Duke University. Duke University. >> Hello, class of 2018 family
and friends. In case of emergency, stadium
exits are located above the seating areas on the concourse
level on the west, north, and east sides of the stadium.
Please follow event staff and instructions and note the
closest exit may not be where enter.
For first aid, visit the dedicated areas.
For assistance during the ceremony exact the nearest
police officer or staff member or text DUKE to 69050 with the
issue and location. Thank you.
And congratulations, graduates. >> We're here today to celebrate
the great class of 2018. I'm here to tell you that your
commencement will be, without the doubt, the finest ever at
Duke since I've been President. But seriously your class will go
down in history for all that you've done at Duke, and more
important, for all that you will accomplish going forward and the
leadership that you will provide to the world, and the spirit of
commencement ceremonies, I thought we might send you off
with some unsolicited advice. I've invited a few friends.
You might recognize them. >> I was asked to give you some
advice. >> Work with people who are
different than you in all kinds of ways.
>> Push yourself to try things that might be uncomfortable.
I think you'll find you are well prepared to take on new
challenges. >> Have a mentor.
Have several mentors. Have people you can bounce ideas
off of. People who will be honest with
you. >> Remember that when your life
after graduation gets tough, there's always someone who can
make it better. That someone is your dog.
>> Rome was not built in one day.
A career is going to be built in many ways through a series of
building blocks. Whatever is in front of you
having drawn on your passion and having some purpose in mind,
just make sure you excel. >> Just remember to do what
inspires you. Follow your heart, follow your
dream, do not limit yourself. Be expansionive.
Be passionate about what you want to do.
>> Don't worry too much about your future path.
If you haven't decided what you want to do yet, or you've
decided on a job, and you are not sure you want to stay in it
for the rest of your life. That's okay.
You can change your mind. Many times.
>> Give yourself room to make mistakes and take some wrong
turns. >> Perfect is the enemy of the
good. If you see something that you think is good, don't hold out
for perfect. Go for the good ones.
A lot of people switch up what they are doing.
>> It is your time to figure out who you are, and what you want.
Sometimes it takes longer than others.
It is the journey, not just the destination.
You really have to explore. >> Think of a Venn diagram.
Over here we have at the jobs that need to be done to make the
world a better place. And here's the jobs that you
would be good at and enjoy. You want to be on the
intersection. >> It may seem late.
It doesn't mattered what you majored in.
You learned how to think deeply, discuss issues, ask important
questions. >> There's going to be a sense
deep down within you of something that really tickles
your passion. And I would say listen to or
grasp that feeling. Don't ignore it.
>> Remember that while you maybe leaving campus, you are not
leaving Duke. We are a university of people.
Not just buildings or programs. I hope you will turn to us for
help and important for intellectual challenge, and for
fellowship and encouragement to be our best.
We can always turn to Duke in the words of our alma mater, though our fates may bear us far
on life's broad sea. >> There will be ones that come
behind you so you can encourage, persevere, overcome, and succeed
as you have. >> Success of class 2018,
congratulations. >> You've worked hard.
Good luck in the next stage of your life.
>> We put you through the ringer.
You came out stronger. >> I hope you had a wonderful
time at Duke. I hope it is just a launching
point to the many wonderful times you'll have in your life.
I hope you come back and see us.
>> Go out and conquer the world.
Make yourself proud. Make Duke proud.
>> You maybe finishing your time as students.
But you are only just beginning your careers as Dukies.
>> For you, the best is yet to come.
>> Congratulations to the great class of 2018.
Welcome to the lifelong community of Duke alumni. >> Really to Duke's 166th
commencement. Please direct your attention to
the field and welcome the Duke University Class of 2018. Please direct your attention to
the end of the field and welcome the Duke University Class of
2018. Now entering the stadium and
throughout the professional March are the candidates from
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.
Entering now are the candidates from the Pratt School of
Engineering. Next the
candidates from the Sanford School of Public
Policy. Now the candidates from the
Nicholas School of the Environment. Currently entering the stadium are the candidates from the
Fuqua School of Business. Entering now are the candidates
from the School of Nursing. Welcome at the candidates from
the Divinity School. Currently entering are the
candidates from the School of Law. Please welcome the candidates
from the School of Medicine. Now entering are the candidates
from the Graduate School. >> Please rise and remain
standing as we recognize the faculties of Duke University,
the Duke University administration, the members of the Board of Can trustees, followed by the members of the
platform party. early light What so proudly we
hailed at the twilight's last glea
ming Whose broad stripes and bright
stars through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the
bombs bursting in air Gave proof through the night that our flag
was still there; O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of
the free and the home of the brave
? (applause).
>> Let us pray. God of creation symphony, we
tune our hearts to your divine melody in eternity.
We praise you because morning has broken like the first Eden
morning in Durham, North Carolina.
The trees of the field clap their hands, and the feet of our
hearts jump with joy. We pause and listen to the
vibration of the heavenly harmony of celebration.
We delight this this moment with field and forest, veil and
mountain, flowery meadows, and flashing seas.
Even as we gleefully chant with the birds and sing
nananananananana hey hey hey good-bye.
But before our final good-byes to the season at Duke, we offer a litany of thanks under the
sunny canopy of your resounding love.
We give thanks that we have fough the good fight and have
finished the blue Dell race -- devil race.
We give thanks for those we are surprised to see across the
finish line. We give thanks for those who
started the race, but did not finish it.
We give thanks for the ups and downs of the educational
marathon, for the wins and losses, aches, and pains, the
unforeseen injuries, the flowing tears, and joyful tears that
accompanied us on the academic run.
Most of us, thank you for the fans that cheered us on even
when we stumbleable -- stumbled and fell. The faculty, staff, family, and
friends who encouraged us when we couldn't encourage
ourselves. Thank you to those who made this
joyous, ceremonious weekend possible.
The setup crew, the grounds crew, the cleaning crew, the
cooking crew, the housekeeping crew, the parking crew, the
sound crew, and all of the unsung crews.
Thank you for the Duke family who established this University
and though we know Duke is not what it used to be, we recognize
that we aren't what we could be.
So thank you for the trustees,
administers, faculty, and staff, who continue to propel the
institution forward with vision, verb, and vigorous commitent.
Thank you. Gracisa.
Merci. If we had 10,000 international
tongues to give thanks, it would
still never be enough. As gratefulness spills over from
our hearts, may we share all that we have gained here with
the entire world. Make us truth telling,
justice-seeking, peacemaking, love breathing, joy instigating,
hope-bringing global citizens who are brave enough not to lie
and wise enough not to be unfind and strong enough not to hate.
Let even our wounds be the portal where your light enters
us. So that you may shine over the
horizon of our future for the
flourishing of the common good so all whom we encounter would
call us a blessing with gratitude for everything.
Everything. Even another day of life.
Amen. Please be seated. PRESIDENT PRICE: Good morning!
To the great class of 2018, congratulations!
(applause). As the rev vend has asked us to
give thanks for the fans who fill the stadium, we can give
thanks for the fans in your hands as well.
And to your families and friends, our honorary degree
recipients, and special guests, welcome to Duke's 166th annual Commencement exercises. We are
here today for two purposes. The first is to celebrate the many
accomplishments of this exceptional group of graduates,
who have left an indelible mark on this university through the
discoveries you have made and the communities you have served.
The second is to renew our commitment to Duke's abiding values of scholarship,
leadership, and ethics, which you have embodied throughout
your time here. Actually, we're
here for three purposes: as today is Mothers' Day, I invite
everyone to give a thunderous applause to all of the moms in
the audience. The Class of 2018
has reminded us that a university community, working
together with a common purpose, can transform the world. Today,
I am honored in my first Commencement at Duke to
mark not only the conclusion of your
academic careers on our campus, but also the beginning of your
storied careers as Duke alumni. tradition
of beginning the Commencement exercises with a student voice. Each spring, a
panel of Duke students, faculty, and staff selects a member of
the graduating class to be our student speaker. This year, in a very competitive process, the
panel selected Deeksha Malhotra, who is graduating today with
distinction from Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. A native
of Singapore and Australia, Deeksha came to our
campus by way of Atlanta. She was drawn to
Duke both for its rigorous academics and for its commitment
to service, interests that are reflected in her career here. A
Phi Beta Kappa neuroscience major with minors in psychology
and chemistry, she recently completed two years of intensive
research into the effects of motivation on human
memory and exploration. She also made time
to dance with the Indian cultural dance group and serve
as editor for Passport, Duke's student travel magazine.
After applying to medical school and
working to publish her thesis, Deeksha hopes to pursue a career
as a pediatric oncologist and medi
cal journalist. Please join me in welcoming
Deeksha Malhotra, the 2018 Student Speaker. DEEKSHA: Class of 2018, I have
a question for you. How much do you know? A little girl named Maria
thrust this upon me a few weeks ago. I was volunteering at her Middle school, teaching curious
girls about the brain and the eye.
My hour with them was Coming to a close and I ended
our activity with a series of Everyone in the room shrieked
with delight but a suspicious Maria asked me."how? How does
this happen?" Reluctant to
disappoint, I hesitated ,"well... scientists don't
exactly know how this works, but Maria was outraged. "WHAT!" she
burst. "Aren't scientists supposed to be SMART? Like Iii
know a lot about cats and dogs," she said. Of course, Maria also
asked if I was 42 years old so really, she shouldn't be one to talk. But that defiant Maria put into
words what I had uncomfortably experienced over and over again
throughout my Duke career. After all, didn't we all expect to
walk out tomorrow smart? Didn't we think that by now, we'd know?
Instead, I stand before you today more aware of all that I
don't know than I've ever been before. After years of
Neuroscience courses drilling into me the notion that "neurons
are the most basic unit of the nervous system,"I stumbled into
a Philosophy class that tore that very idea to shreds,
proposing instead a "synapse-centered view." For
those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, that's
like saying "forget words as the building blocks of language,
let's focus on the spaces between them instead." It's an
entire paradigm shift. Helen Keller captured this paradox
astutely when she said, "A well-educated mind will always
have more questions than answers". And that makes
mathematical sense to me. Because if we think of all that
we do know as a small bubble within the universe, then
expanding that bubble does two
things. Certainly, our span of knowledge is widening, and we
are becoming "smarter." But, what's growing exponentially
faster is that bubble's surface area - the part that intersects
with the unknown universe. So if we know three times more, we
become nine times as aware of all that we do not know. Just
ask a PhD student. But class,
what do we make of this? I see a lot of worried looks on parents'
faces; I'm telling them they dished out a whoolleee lotta
money for us to NOT know stuff. Well, Duke warned us at the
very, very beginning. Dean Guttentag said in our acceptance
letters, "you will leave Duke exceptionally
well-prepared to make a difference." He didn't say
exceptionally knowing, or exceptionally wise - just
exceptionally prepared. So wipe
away the worry because while we may not know today how optical
illusions work the way they do, we have been rigorously prepared
to find out tomorrow. We may not yet know how to think about
the mind, but our minds will leave here abundantly furnished
to continue the search. Now, you
might think that all this talk of being "ready" and "not
knowing" leaves us spineless skeptics. But let me be very
clear, we are NOT without our backbones. When dissenting
opinions arise we take peacefully to Allen and we build
coalitions. When progress is sought, we fight with power but
more powerfully, satiate with compromise - so that when fifty
voices cannot be broadcast to the world we subscribe to five
hundred ringing in unison on the steps
of the chapel. When someone tries to argue the merits of any
other blue, however.there will never be tolerance. What's more,
Duke must really enjoy toying with our expectations because,
for all the lack of things we thought we would know, we've learned an
immeasurable amount about the things we thought we couldn't. I
don't believe our engineers thought they could ever build a 6-foot drone. Or land a date,
really. We never thought we could write that thesis, didn't
know we could crush that interview. I never thought I
could enjoy myself at a saloon humid with perspiration and rife with desperation. Most
importantly, a nomadic childhood and the fleeting relationships
that resulted left me convinced that I could never know of
friendship. Of genuine, pulsing, commu
nity. And then I drove around the East
Campus bus circle and a hoard of kind minions began carrying all
my Furniture up to the second floor
of Jarvis that first, hot afternoon in August when all of
this began. And ever since, this community is all I have seen. In
the hot tea that circulated K-ville during the flu epidemic
of 2018, and the Nutella crepes after the worst of break-ups. In
the FLUNCHES and study groups, the RAs, GR's and tireless TAs. As I put all these thoughts to
words I'm realizing we've been head-fake - the second kind. Randy Pausch introduces this
concept in his book, the Last Lecture and says it's where you
teach someone something by having them think they're
learning something else. Well, I
think it's safe to say Duke is a sly head-fake specialist. All
this while we thought we were learning about English and
Biology, and instead we've come out with two lessons that make
learning anything possible. First, the humility that comes
with the unending awareness of all that we do not know. And
second, the ability to trust and give, for all that
we will ever know will come from our
community and its collective chest of knowledge. So I'll ask
you again, Class of 2018. How much do we know? Well, our
fellow Duke graduates are silent pioneers and deafening
cheerleaders. It has been the honor of my life to know them.
Our professors and mentors are the giants upon whose shoulders
we stand today. Our friends make knowing worth something. Our
families show us that anything worth knowing lives in their
hugs and her blessings. Without
all of you, I wouldn't be half the woman I
am today and that much, Class of 2018, I know I
know. (applause). PRESIDENT PRICE: Thank you,
Deeksha. It seems to me that you that you and the Class of '18
know a heck of a lot! I am now pleased to call to the podium
someone else who knows a heck of a lot, the Chair of the Duke
University Board of Trustees, Jack Bovender. CHAIR BOVENDER: Mr. President, it is my pleasure
and privilege as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Duke
University to declare that this c
onvocation is now open for the conferring
of honorary degrees. The candidates for honorary degrees
have been approved by the faculty of the University and by
the Board of Trustees. Each will be accompanied by a
sponsor. PRESIDENT PRICE: Duke
University awards honorary degrees to recognize
extraordinary achievement and service to the world. To those
members of the Duke community who are receiving
honorary degrees today, we know that your
example will inspire our graduates to pursue careers of
equal principle and purpose. And to those of you who are new to
our campus, we welcome you to our university community, and we
are proud to call you Dukies. I
now invite Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke Professor of
African and African American Studies, to
accompany to the podium Chimamanda Engozi
Adichie, candidate for the honorary degree of Doctor of
Humane Letters. We begin today
with a writer and advocate who can teach us all about how
to use our voices to shape our
understanding of the world. A native of Enugu, Nigeria,
Chimamanda ENgozi Adichie is the
author of three acclaimed novels that explore post-colonial
African identity, the immigrant experience, and feminism in
modern Nigerian life. Her 2013 novel, Americanah, won the National
Book Crtics Circle Award for Fiction and was named one of the
New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year. She also received a
MacArthur Fellowship in 2008 and last year was elected as a
foreign honorary member into both the American
Academy of Arts and Letters and the
American Academy of Arts and Scien
ces. Ms. Adichie has reached a broad
audience through her activism TEDx talk, "We Should All Be
Feminists," was a call to action for 21st century feminism; it
was sampled by Beyonce and later published as a book.
In addition to helping to shape our
perspective on race and gender, Ms. Adichie's writing has
particular resonance for the Class of
2018, who read and discussed
Americanah as incoming First-Years
. For her contributions to
literature and her advocacy for underrepresented voices, I am
pleased to confer upon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the
honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. (applause). I now invite Bill Boulding,
J.B. Fuqua Professor and Dean of the Fuqua School of Business, to
accompany to the podium Mary
Barra, candidate for the honorary degree of Doctor of
Scien ce. As the Class of 2018 sets off
from Duke to begin your careers, you could learn a thing or two
about professional growth from our next honorand. Mary Barra is
the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors
Company. As the first woman to lead a major
auto company, she is widely admired for her
visiona ry
leadership, having been named the most powerful woman in
business by Forbes and Fortune greatest leaders. Ms. Barra's
story is one of discipline and determi
nation. She began her career at General
Motors in 1980, inspecting hoods and fenders on the iconic
Pontiac Grand Prix before working her way up to executive
leadership, a career that has inspired women around the world
to pursue a similar path. As CEO, she has retained a
commitment to quality and safety while championing a new focus on
i nnovative
technologies like electric vehicles and autonomous driving. Ms. Barra has never abandoned
the principle that quality has to be tested firsthand - in
fact, she has been known to test Camaros on the company track at
high speeds. She also has personal experience with the
quality of a Duke education: she is the proud parent of two
current undergraduates. For her contributions to
business and executive leadership, I am pleased to
confer upon Mary Barra the honorary degree of Doctor of
Scien ce. (applause).
I now invite Phail Wynn, Vice President for Durham and
Regional Affairs, to accompany to the podium William V. Bell,
candidate for the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. (applause).
Perhaps Duke's greatest strength is our location in
Durham, and the next honorand has been instrumental to the
renewal and growth of the thriving city we are so proud to
call home. Bill Bell served as mayor of Durham from 2001 to
2017. During his eight terms in
office, he oversaw the renaissance of downtown,
attracting more than $1.7 billion in investment that
transformed our city into one of the best places in the country
to live, work, and visit. He has
also championed anti-poverty initiatives and worked closely
with the university to ensure that
Durham's growth benefits all of
its residents. And as he is quick to note, the relationship
between Duke and Durham has never been stronger. Mr. Bell
worked as a senior engineer at IBM and as Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer of the UDI Community
Development Corporation. Before becoming
mayor, he served for nearly three decades on the Durham
County Board of Commissioners, including as its Chairman from
1982 to 1994. For his tremendous contr
ibution to the City of Durham, I am
pleased to confer upon William V. Bell the honorary degree of
Doctor of Laws. I now invite
Tallman Trask, Executive Vice President, to accompany to the
podium Philip Freelon, candidate for the honorary degree of
Doctor of Humane Letters. (applause). Our next honorand's
groundbreaking architecture is helping us to define who we are
as Americans and who we wish to be
. Phil Freelon led the team of architects that designed the
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and
Culture on the National Mall in Washington, DC. His design for
the museum, which opened next to the Washington Monument in 2016,
has been widely acclaimed for its beauty and symbolic
representation of the African American experience. He is also
responsible for the design of many other celebrated public
buildings, for which he was named a Fellow of the American
Institute of Architects,
received the 2009 Thomas Jefferson Award for Public
Architecture, and was appointed to the National Commission of
Fine Arts by President Obama. Althoug his work has taken him around the world, Mr. Freelon
has strong North Carolina ties. He graduated from NC State, and
he and his wife live here in Durham. He was diagnosed with
ALS in 2016, and he has recently
created "Design a World Without ALS," a fundraising effort to
support patients, their families, and
research here at Duke. For his
great contributions to architecture, I am pleased to
confer upon Philip Freelon the
honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. (applause).
I now invite Mary Klotman, R.J. Reynolds Professor of Medicine
and Dean of the School of Medicine, to accompany to the
podium William Kaelin, candidate for the honorary degree of Doctor of Science. (applause).
Our next honorand, a Duke graduate, embodies our
commitment to intellectual curiosity and the pursuit of
disco very. Dr. William Kaelin is a cancer
biologist, professor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at
Harvard Medical School, and a Howard Hughes Cancer
Investigator. His research, which is focused on mutations in
tumor-suppressing genes, has laid the foundation for
innovative new therapies in cancer treatment and may also
produce effective treatments for anemia, heart attacks, and
strokes . For his work, he was awarded the
renowned Albert Lasker Memorial Prize in 2016, which is
frequently referred to as the American Nobel. He has also been
named a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research
and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. We are
particularly proud that Dr.
Kaelin has a long association with our university. A double
Dukie, he earned his undergraduate degree in
chemistry and science and his medical degree here. For his
groundbre aking
discoveries and pursuit of lifesaving cancer treatments, I
am pleased to confer upon Dr. William Kaelin the honorary
degree of Doctor of Science. I
now invite David Levi, James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke Dean
of the School of Law and Professor of Law, to accompany
to the podium Russell M. Robinson II, candidate for the
honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. (applause).
Today's final honorand, also a Duke graduate, has embodied
James B. Duke's charge to elevate and improve the state of
North Carolina. Russell Robinson
has had a distinguished career as an attorney and is a renowned
expert on North Carolina corporate and nonprofit law. But
perhaps his greater contribution to our state has been as a
philanthropist and community
leader. Mr. Robinson served as Trustee of The Duke Endowment
for three decades, including as Chair from 2001 to 2011.
His work has had a particular focus
on higher education: most notably, he served on and
chaired the Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina
at Charlotte, where he championed its growth as a
research university; he also chaired the Board of Visitors at
Johnson C. Smith University, an historically black institution in Charlotte. Mr. Robinson
transferred to Duke as an undergraduate and graduated
first in his class from the School of Law in 1956. He has
served his university in numerous capacities, including as a member of the Board of
Visitors at the School of Law, and received the Duke Alumni
Association's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006 alongside
his wife Sally, a former trustee. In recognition of his legal career and his service to the
state of North Carolina and to Duke, I am pleased to confer
upon Russell M. Robinson II the honorary degree of Doctor of
Laws . (applause). And now is the moment that many
of you have been waiting for since January. Duke has a long
history of Commencement speakers who
have made transformative contributions to society: U.S.
Pre sidents,
journalists, public officials, philanthropists. and Coach K. But of all of these accomplished
speakers, today's special guest might be the only one who has
done something truly miraculous: He enabled me to become the
first President in history to announce
a commencement speaker by animoji. The futurist Arthur Clarke
famously said that "any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic." There does seem to be a
bit of magic to everything that Tim Cook has done in his career.
As the current Chief Executive Officer and longtime Chief
Operating Officer of Apple, Tim
has helped to redefine communication for the digital
age. It's thanks in large parts to his efforts that many of us
carry Siri around in our pockets - or Beyonce for that matter.
Much as I feel confident that nearly everyone here today has
benefitted from technology that Tim helped develop, his personal
contributions to society promise to be similarly transformative:
he plans to donate his entire fortune to philanthropic causes,
and he has championed charitable
partnerships at Apple, including with the Malala Foundation to
support global education and Project RED to combat AIDS and
HIV. We are particularly delighted to
welcome Tim back to campus, as this is something of a
homecoming. He was a Fuqua Scholar and graduated from Duke
with an MBA in 1988. He was also
elected to the Duke Board of Trustees in 2015, where he is
bringing his visionary leadership to our efforts to
build the Duke of tomorrow. Please join me in welcoming Tim
Cook, our 2018 Commencement speake
r. >> Hello, Blue Devils.
It is great to be back at Duke. It is an honor to stand before
you as your commencement speaker and a graduate.
I earned by agree from the Fuqua School in 1988. I reached out to one of my
favorite professors.
Bob taught this great class in communications, which including
public speaking skills. We hadn't spoke for decades.
I was thrilled when he told me he remembered a particularly
gifted public speaker who took his class in the 1980's.
With a bright mind and a charming personality. He said he knew we back then
this person would December destined for greatness.
You can imagine how this made me feel.
He had an eye for talent. If I do say so myself, I think
his instincts were right. MelindaGates has really gad her
mark in the world! I'm grateful to Bob and Dean and
all of my Duke professors. Their teachings have stayed with
me throughout my career. I want to thank President Price
and the Duke dabbing -- faculty, and the Board of Trustees for
the honor of speaking with you today.
I would like to add my congratulations to the honorary
degree recipients. Most of us, congratulations to
the Class of 2018!
(applause). Mr. cook: Now no graduate gets
to this moment alone. I want to acknowledge your
parents and grandparents and friends that are here cheering
you on, just as they have every step of the way.
Let's give them our thanks. Today especially I remember my
mother. Who watched me graduate from
Duke, I wouldn't have been there that day or made it here today
without her support. Let's give our special thanks to
all of the mother's here today on Mother's Day.
(applause). Mr. Cook: I have wonderful
memories here. Cheering for the victory,
cheering even louder when the victory is over Carolina.
Look back over your shoulder fondly and say good-bye to Act I
of your life. Then quickly look forward.
Act II begins today. It is your turn to reach out and
take the baton. You entered the world at a time
of great challenge. Our country is deeply divided,
and that many Americans refuse to hear any opinion that differs
from their own. Our planet is warming with
devastating consequences. And there's some that even deny
it is happening. Our schools and communities
suffer from deep inequality. We fail to guarantee every
student the right to a good education.
And yet we are not powerless in the face of these problems.
You are not powerless to fix them.
No generation has ever had more power than yours.
And no generation has a chance to change things faster than
yours can. The pace at which progress is
possible has accelerated dramatically.
Aided by technology, every individual has the tools,
potential, and reach to build a better world.
That makes this the best time in history to be alive.
Whatever you choose to do with your life, wherever your passion
takes you, I urge you to take the power you have been given
and use it for good. Aspire to leave this world
better than you found it. I didn't always see life as
clearly as I do today. But I've learned the greatest
challenge of life can knowing when to break with conventional
wisdom. Don't just except the world you
inherit today. Don't just accept the status
quo. Know the challenge has ever been
solved and no lasting improvement has ever been
achieved unless people dare to try something different.
Dare to think different. I was lucky to learn from
someone who believed this deeply.
Someone who knew that changing the world starts with following
a vision. Not a path.
He was my friend and mentor, Steve
Jobs. (applause). Mr. Cook: Steve's vision was
that great ideas comes from a restless refusal to accept
things as they are. Those principles still guide us
at Apple today. We reject the notion that global
warming is inevitable. That's why we run Apple on 100%
renewable energy. (applause).
Mr. Cook: Thank you. We reject the excuse that
getting the most out of technology means trading away
your right to privacy. So we choose a different path.
Collecting as little of your data as poll, being thoughtful
and respectful when it is in our care.
Because we know it belongs to you.
In every way at every turn, the question we ask ourselves is not what can we do, but what should
we do? Because Steve taught us that's
how change happens. And from him, I learned to never
be content with the way that things are.
I believe in mindset comes naturally to young people.
And you should never let go of this
restlessness. So today's ceremony isn't just
about presenting you with a degree.
It is about presenting you with a question.
How will you challenge the status quo?
How will you push the world forward? 50 years ago today, May 13th,
1968, Robert Kennedy was campaigning in Nebraska and
spoke to a group of students who were wrestling with the same
question. Those were troubled times too.
The U.S. was at war in Vietnam. There was violent unrest in
America's cities. And the country was still
reeling from the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King a
month earlier. Kennedy gave the students a call
to action. When you look across this
country and when you see people's lives held back by
discrimination and poverty, when you see injustice and
inequality, he said you should be the last people to accept
things as they are. Let Kennedy's words echo here
today. You should be the last people to
accept it. Whatever path you've chosen, be
it medicine or business, engineering or the humanities,
whatever drives your passion, be the last to accept the notion
that the world you inherit cannot be improved.
Be the last to accept the excuse that says that's just how things
are done here. Duke graduates, you should be
the last people to accept it. And you should be the first to
change it.
(applause). Mr. Cook: The education you
perceive gives you few opportunities that you have.
You are uniquely qualified and therefore uniquely responsible
to build a better way forward. That won't be easy.
It will require great courage. But that courage will not only
help you live your life to the fullest, it will empower you to
transform the lives of others. Last month I was in Birmingham
to mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination.
I had the incredible privilege with spending time with women
and men who marched and worked alongside him.
Many of them are younger at the time than you are now.
They told me when they defied their parents and joined the
sit-ins and the boycotts, when they faced the police dogs and
the fire hoses, they were risking everything they had
becoming foot soldiers for justice without a second
thought. Because they knew that change
had to come. They believe so deeply in the
cause of justice, because they knew even all of the adversity
they had faced, they had the chance to build something better
for the next generation. We can all learn from your
example. If you hope to change the world,
you must find your fearlessness.
Now if you are anything like I was on graduation day, maybe you
are not feeling so fearless. Maybe you are thinking about the
job that you hope to get. Or wondering where you are going
to live or how to repay that student loan.
These I know are real concerns. I had that too.
Don't let the worries stop you from making a difference.
Fearlessness means taking the first step, even if you don't
know where it will take you. It means being driven by a
higher purpose rather than by applause.
It means knowing that you reveal your character when you stand
apart more than when you stand with the crowd.
If you step up without fear of failure, if you talk and listen
to each other without fear of rejection, if you act with
decency and kindness even when no one is looking, even if it
seems small or inconsequential, trust me, the rest will fall
into place. More importantly, you'll be able
to tackle the big things when they come your way.
It is in the truly trying moments that the fearless
inspire us. Fearless like the students of
Parkland, Florida who refused to be silent about the epidemic of
gun violence. They have rallied millions to
their cause. (applause).
Mr. Cook: Fearless like the women that say me too and time's
up. Women who cast light into dark
places and move us to a more just and equal future.
Fearless like those who fight for the rights of imgrants who
understand that our only hopeful future is one that embraces all
who want to contribute. Duke graduates, be.
Fearless. Be the last people to accept
things as they are. And the first people to stand up
and change them for the better. In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr.
gave a speech at Page Auditorium to an overflow crowd.
Students who couldn't get a seat, listened from outside in
the lawn. Dr. King warned them that some
day we would all have to atone not only for the words and
actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and
indifference of the good people who stood around and say wait on
time. Martin Luther King stood right
here at Duke and said the time is always right to do right.
For you graduates, that time is now.
It will always be now. It is time to add the brick to
the path of progress. It is time for all of us to move
forward. And it is time for you to lead
the way. Thank you, and congratulations,
Class of 2018! (applause). PRESIDENT PRICE: Tim, thank
you for those wonderful remarks. We are so proud to call you a
Dukie. PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Mr.
President, as Chief Academic Officer of the University, I
have the honor of declaring this Convocation now open for the
awarding of earned degrees. As they are called, I invite the
deans of the schools and the college to present the candidates and their degree
marsha ls. I now call upon Paula McClain,
Dean of The Graduate School. DEAN MCCLAIN: Will the
candidates for the Graduate School please rise and the
degree marshals come forward. Mr. President, I am honored to
present the talented candidates of the Graduate School who have
been approved by the faculty as having completed all
requirements for the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, our
highest academic honor, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in
Teaching, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Science, and whose
names appear in the printed program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the Graduate School and welcome you to the company of those
engaged in the continuing search for knowledge. Congratulations!
(applause). PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Graduates,
please be seated. I now call on Mary Klotman, Dean of the School
of Medicine. DEAN KLOTMAN: Will the
candidates for the School of Medicine please rise and the
degree marshals come forward. Mr. President, I have the honor
to present the dedicated candidates from the School of
Medicine who have been approved by the faculty as having
completed all requirements for the degrees of Doctor of
Medicine, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of
Biostatistics, Master of Health Sciences, Master of Health
Sciences in Clinical Research, Master of Management in Clinical
Informatics, and Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences,
and whose names appear in the printed program. PRESIDENT
PRICE: By the authority vested in m, I hereby confer upon you
the se
degrees in the School of Medicine and welcome you to the
company of those dedicated to the care of human life and
health. Congratulations!
(applause). DEAN KLOTMAN: Graduates,
please be seated. I now call on
David F. Levi, Dean of the School of Law.
DEAN LEVI: Will the candidates for the School of Law please
rise and the degree marshals come forward. Mr. President, I
have the honor to present the exceptional candidates of the School of Law
who have been approved by the faculty as having completed all
requirements for the degrees of Doctor of Juridical Science,
Juris Doctor, Master of Laws, Master of Laws in Judicial
Studies, Master of Laws in International and Comparative
Law, Master of Laws in Law and Entrepreneurship, and Master of
Legal Studies. Their names appear in the printed program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the School of Law and welcome you to the company of those
committed to the pursuit of truth and justice. Congratulations!
Flame). PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Graduates,
please be seated. I now call on
Elaine Heath, Dean of the Divinity School. DEAN HEATH: Will the
candidates for the Divinity School please rise and the
degree marshals come forward. to present the spirited
candidates of the Divinity School who have been approved by
the faculty as having completed all requirements for the degrees
of Doctor of Ministry, Doctor of Theol
ogy, Master of Arts in Christian
Practice, Master of Arts in Christian Studies, Master of Divinity, Master of Theological
Studies, and Master of Theology, and whose names appear in the
pri nted program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the Divinity School and salute you as you embark on your
vocations in service to your high calling. Congratulations!
(applause). PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Graduates,
please be seated. I now call on
Marion Broome, Dean of the School of Nursing. DEAN BROOME: Will the
candidates for the School of the Nursing please rise and the
degree marshals come forward. Mr. President, I have the honor
to present the exceptional candidates of the School of
Nursing who have been approved by the faculty as having
completed all requirements for the degrees of Doctor of Nursing
Practice, Master of Science in Nursing,
and Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and whose names appear
in the printed program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the School of Nursing and welcome you to the company of
those who apply their knowledge and compassion to provide
skillful care. Congratulations! (applause).
PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Graduates, please be seated. I now call on
Bill Boulding, Dean of the Fuqua School of Business. DEAN BOULDING: Will the
candidates for the Fuqua School of Business please rise and the
degree marshals come forward. Mr. President, I have the honor
to present the industrious candidates of the Fuqua School
of Business who have been approved by the faculty as
having completed all requirements for the degrees of
Master of Business Administration, Master of
Management Studies, and Master of Science in Quantitative
Management, and whose names appear in the printed program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the School of Business and welcome you to the work of
building our economic future throu
gh thoughtful and responsible
managem ent. Congratulations!
(applause). PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Graduates,
please be seated. I now call on
Jeffrey Vincent, Dean of the Nicholas School of the
Environment . DEAN VINCENT: Will the
candidates for the Nicholas School of the Environment please
rise and the degree marshal come f
orward. Mr. President, I have the honor
to present the resourceful candidates of the Nicholas
School of the Environment who have been approved by the
faculty as having completed all requirements for the degrees of
Master of Environmental Management and Master of
Forestry, and whose names appear in the printed program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the Nicholas School of the Environment and welcome you to
the work of understanding and prot
ecting the
natural world. Congratulations!
(applause). PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Graduates,
you may be seated. I now call upon Kelly Brownell, Dean of the
Sanford School of Public Policy. DEAN BROWNELL: Will the
candidates for the Sanford School of Public Policy please
rise and the degree marshals come forward. Mr. President, I
have the honor to present the innovative candidates of the
Sanford School of Public Policy who have been approved by the
faculty as having completed all requirements for the degrees of
Master of International Development
Policy and Master of Public Policy, and whose names appear
in the printed program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the Sanford School of Public Policy and welcome you to the
company of those who seek to transform ideas into policies
for our greater good. Congratulations!
(aulos). PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Graduates,
you may be seated. I now call
upon Ravi Bellamkonda, Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering. DEAN BELLAMKONDA: Will the
candidates for the Pratt School of Engineering please rise and
the degree marshals come forward. Mr. President, I have the honor
to present the inventive candidates of the Pratt School
of Engineering who have been approved by the faculty as
having completed all requirements for the degrees of
Master of Engineering, Master of E
ngineering Management, and Bachelor of
Science in Engineering, and whose names appear in the
printed program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the Pratt School of Engineering and welcome you as you join
those building the future and pioneering new paths for
technolog y. Congratulations (.
(applause). PROVOST KORNBLUTH: Graduates,
please be seated. Last but not least, I call on Valerie Ashby,
Dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. DEAN ASHBY: Will the
candidates for Trinity College of Arts and Sciences please rise
and the degree marshals come forwa
rd. Mr. President, I have the honor
to present the extremely excited and exceptionally talented
candidates of Trinity College who have been approved by the
faculty as having completed all requirements for the degrees of
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of S
cience, and whose names appear in the
printed program. PRESIDENT PRICE: By the
authority vested in me, I hereby confer upon you these degrees in
the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and welcome you as you
put embark on careers to pursue kn
owledge and serve the world. Congratulations! Congratulations, graduates! I
am honored to welcome you to the community of Duke alumni.
As Duke graduates, you are
well-prepared for a life of principled leadership. And in a
society that is increasingly connected, you will have a
greater opportunity than ever before to make a meaningful
change in the world. But remember that you are not going
it alone. We are all blessed to
be part of a community of extraordinary people of
accomplishment and purpose, here in Durham and across the world,
a Duke family now hundreds of thousands strong.
And we rely on each other for help and support,
for intellectual challenge, and for
fellowship and encouragement to e
xcel. Wherever life takes you from
here, whether near to campus or a world away, Duke will always -
always - be your home. Congratulations to the great
class of 2018. This is the
second time I've introduced someone to sing the alma mater;
thankfully - and I'm talking to you, Jack - this person is
expecting it this time. Lisa He
is no stranger to the stage: in fact, you heard her sing the
National Anthem at the top of our program. One thing has
changed in her life since then - she graduated from Duke! Please
join me in welcoming Lisa He, 2018 Bachelor of Science
graduate, who will lead us in the alma mater. Dear old Duke thy name we'll
sing. sing. To thee our voices raise
(we'll raise) To thee our anthems ring In everlasting praise. And though on life's broad-sea
Our fates may far us bear. We'll ever turn to thee
Our Alma Mater dear.
