Good morning to you all and welcome to the Denison Commencement exercise on what is thankfully a beautiful day in Granville, Ohio.

Class of 2005, we are here today to celebrate your passage from students to alumni. Well at least your parents are here to celebrate your passage. I'm also sure that a lot of you have misgivings about leaving this place that you've come to know so well to sail off into the unknown. But rest assured, you're well prepared.

You've learned to learn, and you've learned to communicate: two great navigational skills out there. And also rest assured that you're joining a long line of others who have sat in those very seats and made the voyage before you. In fact, 35 years ago almost to this very day, Mark Dalton, our Board Chair, and I were standing in the parking lot of the north quad shooting water balloons through Dave Waller's window at the Sigma Chi house.

So you can see we're living proof that with a Denison education anything's possible. But today Denison becomes part of your past. But what you take from Denison will largely shape your future. And similarly, today you become part of Denison's past. But, as alums, you will play a big part in Denison's future. So go forward, do your best at whatever you do. Congratulations, and welcome to the Society of the Alumni!

And now I'll call to the lectern the President of Denison University, Dale Knobel.