By Lanita Withers Goins, University Relations
Gov. Bev Perdue delivered the keynote address at UNCG’s 117th commencement May 15 at the Greensboro Coliseum. Photo by Chris English
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Posted 5-15-09
GREENSBORO, N.C. — N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue etched her place in history last November when she was elected the state’s first female leader, making history in a state where women were once denied access to the polls.
Standing before almost 2,300 newly minted UNCG graduates Friday, Perdue urged them to push the limits of possibilities and make their own history as they leave the university to pursue new adventures.
“The 21st century, perhaps more than any other, will be defined by innovation,” Perdue said. “And the leaders of this century will be those who have the boldness to take on the impossible, to raise new questions and to tackle old problems from new angles.”
Perdue delivered the keynote address for the university’s 117th commencement, the first spring commencement for Chancellor Linda P. Brady. The university conferred 1,607 undergraduate, 633 master’s, 5 specialist and 48 doctoral degrees, including the first awarded to graduates of two new master’s degree programs – the dual MS in Gerontology/MBA and the MS in Athletic Training – and the first undergraduates with a dual major in elementary education and special education.
Nancy Mapes ’48 and granddaughter Gillian Small ’09 rang the Univeristy Bell at the end of commencement. Photo by David Wilson
Jeff Colbert, a UNCG lecturer and president of the UNCG Alumni Association, welcomed the university’s newest alumni into the fold with poignant memories of his own graduation experiences.
“We have been where you’ve been. We have done what you’ve done. We have felt what you’re feeling,” he said, speaking on behalf of tens of thousands of the institution’s alumni.
“Where ever you go, whatever you do, you will carry UNCG with you. Don’t put away your UNCG sweatshirts – buy more.”
In addition to Brady, Perdue and Colbert, other participants included Clarice Cato Goodyear, representing the UNC Board of Governors; Provost David H. Perrin; Rebecca G. Adams, chair of the Faculty Senate; Stephen C. Hassenfelt, chair of the UNCG Board of Trustees, along with other trustees; Dr. James Petersen, dean of the Graduate School; and Kiya D. Ward who was the student speaker for the Class of 2009. Honorary degree recipients were High Point University President Nido Qubein and the San Diego, Calif., philanthropist Rebecca Lloyd.
Also taking part in the ceremonies were UNCG’s academic deans, faculty marshal and mace bearer Dr. Terence Nile, chief marshal Margie Wiggins and tassel turner Anna Matteson. At the conclusion, the University Bell was rung by Nancy Mapes, Class of 1948, and her granddaughter, Gillian Small, Class of 2009. The Commencement Band and Chorus provided music.
The new graduates are leaving the university during the toughest economic climate since the Great Depression. But using the examples of Orville and Wilbur Wright, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, Perdue urged graduates to surpass limits believed to be unbreakable.
“Will you be the one to figure out how to take hog waste or wood chips and discover a 21st century fuel source?” she asked. “If I were you, I’d decide right now to set tremendously high expectations for my life.”
In a light moment, Perdue also said she had high expectations for the graduates’ employment: “I hope some of you do get jobs and pay taxes because we need your money in the state of North Carolina.”
Ward, who spoke on behalf of all graduates, reminded her peers of their resiliency. “We are the class who experienced war for the duration of our collegiate career,” she said.
Despite the economic forecast, Ward predicted that the Class of 2009 would do great things in society.
“I say that although we may be in one of the worst economic situations in decades, this class of 2009 is full of accountants, financial advisors and bankers who are ready to take on the economy full force and correct the wrong that has been done,” she said.
“I say that while school systems across the world are getting more crucial, that the Class of 2009 is full of teachers, principals and superintendents who are ready and willing to enter the classroom and take charge. I say that the Class of 2009 is full of future politicians, nurses, social workers and scholars. We are a class of overcomers, and we can and will make a difference in the world today.”
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