more from commencement
With advice from the leader of General Motors and cheers for their retiring university president, members of the University of Michigan Class of 2014 transitioned from students to alumni Saturday.
Spring Commencement took place under a chilly, gray sky, but the students, friends and family members who filled about two-thirds of Michigan Stadium were in a cheerful mood to celebrate.
Speaker Mary Barra, the first female CEO of a major automaker, told the spring graduates that although it may seem as though their lives are mapped out for them, things will happen “that you simply cannot imagine today.”
“Be open to opportunities when they occur. Each new experience will broaden your skills and perspectives. Embrace them. Enjoy them. Sometimes you will have to overcome them. They are the experiences that will make you unique,” said Barra, who also received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree.
The majority of her address outlined six life lessons:
• No matter what you choose to do in life, pursue it with passion and hard work. “Remember, hard work beats talent — if talent doesn’t work hard.”
• Conduct yourself with integrity at all times. “Remember that how you get things done is just as important as getting them done.”
• Build relationships. “Remember, too, that you can’t build a relationship only when you need it. Like so many important things in life, strong relationships are built gradually, steadily, over time.”
• Address challenges head on. Barra told the story of a lead engineer describing her hiring process for her plant manager. It consisted of filling a bathtub, offering applicants a teaspoon, teacup and bucket, and asking them to empty the tub.
“I get it,” the manager said. “A go-getter will use the bucket.” “No,” said the engineer. “A go-getter will pull the drain plug.”
• Give something back. “More than any generation in history, you have the power to expose and correct injustice, to rethink outdated assumptions, and to make a difference.”
• Remember your friends, family, and faith. “They make your life journey truly rewarding. During the good times, you’ll have someone to celebrate with — like today. And during the tough times, you’ll have someone to turn to for advice, comfort and love,” she said.
Besides Barra, four U-M alumni also received honorary degrees:
• Dr. James L. Curtis, psychiatrist, champion of social justice and philanthropist, Doctor of Science.
• Adele Goldberg, computer scientist and entrepreneur, Doctor of Science.
• Daniel Okrent, author, editor, journalist and cultural historian, Doctor of Humane Letters.
• Marshall Weinberg, businessman, humanitarian and philanthropist, Doctor of Laws.
While the day belonged to the graduates, it also allowed them to bid a fond farewell to Coleman, the university’s 13th president who retires this summer.
In her final commencement remarks, which drew cheers at several points and an extended standing ovation at the conclusion, Coleman reflected on what she said had the greatest impact on her 12 years leading the university.
“For all my time at Michigan, it is you, the students, who have made the greatest impression on me. You have made me smile, you have inspired, and, yes, you’ve been an occasional source of irritation,” she said.
“Deans, administrators and regents revise rules and create policies. But it is you, the students, who hold our feet to the fire. You move the conversation. You make change with your powerful arguments, your tireless commitment, and a thoughtfulness that surpasses your years.”
Opting to forego advice, Coleman said, “Instead, I want to thank you.”
“Thank you for making the University of Michigan stronger and smarter, for helping us to be more innovative and creative.
“Thank you for being the talent our society turns to for better schools, healthier communities, and effective technologies. And thank you for making my time as president the most fulfilling work of my career.”
At the end of the ceremony, Coleman posed for a photo with the graduates cheering in the background.
Speaking at the University Graduate Exercises on Friday, Coleman addressed issues of diversity and inclusion, counting U-M among the champions of those values.
“Diversity is a core value of this institution. It is in this auditorium, across our campuses, and wherever the University of Michigan is in the world,” Coleman said. “We know — because it is borne out each day — that diversity is the backbone of our academic strength.”
She pointed out that U-M awards more Ph.D.s to African Americans than any major U.S. research university, and is in the top 10 for granting doctorates to Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and mixed-race Americans.
“To be the best in scholarship and research, we must attract, retain and value the best students — black, white, gay, straight, poor, rich, and from near and far,” Coleman said.
In her remarks at Saturday’s ceremony, Provost Martha Pollack told the families of those graduating that she hoped they saw a different person today than the one they sent off to college a few years ago.
“A university education succeeds when it enables students to develop new interests and passions as they experience a broad range of new ideas and opportunities. Even more, it succeeds when students are pushed to think in new ways, to question assumptions they hold, to draw new conclusions,” Pollack said.
“As the novelist C.S. Lewis once said, ‘It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg.'”
Student speaker Sam Facas, who is receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental science, discussed how Michigan pushes its students, not only academically but also “onto buses, through classrooms, and onto the field.”
“It pushes you to challenge your assumptions and your insecurities. It pushes you to dream bigger, think more critically, and connect deeper with the world that surrounds you,” he said. “What unifies us as Wolverines is our need to push. We leave knowing that it is, it always has been, and always will be great to be a Michigan Wolverine.”
