05/24/16, Apply What You Have Learned to Make the World a Better Place

Remarks by Laura W. Perna, James S. Riepe Professor; executive director, Alliance for Higher Education; Incoming Chair of the Faculty Senate.

President Gutmann, Provost Price, the Board of Trustees, faculty colleagues, families, friends, and most importantly, graduates:

As the Chair of the Faculty Senate of the University of Pennsylvania, it is my great honor to address you today. On behalf of the 4,400 Penn faculty—congratulations, Class of 2016!

I hope that you are feeling pride in your academic accomplishments. Your diploma certifies that you have successfully met the faculty’s high expectations.

You may also be feeling nostalgic. Commencement marks the end of a distinctive and special period. Hopefully your time at Penn has been filled with many satisfying experiences, in which you have pursued your intellectual curiosities, engaged deeply with scholarly ideas both inside and outside the classroom and developed lifelong friendships.

You may also be feeling a mixture of excitement and uncertainty about your future.

I understand this mix of emotions. Twenty-eight years ago, I was also sitting here, in Franklin Field, a member of the undergraduate Class of 1988. I had little idea what the future would hold for me—or for the world. I am thrilled to be standing before you today—but in 1988, I certainly was not imagining a path that would lead me back to this outstanding institution as a faculty member.

Regardless of your level of certainty, feel confident that you are ready for whatever the future brings. You are prepared to be the leaders that our world needs. As Benjamin Franklin is believed to have said, “You have on hand those things that you need if you have but the wit and wisdom to use them.”

As Penn alumni, we are the fortunate “haves.” We are a privileged group. Only two percent of undergraduates nationwide attend the nation’s “most competitive” colleges and universities.

With your Penn degree, you will have countless opportunities and options. With these opportunities also come responsibilities. As you make your choices, I urge you to consider how you are applying your knowledge and privilege—as well as your wit and wisdom—to make the world a better place.

Our world faces many challenges that require thoughtful and deliberate attention and leadership. As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, you are ideally situated to provide the leadership that our world needs. There are many ways to be a leader. We lead by example. We lead by refusing to back down in the face of bullies, stinging criticism and other obstacles. And we lead by tackling the hard problems and doing what is right and just.

On behalf of the faculty, I thank you for the opportunity to be part of your educational journey. It has been a privilege to teach, mentor and work with you.
Very best wishes as you continue forward.

During Penn’s 260th Commencement at Franklin Field on May 16, 2016, Chaplain Charles (Chaz) Howard right) gave the invocation and dismissal; Lilly Claar, C’16 (left), sang The Star-Spangled Banner, the American National Anthem.

Penn President Amy Gutmann presented the 25th and 50th reunion classes and conferred eight honorary degrees and thousands of degrees to graduating Penn students; Provost Vincent Price announced academic honors and introduced the Commencement Speaker, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

(left) Photograph by Scott Spitzer