Graduates, members of the Board of Regents, President Benson, members of the faculty and staff, parents, distinguished guests, family and friends; it is my pleasure and honor to have the opportunity to address you today as the chancellor of the University of Colorado Boulder. I know today's graduates join me in extending a special welcome to their family and friends, whose love and support have helped to make this day possible. Please join me in showing our appreciation.
With us today, are many members of the faculty who have guided and mentored these graduates. They have shared their time, knowledge and expertise to help each student reach this important milestone, and his or her full potential.
Graduates, congratulations! But, as an old education professor, I have one more assignment for you. As you move onto the next chapter of your life, I am asking you to do one more thing — be curious.
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, famous for his work with black holes and the Big Bang, made his first post on Facebook last fall. In his post he said, "I have always wondered what makes the universe exist. Time and space may forever be a mystery, but that has not stopped my pursuit."
Then he went on to write: "Our connections to one another have grown infinitely, and now that I have the chance, I'm eager to share this journey with you. Be curious, I know I will forever be." His post quickly garnered a like from Mark Zuckerberg, whose own curiosity led to Facebook.
If universities are about anything, they are about stoking the fires of a deeper, boundless curiosity within each of us.
Dalton Trumbo, the Academy-Award winning screenwriter for whom our fountain is named, had a deep and abiding curiosity about the human spirit, and the will of human beings to transcend their difficulties, as seen in his own life and in his movies.
CU's great fallen astronauts, Ellison Onizuka and Kalpana Chawla, had boundless curiosity about our universe and they died pursuing it.
Our newest Pulitzer Prize winner, Professor Elizabeth Fenn, who won the Pulitzer Prize in history last month, was driven by curiosity.
For our Nobel laureates, working to solve the riddle of cancer, it begins with curiosity.
For our social scientists, trying to solve the mystery of how we accommodate our differences, at a time of societal dissension, it starts with curiosity.
For our graduates, wondering about the people and the cultures around them, and in the broader world, it begins with curiosity.
Academy Award film producer Brian Grazer in his book, The Curious Mind, The Secret to a Bigger Life, says that curiosity should be as much a part of our culture, our educational system and our workplaces as concepts like creativity and innovation.
If we have taught you to be creative, to be innovative, and to be curious, we have done our job because those things will lead to success over a lifetime.
Introduction of Commencement Speaker Cathie Black
Now it is my pleasure to introduce our commencement speaker, someone who embodies creativity, innovation and curiosity — media trailblazer, Cathie Black.
Today is a very special occasion for Ms. Black and her daughter, Alison. With us on the platform is Ms. Black's daughter, Alison Harvey, who is graduating today with a bachelor's degree in English. Thank you Alison, for loaning us your mother this morning.
The career of Cathie Black is lesson and legend all rolled into one. She went from a sales assistant to a powerhouse in the publishing world.
She made the Forbes list of the “100 Most Powerful Women,” and has been called the “First Lady of American Magazines.”
I'm guessing that everyone here has read a magazine or a newspaper published by Ms. Black. As president and chair of Hearst Magazines, Ms. Black oversaw hundreds of publications including Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics and Elle. Before joining Hearst, she served as president and publisher of USA Today.
A media visionary and a business innovator, Ms. Black blazed a trail for working women more than 40 years ago. She established herself as a major presence on male-dominated Madison Avenue before she was 30. And she has paved opportunities for the next generation of female executives.
Early in her career, she worked for New York Magazine, where she became the first female publisher of a weekly consumer magazine.
In 2007, she authored and published her book, Basic Black: the Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work and in Life. Her book reached No. 1 on the Wall Street Journal’sbusiness book list, and made both the New York Times and Business Week bestseller lists.
Ms. Black is also an advocate for education and served as Chancellor of New York City Schools. Today she is an advisor, investor and board member to a variety of innovative start-up companies. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to introduce media legend, Cathie Black.