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A Message From President Gee

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Most of us measure our lives in year-long cycles, beginning in January and ending in December. But those of us in education observe a different calendar-one in which the year-end celebration is a graduation, and the days are counted in quarters or semesters. 
For college students, the cycle begins that first autumn when they arrive on campus and advances through classes and exams, vacations and summer jobs, until commencement day finally arrives. And that day comes once each quarter when students from Ohio State graduate to the cheers of proud relatives and friends. 
Now, these newly minted alumni will look back briefly and move on, shifting into the day-to-day rhythms of hoped-for employment. They will leave behind late nights filled with cold pizza and hot debate. No more 7:30 in the morning classes, but instead a 7:30 commute to the office. No more papers due for class, but reports due for work. They will trade their backpacks for briefcases, their ball caps for business suits.
There is no doubt that they have been changed by their college experience. Those years spent at a major research university represent not only a growth in knowledge, but a growth in wisdom and common sense-a maturing process that prepares a student for life in the "real world." And that does not stand still.
We need only look at the capitals of the world and the corporations of America to realize that powerful forces have been at work. During that time it has taken this most recent crop of graduates to complete their educations, the Soviet Union has come apart, Germany has come together, ethnic warfare has erupted, trade barriers have fallen, and once-mighty businesses have been brought to their knees by economic forces.
Today's graduates are being launched into a world made smaller by the media and larger by the scope of our global dilemmas: the environment, ethics, illiteracy, racism, sexism, revolution, protest, famine, and poverty.
The world is crying for the compassion and creativity of our graduates. And we need their considerable energy and ingenuity to resolve conflicts, regain civility, and restore our spirits.
That is why, for all of us, graduation is a time that renews our hope in the future. As I preside over Ohio State's commencement, I am impressed by the intelligence, dedication, and vigor of our new college graduates, young and not so young. And I feel an old, familiar feeling: optimism. Optimism about the actions our industries are taking to regain a competitive edge. Optimism about the advancements education is making in response to a changing society. And most of all, optimism about and faith in this new generation that is about to take its place in our society.
Today as many of them leave school behind, their memories are bittersweet. One of Ohio State's engineering graduates sent me a letter that, I believe, captures the great joy we share in this special rite of passage and the strength of the educational process. She wrote, "There will be at least one chemical engineer with a tear in her eye as the national anthem is played, a lump in her throat as her college is introduced, a smile on her face as she gets her diploma, and a cry of joy as her father hugs her and says, 'I am so proud of you!'"
It is a pride in which we can all share. I thank this graduate, and thousands like her, for all they will bring to our society. They are very bright. They work very hard. They have learned to live without security, but they continue to seek it. They are ready not only to cope with change, but to create change. And they have turned away from "me-ism" and are again seeking ways to help their fellow human beings. 
I am confident that when this generation assumes leadership, America will be in very good hands.