Sullivan To NSUBA Graduates: Meet Challenges With Hard Work, Determination
Sullivan To NSUBA Graduates: Meet Challenges With Hard Work, Determination
Congressman John Sullivan addresses graduates of NSU Broken Arrow during commencement ceremonies held Monday night.
BROKEN ARROW Graduates of Northeastern State University entering the workforce face must meet challenges head-on with hard work and determination, U. S. Representative John Sullivan said in a commencement address delivered Monday night at the Tulsa Union High School Multipurpose Activity Center.
You will be challenged to serve others and make the world a better place, he told students receiving their bachelors and masters degrees, most of whom attended classes at NSUs Broken Arrow campus.
Quoting former president Ronald Reagan, Oklahomas first district congressman urged graduates to take chances and explore new possibilities.
America is too great for small dreams, he said. Youre graduating at a time when our country is facing great challenges, and there is a great need for you to be civic-minded individuals. So get involved, pay attention to the news, participate in the democratic process.
Nearly 400 participants in the commencement ceremony, many sporting round Centennial Graduate buttons on their gowns, crossed the stage in a facility filled to near capacity with family, friends, and well-wishers.
Dr. Don Betz, inaugurated earlier this month as NSUs 17th president, opened the commencement ceremony by congratulating members of the institutions centennial graduating class.
NSU, which was founded as the Cherokee National Female Seminary in 1846 and became a state school in 1909, will continue centennial celebration activities through December.
Betz noted that higher education in the Tulsa area has grown in recent decades to include a plethora of institutions.
We have the finest array of learning opportunities available anywhere, and we are so proud that you are able to pursue degrees at a variety of institutions like Tulsa Community College, and then finish your bachelors and masters degrees at Northeastern State, he said.
He encouraged graduates to lead, learn and serve.
Learners will inherit the earth, Betz said. The key to insuring you are confident in your competence is to become lifelong learners.
5/19/2009
Published: 2009-05-19 00:00:00