By Michelle Hines, University Relations
UNC system President Erskine Bowles and Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan at Sullivan's last commencement. She retires July 31.
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 5-16-08
GREENSBORO — There are leaders. And then there’s Pat — Patricia A. Sullivan, UNCG's retiring chancellor.
Tom Ross, president of Davidson College and former UNCG Trustee, delivered UNCG’s commencement address May 16 in the Greensboro Coliseum, Sullivan’s last commencement as chancellor. Both Ross and UNC system President Erskine Bowles held Sullivan up as a role model for the university’s approximately 2,200 new graduates.
Honorary degrees went to Ross, Doctor of Laws; N.C. State Women’s Basketball Coach Kay Yow, Doctor of Humane Letters; and former N.C. Poet Laureate Fred Chappell, Doctor of Fine Arts.
“I do love that woman,” Bowles, a Greensboro native, said of Sullivan. “I will be forever grateful to her for her incredible perspective, her sage advice and her unconditional friendship. UNCG is not only your university but her university. I’m sure it is written on that great big heart of hers.”
As Sullivan looks on, Davidson College President Tom Ross describes her as a role model for new graduates.
“Recall her sacrifices, the risks she has taken, the time she has committed, the energy she has given and the amazing, transforming difference she has made,” Ross said. “Recognize how much she has given to you and to all of us. Model yourself after her. Be what Chancellor Pat Sullivan is – an effective, positive leader. She chooses to do so much more than just live. She seizes the opportunity to make a difference, to serve and to lead for the common good. So today, as you accept the diploma you have worked these years to earn, I urge you to hear these words if you hear no others today: Don’t just live, lead.”
Sullivan, who retires July 31, has led UNCG for nearly 14 years and was one of the first female chancellors in the UNC system. Ross said Sullivan is now so “closely identified with UNCG we cannot imagine this institution without her at the helm.” From her first commencement in May 1995 through last December’s graduation, a total of 35,484 degrees have been awarded – 24,357 undergraduates, 10,097 masters and 1,030 doctorates – or approximately one-third of the degrees UNCG has awarded in its history.
Sullivan has embodied widely accepted principles of leadership in her almost 14 years at UNCG, Ross said. He encouraged graduates to practice the following:
• Know yourself. “To be an effective leader I believe you must first spend some time understanding who you are and what you bring to the table. Evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses; identify your skills, abilities and interests; discern your passions; reflect on your own behavior; seek feedback from others; accept guidance and supervision; and learn from experiences. Your self-evaluation must be constant and ongoing, and you must be open to changing and improving yourself as a result of what you discover.”
• Care for yourself. “Effective leaders understand the need for balance in their lives. We hear often about the need to feed our souls. Strong, successful leaders not only pay attention to the importance of a life in balance, they work to achieve it. They understand they must be able to manage themselves before they can manage others.”
• Clarify your values. “The most effective leaders I know have a personal belief system that requires them to care about more than just themselves. You cannot command the respect necessary to lead unless you maintain your credibility and nothing is more important to your credibility than trust. People must believe in you and trust your motives if they are to be expected to follow the direction you propose.”
• Appreciate and embrace difference. “The best leaders are those who not only understand and respect, but cherish and celebrate the differences that exist among those they lead as they steer them toward common goals and directions.”
• Seek Talent. “Great leaders surround themselves with talented people. Leaders who are confident in their own ability to lead and who want the best outcomes, relish the opportunity to consult with talented people who challenge their thinking and offer contrary opinions.”
• Take a risk. “You are better prepared for the diverse, changing, global world of tomorrow than most of the other people in the world today. You have what it takes to be competitive and you are positioned to do well.”
Ross urged graduates to keep their egos in check and to keep on learning, respecting others’ ideas and being willing to follow at times. “Take from your education here at UNCG the awareness that the more you know, the more you know what you don’t know,” he said.
Education is a privilege and a responsibility, Ross said. In 2007 the percentage of Americans with BA degrees from four-year institutions reached 29 percent; internationally, only 26 percent of people receive any education beyond high school.
He encouraged graduates to commit themselves to bettering the world, in ways both large and small. “It is said that ‘to whomsoever much is given, much is required,’” Ross said. “You are not only in a position to do well; you are in a position to do good. You have what it takes to make a difference. You can be a leader, an effective and positive leader for the good of others and for society.”
Paris Lofaro, Class of 2008 speaker, implored her classmates not to be “discouraged by adversity,” “tempted by mediocrity,” or “seduced by popularity.” She told them not to settle for labels or stand idly on the margins.
“It's a wonderful and terrible world that awaits us and so, we must cling tightly to our values, convictions, and our pursuit of truth and beauty….We will proceed and prevail no matter the headlines because adversity builds character, and character produces courage and courage brings hope and hope does not disappoint. Go forth in boldness. Believe in yourself and more than yourself because faith brings wondrous things. Eleanor Roosevelt said that ‘the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.’”
