The Future Belongs To The Expectant

One of the most affirming aspects of my job is welcoming new graduates into the alumni family at commencement exercises. It is there, looking into their faces, that I renew my commitment to all that is good and pure about Baylor's mission. 
Graduating -- in fact, life itself -- is all about "what's next?" Otherwise, we easily can get bogged down in "what was," which can be counterproductive.
I received my first degree from Baylor in 1962 -- more than 40 years ago. I hardly can believe that it's been that long. When I consider what I have in common, at my age, with our new graduates, I conclude that I, too, am excited about what's next for me, my family, my friends and my University. It is clear to me that the future of Baylor is about these new graduates -- not about my generation. During the next 40 years, the world will change again and again. These young people have the opportunity to change and grow with it, focusing on what's next and determining to make it better.
Baylor is a forward-looking institution, and our leadership is making the investment to keep it that way. We want to ensure that a degree from here will mean more 10, 20, 30, 40 years from now than it does the day it is conferred.
How will that happen? It will require the combined effort of the entire Baylor family -- more than 100,000 and counting. Now is the time for all of our graduates to give active support to those whose highest priority is to make the education received here increasingly significant.
Some of us understand the Baylor family concept because we have been a part of it through parents and other relations. Others, however, may wonder just how viable this relationship is. As in any meaningful relationship, it's a two-way street. As alumni, you have expectations about how your alma mater can remain relevant throughout your life -- for career, relocation, continuing education and classmate connections. You expect us to remain faithful to our moral and ethical heritage so that you can always be proud of your alma mater. The degree we hold indicates that there is something of significance we all have in common -- the Baylor experience.
At commencement, I challenge the new graduates to remember the experience they had here and how this special place has helped to prepare them for responsible citizenship and leadership in the world.
How about you? Do you recognize the contribution Baylor has made to your life? Let's never grow so old or set in our ways that we fail to ask, "What's next?" The future is in the hands of those who do. Sic 'em, Bears!