Donde Plowman Commencement Address

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08/14/2018 Added

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Donde Plowman, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer at Nebraska, delivered the August 11, 2018 commencement address, “Never Stop Dreaming.” https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/plowman-tells-graduates-to-never-stop-dreaming/

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[00:00:00.000](audience applauding)
[00:00:03.360]Thank you, Chancellor Green,
[00:00:06.360]and congratulations to my colleagues on the stage,
[00:00:09.360]the Board of Regents,
[00:00:11.050]the faculty of this great university
[00:00:13.500]for getting these graduates to this day.
[00:00:17.060]Most of all, congratulations to the Class of 2018.
[00:00:21.670]You have pursued your dreams,
[00:00:24.050]and you made it to the finish line.
[00:00:26.500]Let's hear it for that. (applauds)
[00:00:28.262](audience applauding)
[00:00:33.420]To the parents and family members are here,
[00:00:37.000]thank you for loaning us your amazing children,
[00:00:41.330]brothers, sisters, spouses for these last few years,
[00:00:45.930]and thank you for loving them through this adventure,
[00:00:49.670]which has not always been easy to do.
[00:00:53.500]We have done our best to prepare them for what comes next,
[00:00:56.640]for life after college, life after graduate school.
[00:01:01.260]To the graduates,
[00:01:03.100]you will never forget this moment.
[00:01:07.360]You will forget this commencement speech,
[00:01:11.140]but you won't forget what's about to happen
[00:01:14.440]in a few moments when you walk across this stage
[00:01:18.100]and receive your diploma.
[00:01:20.230]You won't forget this day with your friends and your family.
[00:01:24.240]This is a day for pictures, for celebrating,
[00:01:28.030]for posting on Facebook.
[00:01:30.100]You earned it.
[00:01:31.450]You made your dream of a college degree
[00:01:34.110]or a master's degree or a PhD come true.
[00:01:37.810]I want to remind you how significant your accomplishment is.
[00:01:41.610]Only one in three Americans has a college degree,
[00:01:46.640]9% of the U.S. population have earned a master's degree,
[00:01:52.580]and only two people out of every hundred
[00:01:56.510]hold a PhD.
[00:01:59.080]You join a small group of people
[00:02:01.860]who have achieved what you have.
[00:02:04.400]So what does this mean?
[00:02:06.650]First,
[00:02:08.020]you are Nebraskans.
[00:02:10.550]No matter where you came from, you are Nebraskan now,
[00:02:15.230]and that sets you apart in the world, in a good way.
[00:02:19.020]People will see you differently
[00:02:21.370]because you graduated from Nebraska.
[00:02:24.040]They will assume
[00:02:26.190]that you have the truthfulness of Willa Cather,
[00:02:31.000]that you have the values of Warren Buffett,
[00:02:34.700]that you have the integrity of Jeff Zeleny,
[00:02:36.760]we see on CNN every night,
[00:02:39.290]that you have the humanitarian spirit
[00:02:41.450]of world-class opera singer Barbara Hendricks,
[00:02:45.450]the innovation of Twitter founder Ev Williams,
[00:02:49.250]or the determination of David Graff
[00:02:51.250]and John Wirtz and Brian Kaiser, who founded Hudl.
[00:02:54.600]I could name so many.
[00:02:58.750]There are four things people are gonna think of
[00:03:01.050]when they learn that you came from Nebraska.
[00:03:04.390]One, that you roll up your sleeves and get the work done.
[00:03:10.460]They're also gonna think that you have the grit
[00:03:12.640]to stick with it and get the outcome.
[00:03:16.720]They're gonna assume that you have common sense
[00:03:20.010]in making decisions.
[00:03:21.970]And they're also gonna believe that you are humble
[00:03:24.690]and don't need to always be the loudest voice in the room.
[00:03:28.710]That's who you are now, Huskers.
[00:03:31.050]Huskers earn it, you've earned it.
[00:03:33.120]You're graduating today from a great university,
[00:03:36.270]and you stand on the shoulders
[00:03:38.330]of amazing people who came before you.
[00:03:41.980]One of Chancellor Green's favorite quotes is,
[00:03:45.247]"To whom much is given, much is expected."
[00:03:49.270]I like that quote, too, Ronnie.
[00:03:51.620]You've worked hard for this day,
[00:03:54.250]but it has also been a gift,
[00:03:56.520]from your parents, from your families,
[00:03:59.990]from the citizens of the State of Nebraska,
[00:04:02.910]from the scholarship donors,
[00:04:04.850]from the financial aid you received.
[00:04:06.860]It has been a gift,
[00:04:09.490]and now much is expected.
[00:04:13.820]The world needs leadership from you, and they expect that.
[00:04:18.390]Leadership is not a position.
[00:04:19.980]It's not a title.
[00:04:21.100]It is simply the willingness to act,
[00:04:24.800]the willingness to step forward,
[00:04:26.780]have an idea, point out a problem,
[00:04:28.880]speak up, show kindness, right a wrong,
[00:04:32.290]make a difference.
[00:04:33.690]That's leadership, and that is what is expected.
[00:04:37.920]We need you to be leaders in your workplace,
[00:04:40.250]in your communities.
[00:04:42.000]We need you to vote.
[00:04:43.000]And if you're not registered, you need to do that now.
[00:04:45.910]We need you to pay attention
[00:04:47.040]to what's happening in this world.
[00:04:48.480]And if you don't like it, try to fix it.
[00:04:51.160]We need you to run for public office.
[00:04:53.510]We need you to keep dreaming,
[00:04:54.990]dreaming of big things and big causes.
[00:04:58.720]I often say that it is dreams
[00:05:01.280]that move people and organizations.
[00:05:04.490]Dreams inspire us,
[00:05:06.920]personally, and they inspire others.
[00:05:09.660]Martin Luther King did not say I have a plan,
[00:05:13.320]even though I come from the business discipline.
[00:05:15.820]He didn't say I have a goal.
[00:05:18.130]He said,
[00:05:19.447]"I have a dream,"
[00:05:21.540]and that dream still inspires so many of us.
[00:05:25.120]My personal dreams certainly do not compare
[00:05:28.290]to those of Dr. Martin Luther King's.
[00:05:30.870]But in my own life, it has been my dreams,
[00:05:34.670]some that were small dreams, some that were big dreams,
[00:05:38.910]some that others thought were unachievable,
[00:05:42.980]but it was my dreams that propelled me
[00:05:46.630]and also kept me going during times in my life
[00:05:50.160]where there were setbacks or even sorrow.
[00:05:53.400]And you will have setbacks, too,
[00:05:55.150]but your dreams will keep you moving forward.
[00:05:59.170]Today is a day to celebrate, to party, to dance.
[00:06:03.120]Tomorrow you can get back to work on your dreams.
[00:06:06.260]The University will always be here for you.
[00:06:08.840]You can count on that.
[00:06:10.610]But it is essential to all of us and to the world
[00:06:14.290]that you never stop dreaming.
[00:06:17.840]As corny as it seems, I believe with my whole heart
[00:06:22.060]that if you keep dreaming and keeping pursuing your dreams,
[00:06:26.530]there's nothing you can't conquer.
[00:06:28.900]There really is no mountain high enough.
[00:06:31.420]There's no valley,
[00:06:33.840]I'll just let Marvin Gaye finish this out, so we can get on
[00:06:36.455]with the party. ♪ Call my name ♪
[00:06:37.926]♪ I'll be there in a hurry ♪
[00:06:40.056]♪ You don't have to worry ♪
[00:06:41.862]♪ 'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough ♪
[00:06:46.724]♪ Ain't no valley low enough ♪
[00:06:50.420]♪ Ain't ♪

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Donde Plowman Commencement Address

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