Thank you, Dean Hutchings. Good morning fellow graduates of the Class of 2014!

Transcription

1 I. Intro + Greeting Thank you, Dean Hutchings. Good morning fellow graduates of the Class of 2014! J Good morning to parents, relatives, spouses, partners, friends, and guests. I want to start off with a few thank-you s on behalf of the class. First, thank you to the faculty. We know that you consciously choose to teach at a public affairs school. And that if you weren t here, you would either be teaching at another academic department, or working in the public or private sector, or possibly retired. But we realize that you teach at a public affairs program because you care about fostering the next generation of policy analysts and policymakers. And we deeply appreciate your decision to do that. Thank you to the staff at LBJ, also known as the people who turn around s in record time. The people who help us get going to where we need to be. We appreciate the focus you give to this place, whether it s walking us through registration catastrophes, or fundraising, or any number of logistical issues that support our work here.

2 And a special thank you to our advisors, Kate Weaver, and Pat Wong, and Victoria Rodriguez, for reminding us that grad school need not be a scary or intimidating experience at least, not more than it already is. The hours and hours of time you devote toward getting us prepared are a testament to your dedication to the field. And you produce happier, more focused students, who are less drained by bureaucracy and better primed toward the next challenges they face. So to them we say thank you. And finally, thank you to our loved ones, who are here and have supported us throughout this grad school adventure. You may have struggled to understand certain things what a PRP is, for example but you stuck with us through many late nights and rough moments, and helped us get through this journey. Thank you for that. II. Major Theme: Value of People and Colleagueship Today I want to speak a little bit about the value of people, and the nature of what I call colleagueship.

3 Let s remember that that beautiful building upstairs, glorious and modern as it is, is just a building. Just a shell. It doesn t mean anything without the people inside of it. Let us value these people with us here today. And let us value the courage, and insight, and experience that we have in our faculty, our students, and our staff. Because despite phones, despite visits, despite alumni happy hours to come we re going to miss each other. So let s take a moment to appreciate each other here today. What is colleagueship? It is trusting someone and knowing them well. It is working with them, whether that s battling toward project deliverables, or writing a paper jointly, or leading a PowerPoint presentation with them. It s about knowing their weaknesses and where they shine. It s about letting your guard down, and sharing your ambitions, your values, your vulnerabilities with the other person. And it s about believing in the other person through and through. What does this support look like? It is mainly composed of listening, and helping. It sounds like: here s how you do it, and I know who I can connect you with, and most importantly, I ve got your back and you ve got this. Sometimes it s those bursts of true confidence, from someone who knows us well, that keep us going through both the terrifying and mundane parts of our careers.

4 As for our famed social events at LBJ our sense of collaboration, our tailgates, the ad hoc debates at guest speaker brown bags, the conversations over coffee at Thunderbird or beers at Crown and Anchor these weren t just about socializing. It was more than that. It s about preparing ourselves for these conversations throughout our lives. These policy debates never go away, whether it s about where a new light rail should go, or about how a new healthcare program should be run, or if our country should intervene overseas. We all have doubt. We all have uncertainty. And the favorite phrase of policy analysts is, it depends. We rely on each other to support each other in times of mental struggle, of failing courage, of fear. When the world seems confusing, when it seems like it s out to get us that s when we need our colleagues, our friends. When it s so uncertain that we cannot see signal from noise that s when we need our friends. And these are the people we will rely on as we find our paths in our careers. The people who know us well from way back when.

5 III. Pride in a Public Affairs Education As policy school graduates, we make it our business to know the patterns that undergird how our society operates. We work to understand what others take for granted in how our society is structured, about the fortifications holding it up and the people running the show. That s our earning power, that s our distinctive tradition. And it s that informed science of public policy that allows us to speak clearly in the arts of politics and getting things done. As we go forward in our careers, let s be proud of the little moments of where you work, wherever you work. It could be in symbols. Whether you look up and see the Great Seal of the United States, or you see the flags in the lobby of the State Department, or the proud lone star in the rotunda of the Texas State Capitol. Or maybe it s that moment when you get that first stock of letterhead for your nonprofit, with your logo at the top. Whatever the symbol, cherish those moments of pride in everyday life.

6 These can also be moments with people. Remember the feeling you had when you used your office to help someone. You may have helped them get needed support, or obtain clarity from distress, or just to make them feel appreciated and connected. There s a reason we chose this career path for ourselves. Remember the values that drive you. And then pick up your pen. Or open your laptop. And get back to the work of serving people in this society of ours. IV. Ethics Corresponding to this sense of pride is ethics. Dr. Prince and others on the faculty would be disappointed if I didn t mention this. Ethics is a rich part of the history of our school, especially rooted in the legacy of Professor Barbara Jordan. It is the code of conduct by which we live our lives in public service. It is about looking out for the underdog as well as the champion. Ethics justifies our pride, and is the foundation of our sense of accomplishment. We ve studied ethical dilemmas at LBJ in coursework, in fieldwork, and in our conversations with one another.

7 Ethical challenges do not appear in front of you like a Disney villain. They re often in the form of a cheap rationalization, or in a moment when you can say that s not my job, or a complicated situation that can be finessed or fabricated without attracting much notice. In those instances, I would recommend using a lifeline, and phone-a-friend. Call one of the people sitting near you today. And if he or she is disturbed by a situation, then you should probably be disturbed by it, too. Do what you need to make yourself feel proud. It s too important to our sense of selfrespect in our careers. V. Bringing it all together the LBJ experience, applied idealism Across campus, on the base of the UT Tower, is written the Core Purpose of this University: To transform lives for the benefit of society. That is especially true of a professional master s program, and it is the hallmark of a public university. And I can think of no program that better exemplifies this than the LBJ School. And over the last two years, we have been transformed. We ve gotten skills, yes, but we ve also become better people. We ve become deeper in our knowledge, and stronger in our experience. And it s this strength that we bring to bear in leading our generation in the next challenges to come.

8 This is what we value about LBJ. It s what Dean Hutchings refers to as applied idealism. And this is what we value in each other as we graduate from here. We believe in the talent of ourselves as aspirational people, we respect the mentors on our faculty who believe in us, and we find hope in our colleagues as people who will be there to help us during both the joyful times and the tough times ahead. And we will continue this colleagueship for many years to come. It s been a wonderful time. J Now let s get out there and help change the world. Thank you all very much.