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Topic: Miscellaneous items
Date/Time: 5/22/2006 3:02:54 PM
Title: Sulzberger's commencement address
Posted By: Jim Romenesko
 
New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr.'s graduation address at SUNY New Paltz

Sunday, May 21st 2006

Good morning and my most heartfelt congratulations.

As the father of two relatively recent college graduates, I know how
important this moment is to all of you. Whether mother or father, you are now breathing a huge sigh of relief. Your child has the possibility of a
future and, while the bills remain to be paid, at least they've stopped
growing.

But as much as I'd like today to be about us parents, I know it's not. It's about the rest of you our children and our future. So, to all of you well done.

This is my first ever commencement speech and, depending on your reviews, maybe my last.

Worse, the truth is I even skipped my own graduation. It was a glorious
day. My cousin and fellow graduate and I heard the road calling. Motorcycles; speeches no brainer. Thank goodness it's gray and overcast today, so most of you are here.

Given my lack of commencement experience I prepared for today the way good journalists are supposed to -- I reported out the story. I read what generations of other commencement speakers had said and what themes they hit.

Ninety five percent of them come down to this: "Today you enter the
real world. Follow your heart. Find what you love and do it."

Who can argue with such wisdom? It's sort of a motherhood and apple pie statement. It sounds so easy.

So let's all tip our hat to the honesty of our favorite non-newscaster, Jon Stewart of the Daily Show. Two years ago he told a graduating class at William and Mary:

"So how do you know what is the right path to choose to get the results you desire? The honest answer is this. You don't. And accepting that greatly eases the anxiety of your life experience."

As a journalist; as a media executive; as a human being -- I come to
you fully aware of the need we all have to heed Mr. Stewart's words and
ease our anxieties. The vagaries of life are enormous, and it is those very vagaries about which I want to talk with you.

I'll start with an apology.

When I graduated from college in 1974, my fellow students and I had
just ended the war in Vietnam and ousted President Nixon. Okay, that's not quite true. Yes, the war did end and yes, Nixon did resign in disgrace
but maybe there were larger forces at play.

Either way, we entered the real world committed to making it a better, safer, cleaner, more equal place. We were determined not to repeat
the mistakes of our predecessors. We had seen the horrors and futility of
war and smelled the stench of corruption in government.

Our children, we vowed, would never know that.

So, well, sorry. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

You weren't supposed to be graduating into an America fighting a
misbegotten war in a foreign land.

You weren't supposed to be graduating into a world where we are still
fighting for fundamental human rights, be it the rights of immigrants to
start a new life; the rights of gays to marry; or the rights of women to
choose./CONTINUED BELOW

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