Purdue News
Purdue News
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August 7, 2004 President Jischke tells Purdue grads the end is but the beginningWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke today (Saturday, 8/7) told more than 1,300 new graduates assembled in the Elliott Hall of Music that graduation is not the end of their education but the beginning of an adventure in lifelong learning.
"Education is not a destination," he said. "Education is a journey. In a rapidly changing world, your ability to continue learning will be the key to your future." Jischke told graduates that they should use their Purdue education not only to make a difference in their own lives but in the lives of others. "One of our goals at Purdue has been to light within you a love for community service that we hope will burn strongly throughout your lives," he said. Jischke went on to quote the late Martin Luther King Jr., when he said, "'Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.'" Jischke told the graduates that the only constant in the world is change, and that history provides us with examples of how great leaders adapted to change and to the surprises that life presented to them. He also gave examples of the technological changes that have taken place since the Purdue Class of 1904 graduated 100 years ago: "Only 14 percent of homes in the United States had a bathtub; only 8 percent had a telephone; there were only 8,000 automobiles in the entire nation and only 144 miles of paved roads," Jischke said. He also noted that "it was only 100 years ago this summer that life on our planet was changed forever when the St. Louis World's Fair introduced one of humankind's greatest creations – the ice cream cone." After reviewing more of the changes that marked the 20th century, Jischke predicted that the next 100 years will be more remarkable than the last. "As rapidly as change evolved in the 20th century, it will accelerate exponentially in the 21st," he said. "We are at a transforming moment in time when a convergence of disciplines is about to change the world. All the collective incredible accomplishments during the 20th century – along with all the advances that have taken place throughout history – all of that is really just the beginning. And you are the ones who will accomplish what is to come." He quoted words from the late President John F. Kennedy's presidential nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1960, prefaced with the observation that "he was speaking to the people of his generation, but his message is timeless and has meaning for you as you begin your lives in this exciting, changing century: 'We stand today on the edge of a new frontier…a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils, a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and threats. … The frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises; it is a set of challenges." Jischke concluded his speech by calling upon the 2004 graduates to be the leaders "who will use the power of their education to change the challenges of our time into the promises of tomorrow." According to the registrar's office, 1,335 students were eligible to receive degrees, including 276 doctorates, 471 master's degrees and 588 undergraduate degrees. Ellen K. Chow, Renton, Wash., provided the student response. She earned a master's degree in foods and nutrition from the School of Consumer and Family Sciences. This was the 193rd commencement ceremony at Purdue. The university has been recognizing summer graduates at the West Lafayette campus every year since 1984. Writer: Reni Winter, (765) 496-3133, rwinter@purdue.edu Sources: John Norberg, senior writer, (765) 496-7783, jbnorberg@purdue.edu Martin C. Jischke, (765) 494-9708 Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web sites: PHOTO CAPTION:
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