Rhode Island College
Commencement
May 17, 2008
Distinguished platform guests, faculty and staff, and especially you, my fellow 2008 graduates of Rhode Island College.
Let me express my deep gratitude for the honor bestowed on me today. This honorary degree is very meaningful, as is the opportunity to visit this beautiful verdant campus, and to be part of a celebration recognizing the extraordinary service of President John Nazarian, whose love for this institution is boundless and whose service to the citizens of Rhode Island is truly remarkable. I would be remiss if I also did not pay homage as well to a great leader of your state and our nation: Senator Claiborne Pell who, as much as any other person, made higher education accessible through his unwavering leadership to make college affordable through the federally-funded Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, which now fittingly bear his name, the Pell Grants.
And to you, the graduates of Rhode Island College, congratulations and best wishes. I know your college career has been filled with lectures—some of them seemingly unending. I shall spare you another 50-minute lecture, but take a few moments to reflect on your/our heritage and your/our civic responsibilities.
We are now engaged in one of the most captivating, indeed monumental presidential elections in recent history. Many of you participated in the primary contests held here three months ago, and all of us are engaged in the drama of one of the most hotly contested and widely observed elections in our lifetime. We do not know who will be the next president, but we do know that change is in the wind. We may not know how expansive that change will be, but let me enumerate four changes we can confidently predict—we expect them because all three leading presidential candidates have pledged to make these changes.
First, the United States will end the practice of sending enemy combatants to our Guantanamo military installation, a site beyond international law; secondly, the United States will abide by international treaties outlawing torture; thirdly, presidentially-imposed restrictions on stem cell research will be lifted; and fourthly, the United States will proactively address global warming, including establishing caps on carbon emissions.
These changes—and more which are still unknown—will occur because the American public wants these changes to occur. The essence of our democracy is that the will of the people will prevail. You and I have been and hopefully will continue to be expressive of that public will. That heritage, the consent of the governed, is what is bequeathed to every new generation by its elders. Remember that democratic governance can be sustained only by citizens who accept their responsibilities to be stewards of our democracy. Many of you are lifelong residents of Providence; others only transient citizens of this community. But remember that the definition of the word “providence” is “foreseeing care and guardianship.” That defines your generation’s responsibility for our democratic society—“Foreseeing care and guardianship.”
No place in America has greater reason to preserve and sustain our democracy than does this state. The Rhode Island colony was founded to insure religious freedom, and leaders in the state of Rhode Island refused to sign the federal Constitution until there was assurance that it would include a Bill of Rights.
Today we revere that Bill of Rights, not only for its historic role in defining what it means to be an American, but also because it guarantees our freedom of expression—a freedom often curtailed elsewhere in the world, from Russia to Tibet to Zimbabwe. It also insures the freedom of the press—a freedom which can easily be sacrificed both by leaders who seek to perpetuate their rule and economic interests which seek to maximize profits.
Remember that the revelations of Abu Ghraib prison, the maltreatment of our war veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, the graft and corruption in the awarding of governmental contracts would not have been known—or corrected—in the absence of a free and investigative press.
Remember, too, that the First Amendment clearly enunciates the central role of religious liberty. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ..” The nation’s and this Rhode Island Colony’s founders embraced the separation of church and state as foremost among the rights of the people. Many of you have visited the Touro Synagogue – the oldest synagogue in America—in Newport. Proudly exhibited on its walls is a copy of a letter written by President George Washington to its founders who had sought to determine the intentions of this new nation toward people of Jewish faith. President Washington wrote:
The government of the United States gives bigotry no sanction . . .. May the children of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of other inhabitants, while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree – and there shall be none to make him afraid.
The greatness of America, in large measure, results from the immeasurable contributions from millions of our fellow citizens who came to America seeking religious freedom and who were unafraid though they were not in the majority. Honoring and preserving religious liberty is not only part of the heritage of this state, it is central to our responsibilities to strengthen and perpetuate our democracy.
At the end of the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was asked, “What kind of government will we have?” Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Over two centuries we have sought to protect our republic from foes abroad. Today one of our greatest challenges is the apathy of our own citizens especially prevalent among the youngest, yet best educated. Over the last half century, among the 172 nations holding democratic elections, the USA ranks 139th in voter participation. We are in the bottom 20%. Even in the 2004 presidential election, with its widespread interest and increased voter turnout, less than 50% of the voting age population went to the polls. And young citizens trailed those numbers. Remember one key fact: In the last two presidential elections, the percentage of college students and graduates age 25 and under who voted was less than the percentage of high school dropouts 65 and older.
You can do better. We must do better, and I believe that in this coming election we will do better. High citizenship entails taking the time to understand the policy issues facing our citizens. It means discussing those issues—seeking to uncover greater truths and determining where wisdom leads.
When apathy and indifference prevail, when democracy is enfeebled, the power of vested interests—especially moneyed vested interests—predominates, and the common good is compromised. If we are to affirm our democracy, you, me, all of us must do our part. Remember Thomas Jefferson’s proclamation, “Light and liberty go together.”
“Foreseeing care and guardianship” of our democracy also means engendering a better understanding of this ever-shrinking world. It should be clear to us all that we have become economically, politically and societally interdependent. Events virtually anywhere in the world impact our safety and economic prosperity. In this new world order, our challenge is better to understand other people, their values, cultures and motivations. Unlike the era of European colonization and the aftermath of World War II, no nation today has the military power, economic prowess or moral authority to determine what happens elsewhere in the world. That is a lesson that our experience in Iraq has taught us. Your generation must succeed far more effectively than mine in solving those intractable global problems which increasingly threaten our future.
Lastly, I would note each of you has a personal interest in seeing that your alma mater Rhode Island College continues to grow and prosper. It is a public institution with both a rich heritage and a deep commitment to providing access and opportunity for all citizens. It is a place of public purpose committed to improving the health, education, welfare and economic prosperity of the people. It deserves your personal and the public’s collective support.
And on that note, let me again congratulate you, the 2008 graduates. I wish each of you fulfillment and great joy. I leave you with words expressed centuries ago by the Roman Emperor Julian:
May God in his goodness be your guide wherever you may journey, and, as the god of strangers and the Friendly One, may he receive you graciously, and lead you safely by land, and if you must go by sea, may the waves be smoothed. And may you be beloved and honored by all you meet, welcomed when you arrive, and regretted when you leave. . . .
I join the faculty and staff in regretting you must leave, but wishing you graduates, good luck and Godspeed.