARENTS SO EXCITED AND PROUD OF THAT MOMENT. I THINK THEY ENJOYED THIS SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF MY COLLEGE WORK SO MUCH BECAUSE IT WAS SOMETHING THEY HAD TALKED ABOUT MY ENTIRE LIFE.
NOW HERE IS WHERE CIRCUMSTANCES CAME IN AND IMPACTED ON MY FUTURE FAR MORE THAN ANY DETAILED PLANNING ON MY PART. THE DRAFT WAS IN EFFECT AT THE TIME I GRADUATED, AND I HAD BEEN SERVING IN THE ARMY RESERVES AND AT SOME POINT I HAD TO GO INTO THE ARMY FOR SIX MONTHS OF ACTIVE ARMY DUTY – BUT THEY COULDN’T TELL ME WHEN I WOULD BE CALLED TO SERVE.
I LIKED WORKING WITH PEOPLE SO, WHILE WAITING FOR THE CALL TO ACTIVE DUTY, BECAUSE I NOW HAD A DEGREE IN HAND, I WAS OFFERED AND I TOOK A JOB AS A SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER IN THE CHILDREN’S DIVISION OF WHAT WAS THEN CALLED THE BALTIMORE WELFARE DEPARTMENT. I ENJOYED THE WORK I WAS DOING THERE, ESPECIALLY WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. AFTER TAKING A LEAVE FROM MY JOB TO DO MY SIX MONTHS OF ACTIVE ARMY DUTY, I RETURNED TO MY WORK AT THE WELFARE DEPARTMENT. I WANTED TO DO MORE THAN JUST BE A CASE WORKER BUT FOUND THAT TO HAVE ANY POSITION THAT COULD HAVE REAL IMPACT IN TRYING TO CHANGE SOME BASIC THINGS AND OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT, YOU NEEDED TO HAVE YOUR MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK DEGREE. NOW A PLAN WAS STARTING TO FORM.
I ENROLLED IN GRADUATE SCHOOL AND EARNED MY MSW FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. GRADUATION DAY AND CEREMONIES ONCE AGAIN BROUGHT GREAT JOY TO MY PARENTS AND MY WIFE ROZ WHO I HAD MARRIED A YEAR EARLIER. WITH MY NEW DEGREE, I WAS NOW QUALIFIED TO ASSUME A POSITION WITH INCREASED RESPONSIBILITY AND WAS ASKED TO SERVE AS THE DEPARTMENT’S DIRECTOR OF JUVENILE COURT SERVICES. WITH MY NEW RESPONSIBILITIES, I WAS BEING URGED TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL AND TAKE AT LEAST SOME LAW CLASSES IF I REALLY WANTED TO HAVE A LARGER IMPACT IN HELPING THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES THAT WERE MOVING THROUGH THE SOCIAL SERVICE AND COURT SYSTEM. MY PARENTS ALWAYS SAID TOO MUCH EDUCATION WILL NEVER HARM YOU – BUT TOO LITTLE COULD POSSIBLY LIMIT YOUR OPPORTUNITIES AND, IN MY CASE, THEY WERE RIGHT AGAIN. I STARTED TO TAKE LAW COURSES IN THE EVENING WHILE MAINTAINING MY JOB IN THE DAY –THEN CHANCE STEPPED IN AGAIN. ON A TRAIN RIDE TO A MEETING IN PHILADELPHIA, I MET UP WITH A PERSON THAT WAS THE DEAN OF STUDENTS AT BALTIMORE JUNIOR COLLEGE WHEN I WENT THERE. SHE INTRODUCED ME TO A FRIEND WHO WAS THE DIRECTOR OF THE BALTIMORE JUNIOR COLLEGE’S EVENING PROGRAM. HE SAID IF I WAS INTERESTED, HE HAD SOME PART-TIME TEACHING OPENINGS FOR SOMEONE TO TEACH INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY COURSES.
I TOOK HIM UP ON HIS OFFER AND WAS NOW TEACHING AN EVENING SOCIOLOGY COURSE, TAKING EVENING COURSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE LAW SCHOOL, AND DOING MY WORK AS THE DIRECTOR OF JUVENILE COURT SERVICES. MY WIFE’S PATIENCE AND TOLERANCE IN AGREEING TO ALLOW ME TO DO ALL OF THESE THINGS MADE IT ALL POSSIBLE.
AS A SIDE NOTE, THE PERSON THAT I MET ON THE TRAIN AND WHO HIRED ME WAS DR. ALFRED C. O’CONNELL, WHO LATER BECAME THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF GCC. I TAUGHT FOR SEVERAL YEARS AT BJC AND ONE DAY RECEIVED A CALL FROM DR. O’CONNELL ASKING IF I WOULD CONSIDER CHANGING MY CAREER DIRECTION AND JOINING HIM AT HIS NEW COLLEGE IN MARYLAND WHERE HE WAS JUST APPOINTED PRESIDENT. HE OFFERED ME A POSITION AS DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS AND PLACEMENT. WE NOW HAD TWO YOUNG CHILDREN AND IT WAS GOING TO BE A SERIOUS CAREER MOVE, BUT I ACCEPTED THE JOB. I FINISHED MY LAW SCHOOL CLASSES, AND GRADUATED FROM LAW SCHOOL AND WAS CONTEMPLATING EITHER A LAW CAREER OR CONTINUING TO WORK IN THE STUDENT SERVICE AREA. I LATER EARNED MY MASTERS AND DOCTORATE IN HIGHER EDUCATION FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. NOW I HAD A CLEAR CAREER PLAN – RIGHT. WELL, NOT EXACTLY. THE OPTIONS FOR MY FUTURE PLANS BROADENED WHEN DR. O’CONNELL TOOK A NEW POSITION AS THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND ASKED ME TO JOIN HIM AS GENESEE’S FIRST DEAN OF STUDENTS. I NOW HAD THREE PRESCHOOLERS, HAD NEVER WORKED IN NEW YORK, AND HAD NO IDEA WHERE BATAVIA, NEW YORK WAS LOCATED. DR. O’CONNELL WAS A MASTER SALESPERSON AND HE CONVINCED MYSELF AND ROZ THAT THE CHANCE TO BE PART OF STARTING A NEW COLLEGE WAS THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME. HE WAS CORRECT ABOUT THAT.
A YEAR AFTER GENESEE STARTED OPERATIONS, DR. O’CONNELL ASKED ME TO ACCEPT THE POSITION OF CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE DEAN. IT WAS AN EXCITING TIME. SEVEN YEARS LATER, IN 1975 WHEN THE PRESIDENT RESIGNED TO TAKE ANOTHER POSITION, THE BOARD SELECTED ME TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WERE SEEMINGLY UNRELATED, SUCH AS MY PAST WORK EXPERIENCE AND MY EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND HAD NOW COME TOGETHER.
NOW, STANDING UP HERE TODAY, 36 YEARS LATER, I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT THIS EVENT WAS TRULY BEYOND ANY EXPECTATIONS THAT I HAD FOR MYSELF WHEN I TOOK MY FIRST JOB IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE. MY DEEPEST HOPE IS THAT EACH OF YOU WILL ALWAYS BE READY TO REACH BEYOND THE INITIAL GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE ESTABLISHED FOR YOURSELF.
YOU ARE PART OF A COLLEGE THAT HAS SUCCEEDED AND GROWN BEYOND THE WILDEST EXPECTATIONS OF ITS FOUNDERS. SUCCEEDING BEYOND EXPECTATIONS IS PART OF OUR HERITAGE.
TALK ABOUT GOING WELL BEYOND EXPECTATIONS – LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. ALMOST NO ONE, EXCEPT COMMITTED CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS, THOUGHT THAT GENESEE COUNTY WOULD APPROVE FUNDING FOR A COLLEGE OR THAT IT WOULD BE A SUCCESS. WHEN I MOVED HERE IN 1967 AND MY FIRST OFFICE WAS IN A CONDEMNED URBAN RENEWAL BUILDING IN A FORMER LIQUOR STORE, I WAS STILL EXCITED ABOUT RECRUITING STUDENTS FOR OUR FIRST CLASS BUT MY EXPECTATIONS WERE VERY MODEST. WHEN WE CONVERTED A FORMER DISCOUNT STORE INTO OUR FIRST COLLEGE CAMPUS BUILDING, MY EXPECTATIONS WERE STILL MODEST – BUT I WAS GETTING EXCITED. THEN WE OPENED OUR DOORS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEPTEMBER 1967 AND 378 FULL-TIME STUDENTS AND 217 PART-TIME STUDENTS ENROLLED FOR THAT FIRST SEMESTER. AT THAT POINT BOTH MY EXCITEMENT AND MY EXPECTATIONS BEGAN TO GROW.
IN THOSE FIRST FEW YEARS, SOME OF MY FRIENDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND EVEN IN THE STATE UNIVERSITY’S CENTRAL OFFICE TOLD ME IN CONFIDENCE THAT THEY HAD NO EXPECTATION THAT THIS NEW COLLEGE WOULD GENERATE ENOUGH STUDENTS OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO SUCCEED. THAT’S WHAT THE ‘EXPERTS’ SAID. BUT MY EXPECTATIONS KEPT GROWING – WITH OUR FIRST GRADUATING CLASS OF 78 STUDENTS IN 1969, THEN WITH APPROVAL OF FUNDING FOR OUR NEW CAMPUS, NEW PROGRAMS, AND ENROLLMENT GROWTH WITH STUDENTS ENROLLED FROM COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT TODAY MAKES US THE 16TH LARGEST SUNY COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN TERMS OF SIZE. I AM PROUD THAT TODAY’S GRADUATING CLASS IS MADE UP OF CITIZENS OF NINETEEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD – THE FLAGS BEHIND ME REPRESENT EACH OF THOSE 19 COUNTRIES.
THE AWARDS AND RECOGNITION THAT OUR FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS HAVE EARNED NATIONALLY, STATEWIDE, AND LOCALLY EXCEEDED THE EXPECTATIONS OF EVEN THE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC COLLEGE SUPPORTERS. ALL OF THESE THINGS AND MANY MORE WERE BEYOND EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL BUT A FEW TRUE BELIEVERS. AS I SAID, MY SELECTION AS PRESIDENT IN 1975 AND MY INAUGURATION WERE WAY BEYOND THE EARLY EXPECTATIONS THAT I HAD FOR MYSELF WHEN I BECAME INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES. FOR MY PARENTS, IT WAS ONCE AGAIN A CONFIRMATION THAT A GOOD EDUCATION FOUNDATION CAN HELP TAKE YOU TO THE TOP OF YOUR PROFESSION. IT WAS ALSO A TIME THAT MY WIFE AND FOUR CHILDREN COULD ENJOY.
I ONLY REGRET THAT MY WIFE ROZ, WHO PASSED AWAY SEVERAL YEARS AGO, IS NOT HERE TO ENJOY ALL OF THE ACCOLADES THAT HER UNSELFISH SUPPORT OF ME AND THE COLLEGE HELPED TO GENERATE.
I ALSO WISH WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE SPACE TO BRING ALL 22,500 OF OUR GRADUATES TOGETHER TO HEAR ABOUT HOW THEY PLANNED AND USED THEIR GENESEE EDUCATION AS A FOUNDATION FOR THEIR LIVES. YES, I SAID OVER 22,500 GRADUATES AND THIS YEAR YOU ARE PART OF THE LARGEST GRADUATING CLASS IN THE HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE – TOTALING ALMOST 900 GRADUATES.
WHILE I WILL LEAVE MY JOB AS PRESIDENT OF GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT I WILL FIND MY WAY BACK TO THE PING PONG TABLES IN THE STUDENT UNION, AND MY MEMORIES OF YOU, THE STUDENTS, WILL NEVER FADE NOR WILL THE MEMORIES OF THE 39 BOARD MEMBERS I HAVE WORKED WITH OR OF THE HUNDREDS OF FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS THAT HELPED BUILD THE COLLEGE. BUT WHEN EVERYTHING IS SAID AND DONE, IT IS YOU, THOSE GRADUATING TODAY, AND YOUR PREDECESSORS THAT HAVE MADE LIFE FOR MYSELF AND THE OTHERS THAT HAVE WORKED WITH YOU SO
ENJOYABLE. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT YOUR EDUCATION WILL SERVE AS THE FOUNDATION FOR HELPING YOU SUCCEED IN LIFE, GOING INTO A FIELD OF WORK THAT YOU FIND ENJOYABLE AND WORKING AT SOMETHING THAT NOT ONLY EARNS YOU A LIVING, BUT SOMETHING YOU ENJOY AND HAVE A PASSION FOR DOING.
REMEMBER, YOUR GRADUATION TODAY FROM GCC, LIKE MY GRADUATION FROM BALTIMORE JUNIOR COLLEGE, OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO, SHOULD NOT BE LOOKED AT AS THE END OF YOUR FORMAL EDUCATION, BUT MERELY AS A FOUNDATION UPON WHICH TO BUILD YOUR FUTURE CAREER.
HOW DO I KNOW? BECAUSE MY MOM TOLD ME THAT SAME THING 54 YEARS AGO AND SHE REMINDED ME OF THAT ON THE EVENING OF MY INAUGURATION – VERY SUBTLY AND ONLY AS A MOTHER COULD DO IT. I SAID YES MOM, YOU WERE RIGHT.
EACH OF YOU HAS GOOD REASON TO TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TODAY. MANY OF YOU HAVE MET OR EVEN EXCEEDED YOUR OWN EXPECTATIONS AND, THUS, YOU HAVE A SPECIAL REASON TO CELEBRATE. MAY THIS DAY BE THE BEGINNING OF THE FULFILLMENT OF THE GREAT EXPECTATIONS THAT YOU HAVE FOR YOURSELF AND THAT WE HAVE FOR EACH OF YOU. WE WISH EACH OF YOU MUCH SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS.
I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR GIVING ME THE PRIVILEGE OF SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY AND ALLOWING ME TO SHARE SOME MEMORIES WITH YOU.
