Commencement 2011 - Trustee's Welcome
by Walter F. Burke '71, B.A., Ph.D.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Denison University, I am delighted to welcome you to Denison’s 170th Annual Commencement exercises.
First and foremost, to the graduates, congratulations to all of you on reaching the important life milestone of college graduation. Today is a celebration of your four year Denison experience. Friends, professors, and classes have all made their impressions on you, and you upon them. In that light there is much to take with you.
Yes, the Board of Trustees is the group of alums charged with making sure that the lights stay on in those dorms, and that you have the best faculty and facilities to forge a stimulating learning environment. I would submit that we are also more importantly charged with making sure that aspects of a Denison education transcend beyond this beautiful campus and follow you along your journey.
So while Denison has changed you and you have changed Denison, what we, as a Board of Trustees, hope never changes from today onward is your openness to new and challenging experiences. I refer here to the will to place yourself intentionally in positions to meet new people and take on new assignments that push you, just as you did four years ago by walking onto this campus as freshmen, knowing very little about the friends, professors and subject matter waiting for you. There was a lot of initial discomfort to overcome during the four years as you encountered challenges to your status quo. And now the result is self satisfaction with a job well done. There is a big difference however starting today. Much more of that impetus to push yourself will have to be provided by you.
Like the distinguished Denison alumni you join today, you will be called upon to lead by excellence in your chosen endeavors and in service to your community, the nation and, as we see daily in the press, the world. We have the privilege of hearing this afternoon’s Commencement address from our honorary Doctor of Humane Letters recipient, David H. Bayley, Ph.D. (Class of 1955), a distinguished alumnus who exemplifies a passionate and enduring commitment to leadership and service.
Today, as we mark the conclusion of your academic enterprise over the past four years, we look to the future you and others of your generation will create. Wherever you go, whatever you do, we know that you will represent your Alma Mater with distinction.
On behalf of all alumni who have served as Trustees through the years, I thank you, Class of 2011, for joining the Denison family. You have allowed Denison to become a part of you, and you have given the college and its community much in return. Congratulations, and welcome to the Society of the Alumni!