President's Blog: From the Heart

By Eric F. Spina

Good morning!

Congratulations to the Class of 2019. You did it!

This is one of those milestone moments in life. Savor every minute of this weekend. You deserve to take a deep breath — and bask in the limelight for your very significant and meaningful accomplishments.

I offer a special welcome to all of our families on this joyous day. I can feel your happiness, your pride, and yes, even a little bit of relief. This day is finally here! This is a day you’ll always remember and cherish.

And to all the mothers with us today — and especially the mothers of the graduates — Happy Mother’s Day! What wonderful, special gifts your son or daughter is giving you today: a college diploma and a memory of a lifetime!

And a special shout-out to the Borchers family from Columbus, Ohio, whose triplets — Elizabeth, Steven and Michelle — are all being awarded pre-med degrees. Triple the joy, triple the pride!

Graduates, will you please rise, face your mother and your other family members, and give them a rousing round of applause for their support and love that made this day possible!

Some of you are first-generation college graduates—the first in the history of your family lineage to earn a college degree. You personify the American dream, and you will continue to open doors of opportunity — not just for yourselves, but for future generations of your family. We’re so proud of you AND so proud of the family members who made your dream — and theirs — come true.

Today, we celebrate another milestone when we award a diploma to Maria Loyd, a first-generation college diploma holder AND the first graduate of the UD Sinclair Academy — one of the most innovative partnerships in the country between a community college and a university striving to open its doors to all talented students.

Let’s have a special round of applause for the first-generation college graduates and their families!

Members of the faculty and staff: Thank *you* for creating an environment that has allowed these students to stretch themselves academically, to dream big, to dare to be great. You have prepared them to use their education and faith to make a difference — a real difference — in a world hungry for their community-building skills and innovative thinking.

Graduates, today is your day, and I want to pay special tribute to you, the Class of 2019. Nearly 1,700 strong, you are prepared to do more than just make your mark in the world. You are prepared to change the world. Today we proudly send forth:

• engineers who will embrace innovation and help create new jobs;

• educators prepared to cultivate a deep love of learning in children;

• scientists who will enter some of our nation’s top graduate programs in their pursuit of breakthroughs to improve our health and environment;

• and ethical leaders from all disciplines who will become leaders in fields as diverse as human rights and history, social work and politics, finance and global languages and cultures.

Here is my challenge to you today, dear accomplished graduates: Use your education to make a difference in the world. Strive to live meaningful lives, filled with great purpose and deep faith in what is possible. Take the canvas of your life — and make it a masterpiece.

Indeed, if one looks at the collection of talent, skills, accomplishments, and promise of the UD Class of 2019, I see a magnificent portrait. A portrait of which all the faculty and staff are so very proud.

You will walk out of this Arena today with your diploma, prepared to lead, prepared to serve, prepared to be innovators, prepared to live lives of compassion and meaning.

First and foremost, you’re prepared to lead.

You’re leading the way by diversifying the engineering field. More than 28 percent of today’s engineering graduates are women — well above the national average. You are poised to make a difference in a predominantly male field by bringing your creativity and a different, much-needed perspective to the design of products and services that will benefit humanity.

You’re in demand. For example, all eight graduating seniors in Flyer Consulting — a pro bono nonprofit consulting firm in the School of Business Administration — locked down jobs before Christmas break, thanks largely to the hands-on experience they gained developing capital campaign plans, redesigning websites, and shaping business strategy for nonprofit organizations locally and around the world.

We will survey the class of 2019 six months after graduation about your life’s first destination, but early signs indicate that virtually all of you will be employed, in graduate school, serving in the military, interning, or performing community service. You are not only ready to get to work, but you will be working!

You’re ready for the next step. Twenty-three pre-med graduates have been accepted into medical school, and every graduate of the dietetics program has secured an internship — a 100 percent match rate for the fourth straight year. In the School of Engineering, 130 of you collectively worked 370 semesters in co-op positions, earning invaluable experience and $4.7 million to help with your education expenses — all before you’ve even graduated. 

You’re prepared to use your education to serve others.

At least 20 of you are embarking on a year of service — including the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, the Marianist PULSE urban leadership program in Dayton, the Amate House leadership program in Chicago, and the Augustinian Volunteers in San Diego.

Another nine of you will serve others in a different way, commissioned as officers into the U.S. Army this afternoon and then embarking on highly commendable service to your country.

One graduating senior — Julianne Evans — has been named National Student Employee of the Year, the first time a University of Dayton student has ever been so honored. Working with the Center for Social Concern and Dining Services, she started Meals in Flight, a program that recruits student volunteers to prepare 300 meals on Sundays for delivery to the homeless and the hungry.

Fifty-four of you clocked an amazing 1,512 hours of volunteer service at the Reach Out free clinic that provides health care to the uninsured and underinsured in the Dayton community.

You’re prepared to be innovators.

We want all students to leave UD with an entrepreneurial mindset, the belief in what’s possible. At least one of you appears destined for life in and around a “Shark Tank.” Dani Ruffolo took a promising idea she developed in class, applied for and received a patent for “handy hats,” and turned it into a successful business.

The invaluable hands-on experience your class has gained working alongside researchers and faculty in labs has been second to none — and makes you stand out among your peers nationally. Take biochemistry graduate Joey Saurine, for instance. He received an elite Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate fellowship for STEM students in the nation. This brings him one step closer to his dream of earning a doctoral degree in computational neuroscience.

As another example, five graduating students worked on a program that will improve autonomous and artificial intelligence systems. Another graduating senior helped develop an improved additive manufacturing process for the Air Force for more efficient printing of metal and polymer parts.

These are just a few stories among dozens I could share about the intellectual curiosity and creative spirit of your class. In all, more than 200 undergraduates worked on sponsored research projects under the guidance of researchers and faculty this year.

Finally, you’re prepared to live lives of compassion and true meaning.

Your UD degree carries with it a responsibility to be servant-leaders — people who respect the dignity of all people, recognize the diverse gifts of all, and build community in the way our Marianist values compel us.

I admire the wisdom of Woodrow Wilson, our country’s 28^th president and a Nobel Peace Prize winner who said: “Do you covet distinction? You will get it only as the servant of mankind. …You are not here merely to prepare to make a living. …You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

Remember the errand. You must use your degree — and your lives — to make a difference in the world, a difference for others.

And as I look back on my younger self, I’d like to share one more tidbit of advice. Do not be afraid of failure as you pursue your life’s passions. All of us fail at one time or another. It’s how you rise back up and rebound from failure that tests your resilience and your faith in what’s possible. It’s always a learning opportunity, and you will never quit learning.

As I close, please remember today’s charge and take it to heart: Live meaningful lives, filled with great purpose and deep faith in what is possible. Make your life a masterpiece.

The University of Dayton will always be an important part of you, and you will always be part of this special campus community. This will always be your home.

I have full confidence you will be successful in all the ways that matter. I know our country and society will benefit from your expertise and efforts, your compassion and community-building skills, your faith and fortitude.

Members of the class of 2019, congratulations on your accomplishments. Now, armed with your UD diploma, go out into the world with confidence, conviction — and a compassionate heart. Make your life a masterpiece!

Thank you.