NSU Graduates are ‘Vital Part of Solution’ to Global Challenges
NSU Graduates are Vital Part of Solution to Global Challenges
Dr. Don Betz, Northeastern State Univerity president, congratulates Dawn Weygandt of Tulsa, during commencement ceremonies in Jack Dobbins Field House on Saturday.
TAHLEQUAH Graduates at Northeastern State University participating in fall commencement exercises on Saturday, Dec. 19 were encouraged to be lifelong learners and strive to help find solutions to global economic challenges.
Dr. Don Betz, NSU president, told more than 500 graduates that learning, creativity, and discovery are needed to bring about the opportunities that will deliver this country, this state, and our world into the next era.
Id like to be able to tell graduates here today that the world is ready for them and that it is filled with new jobs, with more pay, and that economically they will not have to face challenges. But we all read the same newspapers and watch the same television news programs, and we know that we are in challenging times, Betz said.
There is no better way to ensure your opportunity for the future than to prepare the way you have here today -- by becoming educated and earning your degree. Its the beginning of this long journey we call lifelong learning. It is the essential need of an educated population that we dedicate ourselves to learning and to understanding the issues.
Graduates crossed the stage in three ceremonies held at Jack Dobbins Field House. During the second ceremony, Glenn Coffee, NSU class of 1989 and president pro tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate, told graduates they are a vital part of the solution.
Despite challenges facing the world, this generation of college graduates enjoys unique advantages.
Because of technology, you have an opportunity like no other generation before you, Coffee said. You can have a global impact on science, technology, law, manufacturing or whatever new profession you choose, from whereever you choose, Coffee said.
Unlike previous generations, graduates must be prepared to compete not just nationally, but with global counterparts as well. Our economy is an interwoven fabric that stretches around the globe. The decisions made in Shanghai, Mumbai, London and Brussels impact what happens in Sallisaw, Oklahoma City, Tahlequah and Tulsa, he said.
He urged graduates to learn from the example set by the Greatest Generation, those who survived the Great Depression. Like them, Coffee noted, you have an opportunity to leave a legacy of service to your children, your profession, and the world.
The key to having an impact on society is believing in what you're doing and finding your passion, Betz told members of NSUs 2009 centennial class.
I hope you leave here with a strong sense of personal accomplishment, a strong passion for public service, and the desire to leave the woodpile a little higher than you found it, the president said.
12/19/2009
Published: 2009-12-19 00:00:00