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May 15, 2004 Purdue President Jischke tells graduates to follow their dreamsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke on Saturday (May 15) encouraged new graduates to follow their dreams and follow through with hard work to make those dreams come true.
Speaking during a commencement ceremony at the Elliott Hall of Music, Jischke compared the triumphs and challenges he has faced in four years as Purdue president to those faced by the class of 2004. "I arrived here, like you, filled with hopes and dreams and some uncertainty about what the future would hold," he said. "As things turned out, this university was exactly the right place for all of us. I am a very proud member of the Purdue Class of 2004! We started together four years ago on a journey that would ultimately be filled with triumphs and struggles, laughter and late-night study, strong coffee and cold pizza. It has all paid off." Jischke asked graduates to think of the optimism expressed in the pages of "Don Quixote," known as the first true novel, which celebrates its 400th anniversary next year.
"Where others see a dirty roadside inn, Don Quixote sees a castle," Jischke said. "In his optimism, he sees possibilities in all the impossibilities that surround him. Is he mad? Is he naïve? Or is he a man filled with hopes and dreams, who, in his own words, chooses to see the world not as it is, but as it should be?" Jischke then recalled the most often remembered song from "Man of La Mancha," a 1960s play based on Don Quixote: "To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe, to bear with unbearable sorrow, to go where the brave dare not go." Jischke explored some of the inventions and discoveries made throughout history by people who have dared to believe in the unbelievable and ignore the doubts of others in pursuing their "impossible" dream. He challenged graduates to do the same, reminding them that their dreams, in order to become a reality, must be combined with hard work. Quoting the words of Brooks Atkinson, an American drama critic, Jischke said, "'Our nation was built ... by pioneers who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress and dreamers who were not afraid of action.'" And on the subject of dreamers, he also recalled the words of Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States, who said, "All great people are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these dreams die. But others nourish and protect them, nurse them through the bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light that comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true." This was the 192nd commencement at Purdue's West Lafayette campus. Approximately 5,835 degrees will be presented in four ceremonies, with 4,386 undergraduates, 200 professional degrees, 903 master's degrees and 346 doctorates. Two ceremonies take place Saturday (May 15) and two will be held Sunday (May 16). Stephen Lindemann, of Munster, Ind., a graduate of the School of Science, provided the class response for Saturday's 9:30 a.m. commencement exercises for the schools of Science, Technology (West Lafayette campus only) and Veterinary Medicine. Janelle Johnson, of Champaign, Ill., a graduate of the School of Agriculture, gave the class response at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony for the School of Agriculture and College of Engineering. Katie Bremer, of Middletown, Ohio, a graduate of the School of Management, will give the class response at the 9:30 a.m. commencement exercises Sunday (May 16) for the schools of Consumer and Family Sciences, Education and Management. Scott Keller, of Brownsville, Wis., a graduate of the School of Liberal Arts, will provide the class response at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony for the Schools of Liberal Arts, Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences. Writer: Reni Winter, (765) 496-3133, rwinter@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu PHOTO CAPTION: Joe Dickelman, of Minneapolis, gives his 4-year-old son Kyler a lift from the Boilermaker Special, Purdue University's mascot. The two, along with other family members, were celebrating after a commencement ceremony Saturday (May 15) on Purdue's West Lafayette campus in which Dickelman received his master's degree in building construction technology. The Saturday morning commencement was the first of four on the Purdue campus Ñ another took place Saturday afternoon, and the final two ceremonies are scheduled for Sunday (May 16). (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger) A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2004/commence04-special.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION: April Savoy, at left, walks on Purdue's West Lafayette campus Saturday (May 15) with her proud mother, Ethel Narcisse, after Savoy participated in the university's commencement exercises. Savoy, from Lafayette, La., received her master's degree in computer science. The Saturday morning commencement was the first of four on the Purdue campus Ñ another took place Saturday afternoon, and the final two ceremonies are scheduled for Sunday (May 16). (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger) A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2004/commence04-balloons.jpg
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