Senator bennett classmates, thank you for the incredibly kind words. Why dont we give her a round of applause for her first year as chancellor. [applause] senator bennett i can tell you that we are delighted as a state to have you here, i look forward to the work that we will do together. I want to thank the board of trustees, proud parents and families, and of course, the brilliant class, my classmates of 2015. I also want to say hi to my wife who is here today and runs the Rocky Mountain land use institute. At least, she did run until i gave this speech. Chancellor, i have to confess that i consider this year writing a one sentence graduation speech for this class. That sentence was, how about our Mens Lacrosse Team 2015 champions . Boom. [applause] really, what more needs to be said . Not just about the team itself but about the character and commitment to excellence that it represents and shares with so much of du and its graduates. I thought i would give a one sentence speech too because im a little sensitive about my speechmaking anyway. Anytime i asked one of my three daughters whether they want to come hear me give a talk, one of them always asks, how boring will it be . This relentless mocking has been going on for six years. I like to take the girls along with me to events in colorado, in part because as they get older, it is getting harder and harder for me to get them on the phone when i am in washington. True story, last week, i called from my office phone when i knew my 10yearold daughter would be home. No answer. I called back on my cell phone she answered. Ann, i asked, why did you not pick up the house phone . The caller id said congress, ann replied. Do you know anyone else in congress who would be calling you . No, she said, but i thought i might be arrested. I am still trying to understand how it is that this fifthgrader has been listening to rand paul floor speeches and i despair at her guilty conscience. In any case, had i stuck by my one sentence speech, we would be done by now, and you would have more time to do what you want to do today, which is heading out with your family and friends and celebrate this wonderful accomplishment. I do have some lessons to pass on from when i graduated. There are many accomplished people here today to watch you graduate. Leaders in their fields and communities, some of you call them parents. Many have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Notwithstanding all of that success, i guarantee that most of us are thinking there is nothing we would not trade to be sitting where you are right now. That is not merely because you are graduating with a degree from du, although i will come to that in a moment. It is because you have the gift of time. With any luck, as individuals, you have decades to write your own story, decades to have your life count. This graduation may mark the culmination of your college years, but really, it is the beginning of your emancipated life. While you have this gift of time, it is not a lot of time. For perspective, those mountains to the west of us, including mount evans, named for the founder of du, are at least 1. 4 billion years old. If they were one day old, your life on the planet would have consumed a millisecond of the day. In the scheme of things, it is not a ton of time. Depressing, i know, but it does mean that someday we will have forgotten even the kardashians. [laughter] unless someone names a mountain after them. Im not out to provoke some sort of existential crisis about the ephemeral nature of human existence. That is not the first lesson i hope to leave you with, quite the opposite. What i want to tell you is the longer i have then around, the more i noticed that human events move far more quickly than we imagine. Crucially, let me give you an example. It surprises me to tell you that i was born 50 years ago in 1964. The time has gone by very fast. When i was growing up, because my mom and her parents had survived the holocaust in poland, world war ii was very present in my young life. World war i on the other hand seemed like ancient history. Failing states, states whose borders were created at the end of world war i, and the rise of isis has made me realize that there is nothing ancient about that history. In fact, the day i was born, i was only 50 years away from the beginning of world war i, much less than two lifetime separate the creation of the map of the middle east and the arab spring. This Perspective Matters what we think about the region. When we judge the likelihood of new states being able to overcome ancient tribal sectarian hatreds. And also, what role, if any, should the United States play. My sense is that our policymaking in the middle east over the last 15 years has lacked this essential historical perspective. The sense of proportion that comes with an appreciation for history. My suggestion to you is not to be obssessed with the passage of time, but be aware of and highly conscious of what you do with it. This is not the moment, though i suppose it is hard as a parent to refrain, not to suggest a little less stalking of celebrities on instagram or swiping left, then right, and then left again on tinder. Clearly you have overcome the barriers to success, or you would not be sitting here today, but in your emancipated life you will have more choices to make. In my own life, i have occupied jobs that have dealt with a considerable amount of conflict. Conflict from Police Shootings from school closings, from campaigns, and from divisions on the floor of the United States senate. Conflict is often essential if you hope, as you sure, to make changes to unjust conditions that humans face. You should not shy away from it. I cannot say that i regret any conflicts of principle of which i have been involved. This is my second message to you. I want to tell you that i do not cherish the memory of conflicts that i have seen that were merely partisan, simply personal, whether i experienced them in the denver schools or on the floor of the United States senate. I do not think of those conflicts as highlights in my life. I think of them as moments when people try to diminish me, or even worse, much worse, moments when i tried to diminish someone else. That is the time that i want back. By all means, please, stand up for what you believe, fight for, but do not engage in conflict for conflicts saying. Fight for sensible solutions. Attack bad ideas, but do not waste precious time attacking people who may also mean the best, or scaring people who are trying hard to understand what is right, or posturing when you do not actually know what you believe. There is enough reckless superficiality in our world and politics, and far more than enough cruelty. You will not always be generous and kind. We are all human. But, you should try to be. Education, especially higher education, and particularly from an institution like du brings with it a responsibility to avoid these kinds of conflicts. It brings with it a responsibility to fight hard but only when the stakes are high, and only with facts and reasons. This fleeting gift that you have, this gift of time, makes understanding all the more important to our world. One concluding thought. Dus vision is that it will be a great private university dedicated to the public good. As graduates, i hope you will consider some period of Public Service as something you give back to the country. I hope you will fight to ensure that many more americans who do not have that privilege today have a similar opportunity in the future. Class of 2015, you are graduating from a remarkable institution in a remarkable state, in a remarkable country. We admire you, we expect much from you, thank you in advance for your inspired, courageous, and creative leadership. Congratulations, graduates of class of 2015. Thank you. [applause] virginia rometty is chair and ceo of ibm. She returned to her alma mater, northwestern university, to give the commencement address. This is about 13 minutes. [applause]
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