David Gergen (photo by RPI/Kris Qua)

Author and analyst addresses more than 2,000 graduates at Rensselaer’s 202nd Commencement

Troy, N.Y. – While striving for success, the leaders of tomorrow must also pursue internal authenticity and happiness to discover ways of making a difference in the world, David Gergen told the graduating Class of 2008 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The author, editor, presidential adviser, political analyst, and Harvard professor addressed more than 2,000 graduating students and their families May 17 at Rensselaer’s 202nd Commencement on the Harkness Field.

“Leaving this university, you should be ready to make a good living,” Gergen said. “The question becomes whether you’re ready to make a good life. . . . The challenge is one of discovering your own inner fire — what provides the nourishment for your soul as well as your brain.”

Gergen encouraged graduates to pause and reflect upon their own values and passions, and not to march forward toward financial success and renown at the expense of a fulfilling, rich inner life.

“Each of us may have all the smarts we need, but until we find a way to work, and match our work with our passion, we will not live life to its potential,” Gergen said. “It is not an easy journey” to move beyond cognitive development to inner development. “You have to look inside, deep inside your soul, even as you begin your career, and rub up against the rest of the world. You have to develop a set of deeply held moral values, and an inner gyroscope to guide you.”

Gergen said many of history’s greatest scientists and engineers discovered that inner fire well after completing their formal studies. He cited Albert Schweitzer, who at the age of 30 abandoned his career as a celebrated philosopher, scientist, thinker, and musician in order to study medicine and open a hospital in the remote village of Lambaréné in western Africa. Schweitzer dedicated the rest of his life to this endeavor, and in 1952 received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

“Each of us must find our own inner and outer journey to find our own Lambaréné,” Gergen told the Class of 2008. “You’ve already begun down your own path, but that path may not yet be clear to you because you haven’t had a full opportunity to explore it. That’s what the next few years of your life are about. Not only to strengthen your professional credentials and contributions, but to take more time to reflect upon who you are down deep, and what moves you.”

As Rensselaer graduates begin their new careers as entrepreneurs, engineers, and researchers, and start to unravel the mysteries of science and technology, they also will be in the front ranks of those looking to quell the “Quiet Crisis,” Gergen said. Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson has been a longtime advocate of addressing the Quiet Crisis in America — the threat to our nation’s capacity to innovate posed by a looming shortage in the science and technology workforce.

“Surely no century holds greater promise for discovery,” Gergen said. “Surely no nation needs your talent more than the United States.”

Constructing a moral compass and triangulating one’s “True North,” or path to self-fulfillment and happiness, is intrinsically tied to the rise of authentic national and global leadership, as well as the struggle of overcoming the Quiet Crisis, Gergen said.

“I believe that once you construct your moral compass and set your True North, there is a much higher probability that you will help us solve the Quiet Crisis . . . in this country,” he said. “The challenge before us as a people is not simply whether we increase the number of graduates in [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics]. The bigger challenge is whether we bring more leaders into these fields who are also fit with an inner fire — people of high quality, people who are passionate about discoveries and knowledge, that we can, in Albert Schweitzer’s words, ‘put in direct service to humanity.’”

American presidents and world leaders who are intelligent but lack this inner fire and inner compass, Gergen said, often “get themselves and the rest of us in deep trouble.”

Along with the benefits a moral compass can bring to one’s profession and passions, Gergen said graduates should seek out their True North for the purpose of attaining a life rich with happiness.

“Happiness does not come from one’s income or power. He who dies with the most, with the greatest number of toys, does not win. He just leaves behind a lot of useless trinkets,” Gergen said. “People who are the happiest — and incidentally who tend to live the longest — are those in loving relationships who are working for causes larger than themselves. They are whole people, integrated, authentic, loving. They have built a moral compass, and they are heading toward a True North.”

Gergen told graduates to take great pride in their academic accomplishments, and know that they are not alone.

“As you come forward to receive your diplomas this morning, each of you, as graduates from Rensselaer, can walk with your head high and a spring in your step,” Gergen said. “Each of us here today — your parents, your friends, your faculty — warmly congratulates you upon your achievement in reaching this milestone. We believe in you because you have earned your degree from one of the most demanding research universities in the nation. We look upon you with pride and with hope, because we believe that you will help us to meet this nation’s Quiet Crisis. But most of all, as you begin a new journey, a journey that both is inner and outer, we wish you both good luck. Godspeed, and may you find your own Lambaréné.”

Gergen has spent his career immersed in American public life. He has worked on both sides of the political aisle, as director of communications for President Ronald Reagan and counselor on foreign policy and domestic affairs to President William Clinton. He also served as a White House adviser in the Nixon and Ford administrations. Gergen currently is a professor of public service at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and director of its Center for Public Leadership.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson commended Gergen for his unique contributions in shaping our world, as a shrewd strategist and astute commentator, “for culling wisdom from his distinguished years as an eyewitness to history, a confidant and advisor to those in power,” and for challenging young people to lead with passion.

Jackson challenges graduates to change the world, live extraordinary lives

Addressing the Class of 2008, President Jackson told graduates that their efforts and achievements over the coming years will help to write the next chapter of Rensselaer’s historic legacy.

“You are walking in the footsteps of Rensselaer graduates who made the discoveries, constructed the canals, roads, bridges, skyscrapers, the basic infrastructure here and around the world, which formed the basis for 19th and 20th century society,” Jackson said. “Your forebearers changed the world — just as you will.”

The Class of 2008 will venture forth into the world ready to meet a host of increasingly complex and interconnected global challenges, such as environmental sustainability, infectious disease, terrorism and other security concerns, energy security, water purity, and other challenges that transcend geographic boundaries, Jackson said. Facing these noble endeavors, graduates will be anchored by two vibrant roots of Rensselaer education:  the application of science to the common purposes of life, and Rensselaer’s unique educational strategies that emphasize cooperative and experiential learning.

The challenge of “Why not change the world?” — another cornerstone of a Rensselaer education — is already manifested in the Class of 2008, she said.

“You, the graduates of Rensselaer, have taken the Rensselaer challenge to heart and have not waited to receive your diplomas to discover, and innovate world-changing contributions,” Jackson said. “From day one, you sought ways to bring your passion for discovery, innovation, and commitment to creating a better future to your work inside and outside your classrooms and labs. In many instances, your work has been groundbreaking — holding promise for future breakthroughs in critical areas of inquiry.”

Jackson charged students with the task of using their talents to further the “common purposes of life” shared by all global citizens, to live wisely and boldly, to hold firm to their values and convictions, to steward the world, and to change the world.

“You are an impressive group. You have left your mark on the Institute. It is a richer institution because of you,” Jackson said. “And as you go forward, I challenge you to take the extra step to lead extraordinary lives. By this I do not mean necessarily becoming famous, or rich, or lauded publicly for your achievements. What I mean by “extraordinary” is to seize the moment, to sieze the opportunities in your lives — and as Rensselaer graduates you will have many — and to use them to make a positive difference in the lives of others.”

Class President Sarah DiNovo asks classmates to embrace, provoke change

Class President Sarah DiNovo commended her fellow graduates on their ability over the past four years to weather and embrace the changing face of their campus, nation, and world.

“At Rensselaer, we have listened, discussed, debated, researched, and analyzed,” DiNovo said. “Through all of these experiences we have had successes and failures, but in the end we learned about ourselves and others. While the knowledge that we have accumulated in our time here has been immense, the true value of our time at Rensselaer cannot be found in textbooks but rather in the experience we have had.”

DiNovo also recalled how the world had changed since she and her classmates first traveled to Rensselaer as freshmen – from the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina and Virginia Tech to the decompression of fuel prices in the United States. These challenges, she said, also present motivation and opportunities for graduates to continue down the path of creativity and innovation in order to help change the world for the better.

“We, the Class of 2008, have not only witnessed history, but have made history. Taking our school’s motto to heart we have set out to change the world. This call to action has driven our class to push themselves in a uniquely innovative way of thinking,” DiNovo said, citing several examples of recent student innovations, from next-generation rocket engines, educational Web sites, and an engineered Golgi apparatus. “I am confident our class will continue to impact the world with our presence and help solve the challenges of today.”

She also thanked the Class of 2008 for their efforts volunteering and tutoring around New York’s Capital Region, as well as helping raise $140,000 for Relay for Life.

“I have but one wish for this graduating class,” DiNovo said. “Let us be the ones bold enough, brave enough, and yes, crazy enough, to change the world.”

Distinguished guests awarded honorary degrees 

In addition to delivering the Commencement address, David Gergen received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. Rensselaer also conferred honorary degrees on Shirley M. Tilghman and Charles Bolden Jr.

Tilghman, an accomplished molecular biologist and educator who became 19th president of Princeton University in 2001 — the first woman to hold the position — received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science. A prolific researcher who made a number of important scientific breakthroughs related to gene behavior and development, Tilghman is a national advocate for the advancement of women in science and has worked to promote efforts that encourage and enable young scientists to make the most of their early careers.

Bolden, a retired Major General with the U.S. Marine Corps who became an astronaut in 1981 after serving 13 years in the Corps as a pilot during the Vietnam conflict, received an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering. Bolden participated in four space flights from 1986 to 1994, logging more than 680 hours in space, before retiring in 2003 after nearly 35 years on active duty in the Marine Corps. He now shares his knowledge on leadership with students and others around the country.