Transcripts For CSPAN Washington This Week 20120526

>> last week, the administrator for the small administrative association talked about access to capital and be cost of providing health care to employees. this is just over one hour. good morning. -- >> i want to start now by giving my thanks and ask you to join me a warm set of thanks to my colleague, our deputy administrator. thank you. if you think i travel a lot to your regions, they are out every single week and doing the work of this agency. this is a ground game, we call it. we have i think really enjoyed meeting all of you out in your respective areas and regions and visiting your businesses. today it is more of a pleasure to have you here with us. this is my chance to talk to you about everything that has been going on in the world of small business. i think the first place to start is that we are honoring businesses today that embody the entrepreneur all spirit of america. we can create cutting edge products, to create services on main street that are new, that are special, that customers want. there are customers that exemplify this. i have to start with my personal favorite. i had it for breakfast. it is a great yogurt. how many of you have tried it? it is delicious. i am a fan of strawberries and blueberries, but they are all good. they took a yogurt plant in new york and made it a dominant player in the greek yogurt business. it employs more than 1200 workers. that's what we're talking about. you can innovate in yogurt. it is high-tech business. another favorite of mine in boise, idaho, an innovative motorcycle clutch that is sold to professional racers and we can enthusiasts around the world. how about someone like sarah callahan from montana? she started her own line -- who knows what it's called? red ant pants. heavy-duty work attire for women. let me just say to all of you. each and every one of you is a testament to the enduring drive of america's entrepreneurs and to the power of small business that changed lives as the transforms communities. at the sba, we're focused on our job, which is to make sure that you have the tools that you need to grow and to create jobs. people ask me what the sba does. we are the agency that helps you create two out of every three of the net new jobs in this country. half the people who work in this country own or work for small business. that is half the jobs. the entrepreneurs in this country are the lifeblood of our economy. what to do at the sba to support your business? we focus on the three c's and a d. that is the grades my son got his first year in college. we don't go back to that. counseling, contract, and disaster relief. i know that many of you have worked with us in one of these areas. i am taking this moment to talk to you because you might be only getting one part of our services and you're missing out on the rest of the c's and the d. we want to make sure you know about them. access to capital. how many of you have had a sba loan? 2011 was a record year for the sba. we did $30 billion in loan guarantees. that is more money into the hands of small businesses than ever before in history of this agency. [applause] and each one of these loans is a story, like one of yours. i was out in michigan, which was terribly hard hit and i met tom johnson, who was a chrysler employee for 15 years. he had a dream. he wanted to run his own business. he decided he wanted to become a franchisee. frozen yogurt is great. we always need another. but he didn't have experience. he was able to get an sba loan. he is now looking for a second location. access to capital is a critical piece of what we do. we know we can be more streamlined. that is one of the things that a whole team has been working on, led by jeanne. jeanne has been talking to you and one of the results was a program that we have for small businesses who may be one to win a big order but they need enough cash on hand to finance the inventory. we had a program but it was too cumbersome. we reengineered the program and we have a 220% increase in the usage of this program, something you asked us for. if you have looked into that, do. we not only do our regular programs, last year was a record year for our small business investment company program. $2.6 billion went into the hands of small business and we had record amounts that we put out in newly licensed -- i want to think shawn green and a program for that. you just honored the winner and i was with some last week in nashville. it is amazing how many small businesses and entrepreneurs are getting their start the this program. you probably know some of the brand names that were accepted -- apple, fedex, costco, intel -- pretty good track record, and i know there are more successes on the way. we took our program and launched the early stage program. the real the valley of death -- an absence of capital and we're pleased we put $1 billion a year for the next five years into the program in a competitive process so people are applying as i speak. federal contracting, the second c. i spoke about with the administrator of nasa. $100 billion annually is what is monitored across all agencies that goes into the hands of small businesses and we think of this as a win-win. it is good for the agencies because they get the most innovative companies and the most innovative ideas. small businesses get one the most important things, revenue -- $100 billion. maybe the biggest program for small businesses across the government. i was in nashville last week. i spoke to about 700 of the department of defense contract buyers and people who help small businesses. they were there to make sure that they make their goals for this year. so all of you, we have a day tomorrow with the matchmaking and some other activities, real opportunities in our government contracts and opportunities. the third c. how many of you have a counselor or long-term mentor that helps you with your business? raise your hands. i get this all the time. every single one of you should have one. it makes a difference -- more sales, more longevity, more success, hiring more people, and the best news is it is free. we have a network where many will be honored -- were honored this morning at practice and they are here with us from small business development centers come from all of our clusters around the country. we reached a million entrepreneurs last year. with good results. if you don't have time for this, go online. 2.5 million entrepreneurs have taken advantage of our online training since 2009. we have some terrific programs out there and want to make sure that you take access and opportunity. the d is disaster relief. last time i was in nashville was two years ago and it was six days after the horrible flood that flooded the grand old opry and some small businesses. two years later, i was happy to walk main street with the mayor and put $124 million into homeowners and small business owners to help them get back on their feet. we do this in smithville, where the tournedos came. we had a wonderful team and you'll hear more about this at our phoenix lunch. this is the core of what we have been able to do at the sba. better? i want to make sure you could hear me. i want all of the sba staff to stand for a moment. i see my technical assistance people -- [microphone hums feedback] let's walk back about three years ago. when i first took this job, the economy was in terrible shape and all of you remember this. the banking market just froze. america's small businesses took it hard. we were able to step in and give access to the capital markets with our loan guarantee program. we made helping small businesses a top priority. i want to make sure one point is clear. small businesses like tax cuts, right? this a administration has put through 18 tax cuts for small businesses. if you do not know what they are, go to our website. we want to make sure you have taken advantage of all the potential tax cut opportunities. tax cut for hiring unemployed workers, veterans, allowing small businesses to write off the full cost of new investments. the president called on congress to pass another tax cut for small businesses. number 3 on the list is a small business tax credit 10% tax credit that will create more jobs in 2012. we want to extend the wonder% expensing -- 100% for all businesses in 2012. we also passed the recovery act, the small business job act -- that was the most important piece of legislation in 10 years. this gives us the flexibility to do more to help you grow your business is. we have supported 79 billion dollars since 2009. we brought 1000 community banks back to sba lending that had not made a loan since 2007. then we turned our attention to the big banks and we got our top 15 lenders to commit $20 billion in incremental small business lending. so we have the small banks and the big banks backed. there is still work to do it in filling the gaps with small loans and we have been focused on that for the last year and will continue to work on that with some new programs and simplifications, more dollars so that we can make sure that we have all our entrepreneurs able to get access to the capital that they need. so now we're beginning to see the economy improved. when i sit down with a small business, there's a different conversation. now you're telling me, i need a loan because i need to take the next order, hire more people, grow my business. our economy has created more than 4.2 million private-sector jobs, many of them at small businesses. it is more than triple the number of jobs that were created in the recovery from 2000 to 2004. look at the economy today. we have put in place for small businesses and across the economy some of the structure that we need to do with the president calls build an economy that is built to last. that means and, that is not built on a bubble -- that means an economy that is not built on a bubble. it is built on advanced manufacturing and increased exporting. we want to make sure the foundation is inclusive, that there is opportunity for all on to birders in this country, because that is what makes this country strong and successful. now we're turning our attention to this issue. many of you have told me that you number one problem is finding skilled workers, especially in manufacturing. darlene miller will be up shortly and has been instrumental in -- i will not steal your thunder. she has some great programs. we're working on supply chains. many of you are part of a supply chain, serving america's largest companies or the government. we have started with ibm working on a whole set of programs. part of our american supplier initiative to make sure that small companies can find those opportunities and that big companies can find a small companies. with ibm, we have 16 major companies -- banks, facebook, john deere -- signed up to work through this with $300 million worth of purchasing power. go take a look and see if your business works for this supplier portal. smalltrying to get more businesses to be signed up and we have over 4000 now. we'll be talking about this more over the next day and have. this is what national small business week is about. it is about opening the doors and making sure entrepreneurs from all the communities across this country have access and opportunity to grow their businesses. i was with the president last week and we kick off national small business week. we did and we went out to small business that serves food. we went to a sub shop right here in town. it was startup by two young men from the philadelphia that came to wash dishes and could not get a good hoagie. they claim it is not cheese steak but the hoagie. they truck the bread down every morning from philadelphia. we had a terrific time talking to them. they told the president they started their first shop, they had some success. they started a second shop. they wanted to start a third but they were tapped out. one of our district directors was walking door to door and walked into their shop and said i'm with the sba and i want to know how i can help. the owner grabbed their business store. eagle bank said, "we do not need the guarantee." the president got this. we don't create your business but we can accelerate what you do and then helped to grow the next level. at that store were two other entrepreneurs. organicchel's owns an market. she is a korean immigrant and had sba support. "i'm living the american dream," she said to the president. brian started a contract in and construction business after decades of working for other people. he is now a prime contractor for the federal government. he does the excavations and he is part of the win-win we're talking about when we were talking about federal contracting. these entrepreneurs and all of you here today and all across the country are the reason that i believe in america's future. you are the foundation stone of an economy that is built to last. that is why the president, the sba, all across this administration, we're committed to helping you grow and succeed. america's greatest strength has always been rooted in the ingenuity of view, our small business owners. and the imagination and in the diversity of on to burners. and in all of our productivity together, it is this powerful combination that build the greatest economy in the world and has produced the greatest innovations in the world and has helped lift generations of americans into the middle class and allowing them to live the american dream. makeher we're going to sure that this proud tradition continues and together we will create an america that is built to last. thank you very much. [applause] thank you again for being here. i have the great pleasure of reinforce a panel that will have to gather -- look at my notes. but first, where's cathy? i will invite the other folks that will run the panel up to the podium to sit with us. martineg to ask cathy from at&t to come up and say a few words to you. kathy is the executive vice president for small business solutions an alternate channels at at&t. she leads a $13 billion business. many of you need help, cathy is here. she and at&t are longtime sponsors of national small business week. i want to thank them so much for their support. we'll bring cathy up to say a few words and the rest of the panel up to join me here. >> thank you and good morning. it is such a pleasure to be here. i am always inspired by her comments and stories. you are the american dream. small business week is the highlight of my year. i do a lot public speaking. you represent what america stands for. some of those statistics that we heard about -- a couple of challenges in 2008. many of you live that. it is exciting to be here. you have to see opportunity when opportunity may not be there. anyone who is committed to sustaining the american dream must insure that all of us has to support small businesses as best we can. we've turned our focus on a couple of key areas. first, convincing -- by hiring small businesses. we try to persuade other corporations about how we can help. the providing and the financing. we've tried to support the financing. third is technology to drive future growth. providing financing and encouraging the use of powerful technologies and applications to help companies be faster and more productive. i hope you'll stop the aid to both and talk about products and services -- i help you stop at the at&t booth. at&t spent $12 billion -- that represent 23% of diversified spending. we spent $9 billion with minority-owned firms and $3 billion on companies that were owned by women. if you want to be a leader, you need to work with the first suppliers to help you go to the next level. financing is the top of my issue with all the customers that i talk to. the number of small business loans has improved but we can still do more. i know the sba has been working hard on making sure to fill the gaps to other loans to other institutions. at&t capital has provided more than $6 billion in financing for small businesses. that allows companies to access badly needed financing. that is been a key party since i started three years ago. 2010 and 2011, nearly two -- $42 million in badly needed financing. we continue to provide the level of support. when you have the tools to succeed, we succeed. access to funding is closely linked to access to technology. the oxygen of small businesses. no other sector -- that is an area we spent a lot of our time understanding how we get help to unleash the capacity of your businesses to become smarter and more productive. i would like to share a couple of examples. there is a company in minnesota. they supplement their business in the winter by plowing snow. the more effectively you could tractor drivers, the more profitable your business. anything but smooth sledding. drivers need to know where to go. long ranger employed a web- based application to track the drivers and to automatically build customers, so there is no paper in this equation. there is not a lot of time spent at starbucks. drivers became more efficient by providing more accurate and efficient customer billing. in miami, a catering company stands out because catering comes down to how good your food looks and how your customers will perceive it. their mantra is what looks good tastes good. the use will time photo scaring to send pictures back to headquarters for review and modification of the company's owner. they can then make any modifications on the spot. the results -- more satisfied customers. they manage their fleet of 40 drivers on a busy day, insuring the food arrives when it is supposed to. smart phones and tablets have become important. a new suite called mobile protection pact. it provides insurance and gps tracking of your location. if you left your phone summer, it can track where it is. our goal is to make it easier to locate missing devices so you can concentrate on running your business. theso thrilled of opportunity to be on this panel. i stand in awe of your positive attitude, not to mention the fact that you are making money. i have no doubt you will continue to provide -- thank you for what you do every day and i hope you are as pleased as i am to work with an organization as wonderful as the sba. thank you very much. [applause] >> good morning. can you hear ok? i want to make sure you can hear well. my name is rick cochran, president and ceo of mobile medical international corporation. last year i was the small business person of the year. [applause] thank you. it really was a glorious moment. one person will be selected and it is a great honor. we have a responsibility -- i speak at rotary clubs and some commencement addresses, things i have never done before. i think that is the key and i appreciate the vision that administrator mills provides and what she is done for us. i want to tell a side story. after winning the award, it was a full weekend, a lot of interviews and activities. we had an international delegation coming to our facility. we met with them sunday night. that was denied the tornado hit in joplin, missouri. a staff member said, we do not know we do not know but everybody is trying to get information about the tornado that has decimated the hospital. we thought, as i sit stood on the stage and thought about the moment with administrator mills, the moment i felt the appreciation for the opportunity to be recognized as a small- business person, i said, let's do something we have not done and we took a mobile unit and we put it on the road to joplin, not even knowing if there was a need. that was a seven-story building that was decimated. when they saw we have done side, they said, we need to another one. the surgery units were used until last month. i would say that it was inspiring but it also inspired me and thank you for that. [applause] i like to introduce darlene miller, the president and ceo of permac industries. darlene is the owner and ceo. customers around the globe in a variety of industries including medical, transportation bill. they have received a number of awards. darlene was the minnesota state winner and the 2008 national chamber of commerce business person for the entire u.s., has been appointed to sit on the president's council for jobs and competitiveness. darlene. [applause] >> thank you and good morning. i'm excited to be here today. i have 38 employees and we're in the -- we do a lot of things in aerospace, defense, and have made some great connections through the sba. that is my real job i do everyday but i'm excited to serve on the president's council for job competitiveness and be a voice for small business. i believe the president and all of us have listened to a lot of recommendations and made a lot of the changes as administrator mills alluded to earlier and many other areas such as regulatory that we're working on. i am excited to be here and to answer any questions that people may have. >> ok, thank you. i think you hear about what sba is doing and that is critical for small business. we have an opportunity to have some dialogue, some interchange amongst the panel, to hear your questions and to be able to participate. this is an opportunity -- not everybody is a billion dollar company. some are just starting out and still in the growth stage. what are the kinds of issues that impact you? things that you would like to ask? i will toss out, as i look at some of the other issues out there. we talk about the importance of capital. there is a practicality of capital. how many biz's start off with too much capital in their banks? probably not too many of us. we're struggling and trying to piece things together. i think that is the heart of america. we do what it takes. we are persistent and we get the job done. i think we're proving that over and over again as a country. from my perspective, one thing we've done -- when i started the company, a one out to70 individuals that i've been working. i was setting up surgery centers around the country. out of the 70 doctors, i look for people that might be able to invest. i wrote a letter and put a plan together. out of 70 this is a, 35 had responses. 50% in anything is a good number. a few said, let's get a few of us together. there were three surgeons and myself the started the company. we did some leasing along the way. we least the unit and we sold the units. we brought cash in for today. you have been there. those are areas that we can do things. i was interviewed on msnbc maybe six months ago and they talked about -- they thought i had a unique story. people were not paid for some of their time as a company. they said, how you get away with that? how do you get people to work for free? they had a panel discussion but i had no chance to respond. two of the panelists were impressed and flattered because i was able to keep the company alive. the third palace said that is taking advantage of those people -- the third panelist. we didn't ignore the value of what they were putting into the company. we covered whenever there is shortfall was. we offered stock. we did things that made a difference. >> i didn't have the capital when i started -- went into the business. i wanted to buy 45% of it. i went to get a loan. he became a mentor and a friend. help me with my business plan. if it weren't for him, i would not be here today. in 2008, we decided to double our space again. we started from a small a thousand-square-foot -- 8,000- square-foot space. i was able to get another loan. >> ok. >> most of you -- in this room have been successful. we want to make sure that entrepreneurs have the opportunity. that is why the combination of loan guarantees and mentor ship and counseling is so critical. as you know, you do not know what you do not know. if you walk in, we have small business development centers that were able to take 70% of the people who were unable to get a loan, sit down with them, redo their presentation and get them bankable. that was in north carolina. >> thank you. cathy, i wonder if folks would reach out and get some information on your program. >> we have a number of brochures that are applications that can help you run your business more effectively. what we have found to be successful is a technical support. many times you do not anticipate the growth of your business. we provide technical support. hosting applications. imagine the customers if there system went down and they had no backup. we talk about hosting applications and making sure you have eight redundancy plan -- and make sure you have a redundancy plan. we're happy to make that person available to you. we'll make sure we have account teams follow-up with you. you can call or e-mail us. you can check our web site or portal app. we tried to position ourselves as the trusted person to help you run your business. we try to make sure we offer expertise to help you as your businesses grow. >> thank you. if there are questions, we're looking to receive those. we have a list of things we're happy to share but it is your questions and comments that are important. yes. >> [unintelligible] >> if you would step to the microphone. this is a live feed. can you state your name? >> i am bob, consulting engineer. i find that i have less employees than five years ago, three years ago. i had to dumb down the health insurance plan because the got too expensive. none of the tax credits apply to us because our employees make more than $25,000 a year. my loan was a suspect even though it is been a 1 four5 years. just a credit line -- my lawn was suspect even though it is been there for 15 years. is it worth keeping. my great fear is that one day my wife of 37 years will roll over in the morning and whisper in my ear, "i'm not going to sign for that bank loan anymore because we need to keep something for our retirement and you are getting older. maybe we can not last out this recession." that is the reality i see as a small-business owner and entrepreneur. maybe the panel can give me some advice on that front. "washington journal >> -- this is a story i have heard from small business owners all over the country. let me take a couple of pieces of the concerns you mentioned. there have been universal voices. we have been able to bring some of these pillars as concerns of small businesses. the first is access to credit. on the regulators making sure that this is done all the way down to the regional regulators so that small businesses -- the pendulum doesn't go too far the other way. we are having constant conversations with our colleagues in the regulatory bodies here to make sure they are focused on the needs of small business, that they do not get caught in an undue regulations. make sure that banking regulations that come down have guidances that are communicated. make sure local and regional regulators understand what the guidance is and small-business loans to not getting crossed. i pledge to small businesses that we are going to continue to have those conversations making sure that small banks and community banks melody regulators. that is something the administration is -- and community banks know the regulators. that is something the administration is working on. everyone should know some of the benefits that are available. everybody should take a look and see if they qualify for the health care tax credit. with the health care legislation, in 2014, there will be marketplaces for insurance companies are bidding on small businesses, creating more opportunity for you to find a plan that works for you. it is an ongoing challenge. we want to be there whether it is for retirement planning -- have a consular look at your business and work with you. somebody who has based retirement situation in a business to help you navigate those things -- faced retirement situations in a business to help you navigate those banks. >> we are an entrepreneurial success story. yesterday, i was at boston university. my daughter graduated. we drove because we were excited about being here. it is great that she graduated. we have two out of the nest now. eric smith -- the google executive -- talked about technology as a tool. technology is a tool. you have to be brilliant and innovative. he said young people will teach us more than we would know as people who are not as digitally native. i want to throw this out as a challenge and an opportunity for the sba. i know we have a social media that will tweet up tomorrow. it is important that we get people who are passionate about getting on board with technology and marketing and pr that will transform our businesses and society. is there any way sba can convene a group where we can talk and share best practices? i think if we have something online with great young thinkers and some of us old people to come up with great ideas, it will be valuable. i am going this out to the sba to see if we could potentially do something created like that. >> we are going to be talking about it today. i note there are activities already in this area -- i know there are activities in this area. all of this social media is good news for small business. it allows us activity and opportunities to get to the market in targeted ways. you have to find the way that is right for you. things are going so fast that it is hard to keep up. we are going to take your recommendations on this forum. i see marie nodding on this. we are going to put it together with some things that are already occurring. we are going to focus on this because it is good for small business. >> they were talking about technology and how it will change the way health care is delivered using the smartphone and greater activity between you and your provider. it was an exciting lecture. the question was asked by the ceo of a rather large health- care entity. what happens 10 years from now when 50% of all of the work performed in a hospital is done outside of a hospital? things like different ways of communicating, have your heart monitor with you at all times through the smartphone, home dialysis. things are starting to happen even through mobile technology and mobile surgery. the dynamics have shifted. how do you respond to that? that is the entrepreneurial activity -- opportunity for all of us. technology becomes a major driver in all of those scenarios. >> i am with the national association for the self- employed. a husband and i recently launched a business this month, a gourmet popcorn. we received and valuable support in helping us put our business together and launch our business. the consular worked with us for over a year. the-the consular worked with us for over a year -- the much has talked about access to capital. we have seen the administration doing a lot of your business owners find access to capital. one of the things not talked about is credit. you hear about a lot of money being flowed through or credit unions or fda programs. one of the things not discussed his credit. you hear about this money out there, but you cannot access it because of all the credit requirements. i would love to learn a little bit about how someone's credit score comes into play with this and hear from the business owners about how they kind of manage the process in terms of their personal credit history and accessing a loan. >> this is a question we get quite a bit. rather than take our time because i know you want to get to the others, i suggest that our team gets together with you and you can hashem out for your organization. there is a lot of discussion about creating a more robust look at credit than just accredits corporation and we are actively participating in that. >> i am from interactive achievement. first, let me say the fda -- sda was a blessing. it helped us from the 10 employees to 20 employees. my question does not quite piggyback off of her question, but it kind of does. because of what happened and god bless us all from making it through the worst recession ever. let us start there. [applause] what has happened is, and i do not know if anybody else is facing it, but is not just the credit's core. you have to have assets. i mean fully paid off assets, bringing to the bank before they are even going to talk to you. whether the sda is involved or not. the sba has extend loans to give you more capital, which was wonderful for us in and in our area, which we are very involved in in we have a wonderful. in virginia, there are so many businesses who were approving growth -- who are proving growth. hiring employees. revenues are growing. all those things that we want. those do not mean anything anymore to a bank unless it is an asset. unless you have an asset. my question is, is because sba looking toward or looking in the future of becoming that asset for those young businesses that approve growth over three years? and, they are going to be the asset on top of what that small business has already begun. >> once again, i think the answer is yes. good point. in the case of intellectual property, we have a lot of discussions with the patent office about how we can get small companies in their earlier stages started when all they have is property. that is why property is very valuable. our role is to become the backstop when it is that the bank sees you as a young growing successful business, but just cannot get there on the record that you have, we step in here we provide that kind of wind at your back so that you can get that first set of loans and then hopefully, you grow to be marketable and we go on to the next small-business. >> part of that answer is that there are other institutions. people that take greater risk from the s&p i see back funds. we could spend a day just on the banking side, for sure. one more question is all we have time for. >> our company -- i wanted to make a comment about the emphasis on the issues that are affecting us. i know that you are doing a tremendous amount with access to capital. i want to share one more perspective about the health- care issue. i view my ability to provide health care to my employees saas the most important issue after that access to capital. once you get past the access to capital issue or think that you are testing it -- passed it, you feel that your growth is tied to the ability to provide a really nice safety net for your staff. one of the things we are finding over the last, since we have been in business, is the percentage increases that we are seeing annually, you know, from the options we have to provide adequate insurance to our employees, they are large. the percentage increases are large. it is not unusual to have a 15% increase, said lee. -- sadly. one of the things up small businesses have to do is they have to make choices as to come i cannot provide medical care in short and long-term disability insurance and a 401k? you look at the package and you want to provide all of that. but, when the medical plans -- it is difficult to do that. i had an experience like your weary senior employee in our company had a stroke. it came out of nowhere. our long-term disability insurance was able to provide a solution for her, saying god. but, the year before, we had had a difficult debate as to whether we could keep these things. what she will never be able to return to work, she has an ability to receive 60% offer salary until she is 65. it is wonderful we could provide that. there is tremendous pressure every year to do that. one of the things i wanted to mention to you is i feel that the sba needs to be more vocal on this issue. i feel that our government sales of they allow insurance companies to discriminate against us when one of our employees is the loser in the genetic perlet of their health. the ability deep -- the ability for an insurance company to look at a company's claims and if they have had a few employees that have been sick, hospitalized, or something like that, they can find themselves facing 100% increase or more. an insurance company tried to get them out of the plan. i would like to see more from the sba. >>." as a entrepreneur, we note the pains you are struggling with. health care will be an issue. it is a major issue. it will be debated at the national level. it will be debated at the state level. what can i do today in my business? what can i do to help? i know i can make a difference. that is where we put as much as as as we can. that might seem a little simplistic, but that is the reality. the sba will do everything they can to mitigate those kinds of challenges. >> your story is something we have heard from small business owners are around the country. 18% more -- [unintelligible] that is what these exchanges are designed to solve. those issues that you just described were very much a part of the basis for the affordable care act and i will share with you that sebelius and i were out with small business owners and one of them said the same thing. the day that i was able to provide health insurance for my employees is the day that i called my small business a success. we're there to help make this happen for small businesses. i think we have one other question and i am obliged to keep us on time. >> i only had a hundred word vocabulary after my sproat. i return to -- after my stroke. i returned to work. i could not drive. i could not right. fortunately, we have such good medical care in this country in such good research that i was able to put myself back together. [applause] i am happy to share my story with the woman that works for you because we can get well. i am a living example. i happen to be the maryland person of the year. we developed a mobile application for amtrak. we were the beneficiaries of sbdc, you know, the legislation. the ara legislation. thank you. we are extremely grateful. you made a difference in our business. our business continued to grow. our revenues and profits -- we tightened things down. our profit percent increase to 190% year over year. as small businesses, we are very strong. we are the business person of the year. my question is from may, we are looking beyond the recession and the global competition. as it relates to our business, what should we be doing looking to the global economy. what device to you have? who should we be talking to? >> i am in manufacturing. back in 2003, i went over to china and i have been over there three times since. i think we have to grasp that we are global economies. we need to get educated as to what our challenges are. i think we are all hearing that there is a lot going on now. we need to be prepared. mainly, it is to educate yourself. find out where you can blend in with different programs. >> thank you b. >> thank you for attending. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> we will bring in a senate hearing on the national guard and reserve forces propose spending cuts. then, a commencement address is starting with michael bloomberg followed by bob mcdonnell and later, rawlings blake. >> life is incredibly precious. it passes by far too quickly. doing your time here, use all of your unique talents to serve one another, as that will be the true measure by which your life will be judged. follow the golden rule. >> memorial day weekend, what commencement speeches on c-span. politicians, white house officials, and business leaders share thoughts with the graduating class of 2012. today through tuesday at noon and 10:00 p.m. eastern >> on "washington journal" we spoke with a senior petroleum analyst. looking at gas prices this memorial day weekend. host: turning us now is a senior petroleum analyst. good morning. guest: good morning. host: talk about the decline of oil prices as we head into the holiday weekend. what is causing the drop? guest: consumers think that when we go into a holiday weekend, prices have to increase but that is a misconception. we have had a number of travel holidays where prices have stayed flat or they dropped. the key reason they are dropping is because crude oil has come down. it was trading yesterday between $90.90 $1 per barrel, lower from the $108. >> and one of our the worst tweeted in and said it is it funny about greed. the pretty -- -- -- how much control to local gas stations have over when they raise the price and lower the price? tell us about the market economics. >> -- guest: that is an interesting question because we hear this from consumers. it really depends from loan market to another -- one market to another. if someone is in the metro area with a tremendous amount of competition, that will have an impact on price changes. they want to keep prices as low as possible. people think these retailers make a fortune selling gasoline, but they make a much healthier profit margin on the candy, beer, soda, and potato chips. the profit margin is not on the gasoline. another thing that impacts the price can be the state law itself. the legislature that controls prices. some states allow gas to be sold below cost. -but -- other states prohibit that. in places where you have wholesale clubs like costco, the business model is designed to have a very low price that brings people in the door where they can buy all the other merchandise and groceries. host: either in the implications that can have -- are there any implications on the broader economy guest: it is difficult to tell -- ? guest: it is difficult to tell because there are many things that influenced gasoline. the rise of the u.s. dollar has an impact on crude oil prices and retail gasoline prices. some things are as simple as though whether -- bellwether. anybody in the south these knows that when there is a hurricane, if it threatens the gulf of mexico, we will see a bit of a spike in gas prices because we know that impacts the refinery infrastructure. there are so many different things that can impact prices. in the middle east, we are certainly keeping an eye on these negotiations that iran is engaged in. they completed the second round of negotiations in bed again. -- that get -- baghdad. there is a third round of negotiations coming up in june in moscow. if those do not go well, we could easily see the price of crude oil start heading back up instead of coming down. all of these things have the potential to impact gas prices. host: looking at a recent story from your site to -- why is there not a direct correlation between gasoline prices and oil? guest: a lot of people think there should be a direct correlation. there are other factors that can impact the retail price at the pump. generally, while retail prices to follow crude oil prices, there is a lag time. they will follow the direction. we cannot say there is a direct link that says if crude oil is saysx, gasoline might be at y. host: the federal gas tax in 2013, what are you looking at? guest: we will not see an increase in the federal gas tax. people should know that all across the country, they pay federal gas tax of 18.4 since per gallon. depending on where they live, if they are in south carolina, they are paying the lowest state gas prices in the country. 35 cents per gallon. in new york and california, they are paying 67 cents per gallon. i heard you say what portion of the cost in a gallon of gas goes to taxes, but there is quite a bit of variation from one place to another. host: thank you so much. >> we are joined by adam liptak on sunday, talking about the supreme court. including cases dealing with health care in arizona immigration laws. at 8:30 a.m., we discussed each of's first presidential election since the arab spring. later, colbert came continues the spotlight on columnists. that is live tomorrow starting at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c- span. >> u.s. national guard and leadership testified before a senate subcommittee last week. a hearing examiner cuts to the national guard as well as equipment shortfalls. they discussed the use of the reserves in the operating forces of the army, navy, air force, and marines. this is about 40 minutes. >> gentleman, a thank you port joining us. -- ford joining us. your false statements will be on the record. -- your full statements will be on the record. >> thank you for the privilege to speak with you again this morning about the capabilities incapacities and readiness of our 63,980 dedicated men and women who are serving in our navy reserve. the decade since 911 has performed 64,000 year-long mobilizations to active duty. truly on the front lines of freedom. this exemplifies our values of honor, courage, and commitment. as our model and ouwe claim, we are ready. there are three tenants for the navy. we are fighting for spirit operate forward. be ready. the navy reserve is a wind with these direction and our sailors are eager to do their part to ensure the navy remains the world's premiere maritime service. reserve sailors provide pole and part-time operational capabilities and important, strategic maritime nations to ensure the navy is ready to respond globally to situations while maintaining fiscal efficiency across our whole spectrum of operations. thanks to the work of this congress for fiscal year 2012, secretaries have assured access to reserve components. this will allow the navy to assign missions. we will first have the opportunity to budget for such use of assured access and fiscal -- in fiscal year 2014, i want you to know how important it is to our future force. i am also appreciative of your support for our navy's unique suite. congressional support is enabling our critical ability to be more cost-effective and effective and thus more operationally relevant in the future. our 2013 budget requires us -- belfort's value for its readiness, innovation, agility, and accessibility. the true prize for our sailors in the navy alike will be the real and meaningful work as part of america's global force for good. the navy reserve has assumed 100% of the navy's of monti commitment to the overseas contingency operations for fiscal year 2013 and beyond. the reserve components must be asked and even required to do those missions we are able to do. this is my fourth and final year of appearing before your committee. i am proud of the accomplishments and am thankful for the support of this congress. on behalf of our sailors and their families and civilians, thank you for your continued support and commitment to our navy blazer. >> thank you. >> first of all, it is an honor to be here. thank you for all the support you continue to give our soldiers and nation. on behalf of the 205,000 soldiers that are serving our nation, what epitomizes what the soldiers are all about is the young soldier i brought with me today. is it being very eloquent in an open statement, i wanted to introduce him to you. seated to my left is sergeant burgess and his wife. he is from ohio and belongs to the psychological unit. last year, he was in afghanistan. he was in southern afghanistan, attached to the marines. out on a mission, helping work with the local afghans to get them to show the marines locations of ieds and other dangers, while doing that he himself stepped on an ied, lost his leg with severe wounds to the rest of his body. the first thing he said when she contacted him was "i am not getting o ut. i am staying in." he is at the warrior training brigade rehabing so he can get back in the force. that epitomizes why we are here. we are here because of them. we are here to say that we have to make sure we are doing everything within our power in an era where we are looking to save money and reduce debt. we cannot afford to shortchanging these great soldiers. they are protecting our nation. they are our first line of defense. they are indispensable, because our army cannot do what it does without our army reserve. we are an indispensable force for them. i use him as a symbol of why i am here. i look forward to your questions. >> thank you for your service to our nation. i want to tell you we are very proud of you. please, derecognize. -- be recognized. [applause] an important partner is your wife. [applause] i will now call upon the general of the marines, a general hummer. >> thank you very much. it is an honor and a privilege to speak with you today on behalf of your united states marine corps reserve. we welcome your leadership and your support. the subcommittee's continued unwavering support for marine corps reserve and its associated programs enables marines to professionally and competently performed in an operational capacity that is greatly appreciated. with me today, and i asked them to stand up, are my to senior advisers -- two senior advisers. they epitomized the navy and marine corps team and proudly represent our services of marines and sailors to form the backbone of marine force reserves. [applause] the marine corps is as strong today as ever in its 236 year history. our marines have been doing what they do best since 1775, standing shoulder to shoulder to fight our nation's battles. i am pleased to report to you today that today's marine corps attend to its commitment as a total force. as such, they are integrated in all areas of the marine corps as ever before. since 2001, the required the reserve to be continuously engaged in combat operations in iraq and afghanistan as well as in regional crisis prevention activities. almost 80,000 reservists have been activated or mobilize since september 11. this tempo has built a momentum among our war fighters with a depth of experience that is unprecedented in the generations of marine corps reservist. this operational tempo as an able the marine force reserve to evolve from a strategic reserve to an operational force capable of filling pulp roles, the strategic and the operational. in the operational role, and they have source comment preplanned, and routine combat and requirements. they continue to perform its role with focus readiness that in abels -- enables a transition. we have almost 1500 marines and sailors deployed on five continents in support of six battened commanders including operations in afghanistan and activities by the task force in eastern africa. as they reshaped from 2001 to 182, the depth and range of the reserve will be leverage to mitigate risks and maximize opportunities were available. i am highly confident that the marine corps reserve strength is appropriate for providing us with the personnel required to support the total force during active component meltdown. this is critically important. it is a privilege to serve during these very important and challenging times in our nation's defense, especially as a leader of our all volunteer reserve component fours. with your support, i am highly confident that your marine corps reserve will remain a response of a forest that continues to be fully vested in -- responsive force that continues to be fully vested. i look forward to your questions. >> thank you very much. now may i recognize general stenner. >> thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. i would like to introduce my nose commander-in-chief and have firsthand. chief sergeant master kathleen buckner. [applause] i strongly believe today's air force reserve is eight essential component of the total force because of our acceptability as a title and resource. airmen are seamlessly integrated into every service core function across the full spectrum of operations. the air force reserve is responsive to national security needs and is an affordable component of your air force. a ready force deployable within 72 hours. the reserve is able to do this because of the depth of experience. the personnel have come to us through the active force and have additional experience and our mission capability rates reflexiveness every day. without a doubt, the reserve is positioned to retain the massive investment in human capital and maintain a cost effective heads. the reserve has experience of over 20 years of operational engagement including this. our air force reserves succeed at being operationally engaged in the strategically prepared to do to our focus on maintaining the right balance. the correct reserve guard an active force mix is adaptable to circumstances. i believe be it requires more. the president and secretary of defense are clear about the need for reverse ability. the year reserve is leverage to make this happen. they can trust it will be there when called and equipped to the same standards. there are challenges to maintain. the air force reserve is forecasted to reduce by nine antipersonnel. that figure is just the proposed budget and is the tip of the iceberg. the personnel losses are in specialties that are still essential to the total force. at the same time, they do not easily transferred to the new area. a maintainers 17 years of experience cannot become a cyber warrior. that perspective it has the capability of losing 5000 to 6000. it does globally filled it in smaller numbers. in addition, it there should be a more robust reserve component as a production force base on the predictability of search operations. the reserve is engaged today employs for the future with the right mix of active components. we can support irreversibility plan, it contributes to recovery, and ensure the interest. i am honored to have served the last four years of the air force reserve. i sincerely appreciate this committee's support of our air men. i stand ready to respond to your questions. thank you. >> thank you. may i now call upon the general stultz. you were called upon to [unintelligible] can you give us an update of where you are at this moment? how do you think your operational reserve can be used in afghanistan? >> coming into this job six years ago, which i only planned to stay for four, that was the task. how can you transformed the reserve from a strategic putting to an operational funding and put them on a rotational basis? and do that at the same time what we're trying to fight a war on two fronts. i can report to you today that it has been a success. of over the last time, they have mobilized 200,000 of our soldiers and put them in to support missions in iraq, afghanistan, and here at home. we have kept the active duty between 20,000 and 30,000 soldiers every day since that inception. they are doing critical missions. i would say our force is indispensable. we are the enablers for the army. we are the engineers, the medical structure, military policemen, all those capabilities that the army over time has shifted more and more into the reserve components. as an example, it today if you look at the transportation capability, critical capability as we try to reduce our footprint in afghanistan, that transportation ability to get soldiers and equipment out of there is critical. 85% of that capability rests in the guard and reserves. 70% of the medical capability rest in the guard and reserve appeared 85% of civil affairs and psychological affairs rest in the reserve. the army cannot do what they do without us. that transformation has been hugely successful. i will tell you why. it is not the leaders of. -- leadership i have given. it is the dedication our soldiers have given. soldiers after in the reserve today either have joined or reenlisted while the nation is at war. they know what they have signed up for. this culture says i am joining to do something to serve my country. i am not doing this to be a weekend warrior. the challenge we guy is how do we keep them? it is critical that we have the right training, and the right equiping comment to make sure we retain that force and keep them ready. we're not that predicting the future. we do not know where the next conflict will be. the army is like to have to call upon us on short notice to get there and get into the operations to sustained combat operations. that is why things like the ngra is so critical. it is the fed's ability to buy equipment i need now that is the program -- gives me the flexibility to buy equipment that i need now that is in the program. the money we're transferring to provide extra training days for the soldiers in their fourth year and fifth year is critical. the army reserve is an operational force. it is highly successful. it is successful because of soldiers. >> we have been advised that yet had equipment shortfalls. how is that impacting your mission? >> what i can tell you is if you look at the figures of the equipment on hand, we are better than we ever have been. we are 66% modernized. the equipment we have as was discussed earlier is old equipment. it is substituted items. as far as our soldiers being able to do their job, not an issue. we make sure they are prepared using modernized equipment. we give them the best training, and the best equiping before we put them in harm's way. it impacts me back home because now that we have drawn out of iraq and we will start drawing down of afghanistan, i am focusing on home station training. how do i keep them trained at home so they're ready to go when i needed them? i need that equipment back here. it is a morale factor. if you are a young soldier equipped to the best standards and you come home and to go to your weekend drill and there is a piece of old equipment that you know we do not use any more in a wartime environment, it does have an impact on his shoulder saying why are we training with what we just had in afghanistan? the modernization is critical for our retention and for our readiness. to be ready, i have to train on the right equipment. >> are you satisfied with the modernization program as we have now, and that it is adequate? but i have some concerns. my concern would be that as the army is going for restructure and as they are drawing down their strain over years, i think that will lead us to make some decisions for the future that might say we can delays the modernization and so we decide what the structure looks like. i cannot afford to wait. my soldiers need equipment today. it is probably the smart thing to do in some cases. if we're going to draw that units that have modern equipment, it would cascade to me. i would have that modern equipment. they say we will give you what we have when we do away with those units. however, that is going to be several years down the road. i cannot afford to wait. that is why the funding they you give us a so critical. if the army says we're not going to buy any more modernized trucks because we're going to take some of the active trucks and give them to you in 2016, i can buy some today and put them in my units and when the other ones come it will fill the rest of the units. i am not satisfied that our modernization strategy will meet my needs for the immediate future. no, sir. >> of i to ask a question of all of you. -- i would like to ask a question of all of you. the strategic plans call for drastic reductions which gives you an opportunity to get active duty people transition to the reserves. do you have any plans? >> we certainly do in the navy. in our primary office that we set up a few years ago, we set up a career transition office that is handling all of these transitions. we are proud of the work they have done to reduce the time it takes to make the transition. it used to be four or six months, down to it two or three days by making the process smoother. we do look forward to the active component that has been so full start to transition. we will have an opportunity to bring these sailors into the reserve components. we want to make it as smooth as possible. most has been our policies within the department. there have been several things that you have been very helpful with in making that happen. did the most important thing we need to do is to have real and meaningful work for those soldiers to do when they get to the reserve components. that is why access and other provisions of the very important to us moving forward. >> what about the marines? >> thank you. since he has taken over, general amos has revamped the assistance program. he has various aspects. ucb it would bring the marines together for a couple of days -- used to be it would bring the marines together for a few days and then they're out the door. now there are times in their transition, a year before they get out, right before they get out, and all this information is put on the web so they can get access to it. for the legendary marina was to get out and served for six months before he wants to get a job for -- marine who wants to get out and surf for six months before he gets a job or goes to school. if they're going to go to school or trade school, a business track if they want to get into business or if they want to start a business. there is an entrepreneurial track. we have room for them in our 396. we see the reserve increasing. an estimate would be up to 75,000. those are marines we also pay attention to and take care of as much as we can even though they are not drilling reservists. we are tightly integrated with the active component and that continuant and marine for life program that brings them in, it trains them, and gives them the opportunity to join the reserves if they want to continue to be valuable citizens throughout their life. thank you. >> what about the air force? >> we have a robust program. we have worked very closely with our active component over the last couple of years. they have poured aggressively to downsize. -- they have worked aggressively to downsize. we have recruiters that interview every single person that is leading the active force and offer them the opportunity to serve in those particular areas where we have needs. we try to match the critical skills to where the needs are. we also offer cross training. i think the active force has used some very sick of against actuals to include voluntary early retirement and options to impart to the active force which put some folks into the irr. we're also working on musters within the irr. we found it in the first year after somebody leaves, they may not be just as satisfied as they thought they were going to be. we have found a the good of recruiting ground for some of the folks that come back to us -- a lucrative recruiting ground for some of the folks that come back to us. we cannot afford to retrain. we must keep the capability. >> you are satisfied with your program? >> yes, sir. it is a critical part of our strategy for the future. we have learned from my good friend steve hummer, that the marine for life mentality need to be in the army also. we're doing several things. i am putting manpower on the active duty installations to start working more aggressively with the transition process much further out than we have in the past. basil decided going to be the army, we are telling him he is not getting out. he is transitioning into reserve status. whether it is active or inactive, he is still going to be a soldier. we need to start talking to him six-nine months before he leaves, not two weeks. we need to talk about what he's going to do. we need to help him get a job. one of the corners torrents of our program is the employer support -- cornerstones of our program is the employer support program. we have employers that have partnered with us. we have 700,000 jobs on a web of portugal that are available. we have programs for managers -- on a web portal that are available. we a program managers to help facilitate between the employer and a soldier. we want to facilitate that before he ever leaves active service. we want a smooth transition. we can facilitate him coming into the reserve whether he comes in in an active reserve status or he says he just wants to take a break for a while in the irr. it is the employer piece that is critical. if i bring a soldier into the reserve and he does not have a job, i am at risk. yes to pay for his mortgage. -- he has to pay for his mortgage. we are putting forces on the installation and out there with the employers. we are going to make that as a cornerstone of our program. i can tell you it is working. we have already put at least 1000 soldiers that we know into civilian jobs in our force. there are many thousand others we know our are using the port toll on the web, gotten jobs, and the employers are telling us because be a soldier use the technology themselves. soldiers are happy and employers are happy. >> thank you. i will be cementing other questions with considerations. -- submitting other questions with considerations. >> we have questions at the air force base. i hope you can take a look at those and address a response to the committee. what we are concerned about is the readiness of an operational reserve and have and may be affected by the air force restructured decisions. do you have any comments that you could make? >> i can do that. let me refer to the previous panel. he was discussing some of the same kind of issues as we look at downsizing some of the fleets that we have as a result of age or requirements. that is the tricky part of this. how do we look at this across the system? and ensure we meet the requirements of the combat commanders. if we do that, it will allow us to reduce the numbers we currently have a. we did have a very rigorous process that we went through. there are four major tenants that include no negative impact to the combatant commanders, make sure the minister not treat any new bills -- create any new bills. in some cases, a judge minis to go to it in the end. we will certainly -- there is a judgment that goes into it at the end. we will certainly come back to this. we came to the realization that we have in fiscal year 2013 projection. those are the kinds of things that need to be done to ensure we meet and do not become hollow in other parts of this force as well. we would get back to you soon. >> i am looking forward to going down to the gulf coast for the christening of the u. ss mississippi, a submarine that will be joining the fleet. that will be an exciting occasion for all of our state. we identify very closely with the presence down there in the shipbuilding capability along the gulf coast. serving in the navy, i am a little biased about the importance of the u.s. navy. what is the prospect for this budget if we approve the schedule for ship construction, maintenance, adding new ships to the fleet? is it robust enough to take care of responsibilities for national defense that falls under the jurisdiction of the navy? >> yes, sir. i would like to defer this question. in the navy reserve, which is my responsibility, we do have a fleet of 9 free gifts -- friggots. we are bringing more to replace them. as i look forward, our involvement once they are retired will primarily be with the ship program which is ramping up. we are in active discussions with the navy. the larger question of the entire program is one that out of like to defer to the secretary and cno. i will say having been in the navy for 35 years, that our fleet today is far more capable than any fleet we have ever had in the past year regardless -- past regardless of numbers. the >> thank you. thank you floor convening the hearing. let me say to all of the panel, we appreciate your dedication and your commitment to helping strengthen and maintain the best reserve components of our military establishment. thank you very much. >> i would like to join him in thanking you for your testimony and the service to our country. and to note that the critical role that you play and continue to play in the middle east. most people in the united states do not realize this and think it is just the active components. the role of the reserves is very important. this committee appreciate it very much. >> this committee will reconvene on wednesday june 6. we will receive testimony from outside witnesses. now we will stand in recess. guest: >> next, michael bloomberg. then, bob mcdonnell. followed by baltimore mayor, rawlings blake and later, oklahoma governor, mary fallin. michael bloomberg address the crowd of 30,000 on may 13. he said north carolina's same- sex marriage vote shows there is work to be done for so rights in this country. the founder of bloomberg news was first elected mayor in 2001. here is his speech in advice for the graduate and class of 2012. this is about 20 minutes. tar. forgive me but i just wanted to start this morning by shouting something but i knew what would happen if i said rah-rah carolina. on that positive note, good morning, faculty, family, friends of the great class of 2012. and i particularly wanted to thank chancellor thorpe and the unc board of trustees, including my friend and four fellow alum peter for inviting me here. i also want to thank the president of the unc system and a former unc system president my old friend dick spangler. you should know that dick and i went to the harvard business school just because neither of us could get into unc. i am thrilled to be standing here today not only because unc is one of our country's oldest and greatest institutions. i'm actually thrilled to be standing here because it means i did not trip on the bricks walking over here. it's really treacherous out there. but i know this is only one of the many challenges you have overcome on the way to your diplomacy today. you have battled your way through trying to find a parking place on campus, you've battled your way through trying to register for classes on connect carolina. you have battled through living in hilton james and having to walk in the rain to an am class at grand memorial. and you have battled your way through many games of zombies and humans. now, i have to admit i never heard of that game but it does sound like good preparation for anyone who will be moving to washington, d.c. you've survived it all and here you are. however, while this is a very special day for you, before imparting some of my invaluable indispensible words of wisdom i would like to say something about another important group here today. they are sitting on the sides here beaming proudly and not even thinking about what it cost to get to this day. or what happens if you can't get a job and have to move back home. i am talking about your parents and relatives. so why don't you give them a big hand. [applause] and since today is not only a very special day here but a very special day across our cound -- country, let me wish all the mothers here happy mother's day. being asked to speak at unc is really a dream come true for me. and i want this commencement speech to be different from any speech that has ever been given. and in light of recent events here at chapel hill, there was only one way to do that. so i plan to slow jam the commencement address. [cheers and applause] unfortunately, i couldn't convince brandford mars less to join me. but i'm still determined to make this memorable so i did do a lot of research to put me fully in the unc groove. since i arrived this morning, i've already climbed the bell tower and signed my name, i sat on the daytona beachy doppler bench i challenged chancellor thorpe to a rubism cube contevs and got my butt whipped. i drank out of the well for good luck. soim warned me since some fraternity guys had just been there but i did it anyway. and i did not join a group of speakers run across the pit into the ump l and then sing the alma mater. it has been a great morning and i haven't even play add few rounds of senior bar golf yet. so in any case i'm feeling almost prepared for today as you graduates are. you've made it. you've done it. you've earned it. and i'm sure this week has been spent reliving memories and retelling stories. and i know there will be more of that tonight. but right now, i want you to take a look roong you and think not about where everyone has been but where they are going. the guy in front of you could win an academy award some day. the girl behind you could be a future president of the united states or even better than that the mayor of new york city. the guy sitting to your right could be a future noble laur yet. ok, maybe not the guy to your right but certainly the one to your left. there is no telling what the future holds for you or for anyone else. this is an exciting time in your life and it's also an exciting time in history. more than any other generation that has walked the earth, you are free to pursue your dreams. unbounded by limits placed on your race, gender ethnicity or yintation or linnage. only a lack of education can hold you back in america. and today, you've cleared that bar and you've done it at one of the finest institutions in the country. your freedom, coupled with the diploma you will receive today, is something that people around the world would risk life and limb for. don't ever take it for granted. it has been won through suffering and sacrifice. by freedom fighters and freedom riders. by abolitionists and suverageets. it has been won at the ballot box and on the battlefield. in state houses and and coursehouses. the path to victory has not always been straight or swift. but it has been sure and steady. and that's been the story of america stretching back to our earliest days. at our nation's founding, african americans were held in bondage. those without property could not vote. catsdzlirks could not hold office. women could not vote or hold office. and homosexuality was in some cases a crime punishable by death. but over time, we understood that freedoms are not fully shared if not fully safe. if government can deny freedom to one, it can deny freedom to all. exclusion and equality are mortal enemies in an america every time they have met in battle equality has ultimately triumph fed. throughout our history, each and every generation has expanded upon the freedoms won by their parents and grandparents. each and every generation has removed some barrier to full participation in the american dream. the work is not over. far from it. and i would argue last week's referendum banning same sex marriage shows just how much more work needs to be done to ensure freedom and equality for all people. [cheers and applause] when the torch passes from one generation to the next, the light of liberty always shines more brightly. and i have no doubt that in your lifetime, liberty's light will allow us to see more clearly the truth of our nation's founding principles and allow us to see all people and all couples as full and equal members of the american family. [applause] the progress that freedom's journey is making is only half of what makes this moment in history so exciting. the other half is symbolized by something that you are probably holding in your hand or your pocket right now. your phone. the smart phone is arguably the greatest invention the world has ever seen and the reason is simple. it democratizes technology. whether you are building an ap or writing a review on yell p or checking in on four square, you are making the computer and everyone who uses it smarter. since the dawn of time we have been sharing knowledge with each other but today knowledge is being shared globally and as quickly as it is being discovered individually. that rev pollution in computer based commune -- revolution which started in laboratories tand little office that i rented 30 years ago is now being led by the masses. whether you like it or not, the computer nerds have won. we're all computer nerds now. the creation of the smart phone is the most visible symbol of the technological revolution we're experiencing but it is happening all around us. in every industry the speed of innovation is moving at breath taking pace. you can see it just down the road at research triangle park. you can see it in silicon valley, in boston mass and in austin, texas. all of those places are home to great universities where pine nearing work is being done and jobs are being created. we've joined forces with cornell, n.y.u., carnegie melon and the technology in israel and universities in canada and india to develop new world class applied sciences. we know the future of the global economy is tied to the discoveries that are made by university educated researchers and innovators. and if those discoveries happen in new york city, we know the companies spin off from them will start in new york city. now, i have no doubt that many of you here today will be a part of these discoveries. your work will reshape our understanding of the world everything from the origins of the universe to a cure for cancer. for the nonscientists here, you too will have an important job to play. you business and finance majors may be providing the capital for the discoveries to be brought to market. education and journalism majors may be teaching about those discoveries. nursing and premed students may be talking to patients about them and you future lawyers, yes, lawyers always have to be involved in everything we do, you may be needed to protect patents and of course fight off other lawyers. technology revolution that is reshaping our understanding of the world and the freedom that you join to pursue your dreams are complementary, which is why i've mentioned both of them. they reinforce each other. the more we learn, the freer we will be and the freer we are, the more we will learn. life and liberty. that is the motto of your universety and that i believe will be the defining spirit of the 21st century. the more light we shed on the nature of the world, the more we advance knowledge in science and technology, the more liberty we will spread. in fact, i would argue that the technological revolution that is now under way will not only be our most powerful weapon in the fight against poverty and disease, it will be our most powerful weapon in the fight against repression and intolerance because where there is light, liberty grows and where there is liberty, light flows. [applause] now, it's up to all of you in your own way to take what you have learned here and spread light and liberty wherever you go. that may sound like a daunting task and i understand if you're thinking sure, i'll be happy to do that once i find a job. but with whether you have a job lined up or are still figuring out your next step don't think that you've got your career all figured out. no plan for the rest of your life ever works out the way you thought it would. for example, i was an engineering major who then went to business school in hopes of some day running a factory which i knew something about. i got the mba and took an entry job in the financial services industry which i knew nothing about. 15 years later i got fired and started a company in another company i knew nothing about. 20 years later i ran for mayor even though i knew nothing about politics. some people say i still don't. you don't need a grand plan. whatever plan you do have is probably going to change a hundred times before you're 30 years old and you don't need to be an expert in something to try it. so what then do you need to do? ok, i'm going to tell you. but really all i'm going to do is remind you of the few things you've already learned here. just by watching carolina basketball. first, make career decisions the same way you fill out your tournament bracket. follow your heart and go with your gut. do what you love, find a way to get paid for it. and if you ever have the luxury of multiple job offers don't make the decision based on salary alone. i know when i was starting out i turned down a job with a higher salary because i had a good feeling about the people at another firm and it was one of the best decisions i ever made. your gut won't always be right. for example, who knew nc state would make the sweet 16? but you'll sleep better at night if you go with your gut. second, outhustle the competition. when i started my first job out of college, i made sure i was the first one into the office every morning and the last one to leave. not only did it save me the price of the "wall street journal" because i just grabbed the office copy, it allowed me to get to know the firm's partner. woody allen once said that 0% of success is showing up. i actually think he got it half right. 80% of success is showing up early and staying late. third, you occasionally have to throw some elbows. it's true, it's rough out there. no matter what profession you're in. of course in most professions you don't break your wrist driving to the basket thankfully but the world is competitive. i've been in the business world and i've been in government and people ask me all the time what's the difference? and i always tell them, the business world is dog eat dog. and government it's exactly the reverse. don't be afraid to assert yourself. have confidence in your abilities. and don't let the bastards get you down. [applause] fourth, i could never have built my company without the three brilliant guys i started with and whatever success i've achieved results from surrounding myself with the most talented people i could find. the innovations coming out of the research parks are all built on teamwork. the person who works the hardest and works with other it is best who says we and us and doesn't use the words i and me is the person who will win. fifth, don't be afraid to shoot the long ball. take the risk. life is too short to spend your time avoiding failure. if i had worried about failure or listened to those who do, i would never have started my company and never run for mayor. and i can't imagine my life if i hadn't taken those risks. not every risk will work out. but that's ok. failure is the world's best teacher. sixth. never stop studying what the competition is doing and never stop learning. education is a lifetime journey. when you leave these walls, keep asking questions. keep acquiring knowledge. keep seeking truth. don't let party labels blind you. no party in government has a monopoly on truth or god on its side. and i should know, i was a democrat before i was a republican before i became independent and i never changed my principles and i have enormous respect for your former president and my frienders skin boles. i hope all of you will do exactly -- i think he does deserve a round of applause. [applause] think for yourself. decide for yourself. even if it's not popular or if it runs counter to the party line. if everyone in washington did that, our country would be a whole lot better off. and now, seventh and the final piece of advice i have is in the game of life, when the final buzzer sounds, the only stat you carry with you is the number of assists you made. to help other people put some points on the board. or as they might say don't be slow to dish the rock. there's nothing more rewarding than making a difference in the lives of others. i've learned that first-hand both through flantsdzpi and public service. give what you can. your time, your talent, your money. and i promise you will never forget it. now, i know you've remembered every single word of that. but just inication i thought i would provide a summary of the seven in no particular order. teamwork is everything. assist others. risks are necessary. the first three letters of those words are tar. i wonder where this is going. hustle always. elbows occasionally have to be used. education is a life long journey. love what you do. and if you put that list together it of course spells tar heels. all right. before you receive your diploma and leave, i have just one more piece of wisdom to share. when the hard times come in your life -- and they will -- when the doubts creep in about whether god is looking out for you, just remember that not only did you see an nmp caa basketball championship during your time here, -- [cheers and applause] -- but in your senior year duke lost in the first round to a [cheers and applause] so you know there's a god up there and that carolina blue sky. congratulations and good luck. >> we recently attend it had commencement for the school of communication at american university in washington. we spoke with some of the graduates after the ceremony. >> tell us your name and your hometown. >> i'm christina and i don't have a hometown. i grew up all over the world. so it's a complicated story for me. >> where did you get your degree? >> in public communications. >> what did you think about the commencement speeches? >> i thought they were really good. i love the speech and especially making the no one's perfect. so it stuck with me. i know that i can make mistakes and still get where i want to go. >> what are your plans? >> right now i'll be taing in the summer and looking around for jobs. >> what would you like to do? >> working for the government doing communication force them. but we'll see what happens. >> and do you have any student loans that you're responsible for? >> no. thankfully i don't. i'm one of the lucky. >> my nake is mike and i'm from -- name is mike and i'm from pennsylvania. >> what did you think about the commencement? >> it's weird to come here four years ago and see how fast things go by and see the kids that you met at orientation walking next to you in graduation. >> what about today's speeches? >> i thought they were good because i have a lot of brothers and sisters and i've been to a lot of commencements. but i thought everyone did a good job of being ornlle and convaping interesting points. >> what did did you get? >> journalism. >> what are your plans? >> my plans are i have a job and i hope to pursue journalism though. i hope to become a sports writer soim day. >> what's the job? very at a consulting firm at the department of justice. >> how about loans? >> luckily my parents are great and took care of college for me so i don't have to worry too much about that. >> coming up next we'll hear from virginia governor bob mcdonnell the former attorney general was the speaker at newport university. more than 1,000 graduates listened to the keynote in newport news. his remarks are about 20 minutes. >> good morning. thank you so much for that very warm welcome and thank you for being in charge of the diplomacy and putting me in charge of the weather. i appreciate that very much. you and rose mary have just done a remarkable job along with the board the faculty the staff to create an incredible world class university where you put the students first and i thank you for that vision for cnu. >> i want to congratulate all of the families, the parents grandparents aunts uncles brothers sisters children all who are here today to witness this great graduating class of 2012. i want to say go, captains. now, while we're saluting the parents i might as well say as well thank you to all the mothers that are here with us. we owe you a great debt of gratitude for raising these great young children that are here today. now, you students while you're applauding, you may be graduating with a degree but i want to warn you you'd better still listen to your mother. she's got great advice for you by the way to all you parents congratulations you get a pay raise today. i felt it yesterday as my daughter walked across the state of virginia tech getting her -- we've got a couple hokies here. that's great. well, your vision to transform the university into a world-class liberal arts university focused on smaller classrooms and individualized attention from professors and these world-class facility that is we see here today is now becoming a reality. as we celebrate the 50 years now of christopher newport university with this vfer first commencement here i think we can all personally witness the transformation that has taken place during your 16 years as president of this university. i want to say to all of you, this is the best and brightest and best-looking class ever in the history of the university mr. president is that right? and i understand there's some of you that have actually gotten a 4.0 and i just -- well, i have to tell you when i was at notre dame i actually got a 4.0 myself. one year. i got a 2.0 the first semester and the second semester and it wasn't that hard. i had a great time that year and i want to commend all of you for your academic success here. now, i know that this speech is the last obstacle between you and your degree. and mercifully, we learn from the getiesberg address, which was five minutes, that good speeches don't have to be that long. i promise you that mine will not be that much longer. but i do want to tell you that i have a few simple truths that i want to offer you today that i hope you may rirm for your conversation as you go out into an increasingly global but also an increasingly complex world. i believe that the 36 years now that i walked out of my alma mater but the same general rules of life that have led to happiness and fulfillment from the invention of the gutenberg press to today are still pretty much the same even though this speech today can be listened to on an ipad in beijing, the world has changed but the rules of success have largely stayed the same. so here are those rules. number one, life is incredibly precious and it passes by far too quickly. so during your time here, use all of your unique god-given talents to serve one another as that will be the true measure by which your life will be judged. follow the golden rule. number two, this is a great state and a great nation made up of very good people who work daily to get remarkable things done. our future success depends directly on your personal commitment and involvement to keep it that way. number three, if you work hard, if you dream big, if you're honest, if you pursue opportunity, you can still be anything you want to be in the united states of america the greatest country on earth. so let me now explore those rules in detail. first, life is precious. serve one another. last year i went to blacksberg for the funeral of a virginia tech police officer killed in the line of duty you may have heard his story. i visitd with his wife tina and his five children, his brothers, sisters, parents. they were devastated. but even in those darkest hours they knew that officer gave his life doing what he loved doing and that was to serve the students at virginia tech. he was a military veteran who had served in iraq and he died making a routine traffic stop on campus at virginia tech. his brother asked me to read something at the memorial service for him and he wrote these words. derek live and gave his life to serve others who were in need. i would say to you we need more derek courthouses in virginia. -- crourses in virginia. >> let me tell you the another story. keith cal hune. he followed in his family's tradition and joined the army went off to serve in iraq with the 101st air borne division. while on patrol his humvee was hit he lost both of his legs below the knee. i greeted him at the governor's mansion a couple years ago and he told me about his months of recovery and what he thought would be the prospect of life in a wheel chair. but he chose a different path. he taught himself how to mono ski. he became a spokesman for wounded veterans around the country and through sheer will prour he got out of that chair every day, competed in multiple sports events uses prosthetic legs and won numerous med als in track events. that's perseverence. while at the governor's mansion he said i was proud to go to iraq and i gave my best for my country. that's what is expected out of americans. amazing. [applause] so class of 2012, my point here is that they used their very precious time and their great skills and their perseverence to do good on this earth to serve their fellow citizens. right now all across virginia your fellow virginians are doing remarkable things like that every day they're giving their best for their fellow man. hundreds of people volunteer at the local food banks like many of you students have volunteered around here. thousands of police officers patrol neighborhoods protecting others. many work in jails. others get involved in their church or synagogue or their mosques. many join the military. some teach. many serve in state or local or federal government. but my point is, many are called to serve and do it well. i believe that serving others is truly the highest calling one can have in one's life. in fact the scriptures record that jesus told his disciples that the greatest among men was the servant of all. so i say to you class of 2012, be great. serve others. because when you give generously, you will receive far more in return. it's been said that it is in fact those countless acts of service and sacrifice that is the hallmark of american greatness and i agree with that. number two. this is a great nation. but you need to get involved. there's an old addage that says this. america is great because america is good. and if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. as you graduate now into the most free, most prosperous, most just, most vibrant nation on earth with the greatest gdp and the most entrepreneurial minds in all of the planet, it's something we should celebrate every day as americans. but i can tell you the 236 years since the second governor of virginia thomas jefferson wrote the declaration of independence, we have only been as strong as the nation as the measure by which our people have been involved in and cared about this nation. edmund birk said it this way. all it takes for evil to try umple is for good men or women to do nothing. in other words, democracy is not a spectator's sport. a great country you have today will only be that way with your direct caring and involvement. in 2012 my daughter is here was serving as a platoon leader in iraq. in that year, 70% of the voters in iraq after 25 years of tyranny came to the polls to voted and they had to worry about snipers and ieds. and oppression. and yet in that same year i was running for attorney general only 45% of the people in virginia cared enough to come out and vote for their governors, their lieutenant nant governor and attorney general. that's unacceptable. that's not a live and vibrant democracy. many people your age today graduates are serving in korea, in germany, and afghanistan and iraq and places around the country so i tell you stand up for them, honor their commitment by standing up for the americans ideals. learn, serve, vote. make a difference. [applause] and while you're standing up for those ideals let me make a plea for this. do it passionately but civilly. i can tell you turn on tomorrow morning's news and you will see at any moment the talking heads talking about the ideas of the day jauvens times talking over or around one another. and it's no wonder that you young people can get turned off with politics. but i don't think it has to be that way. whether you're republican or democrat you can believe passionately in what you believe in but do it in a way that honors the traditions of our nation. because the fact is while it doesn't get much coverage, there are great people every day that work in government and business and education and the other institution obvious america that are quietly getting important and big things accomplished. no political party has a monopoly on virtue or patriotism. we all care deeply about america. so i say to you decide what you believe in. and then go make a difference. and work for our country. the future of america does depend on you getting involved. and finally number three work hard, dream big. america is an amazing land of opportunities not guarantees. that's the secret of our success for these couple centuries. think of your founders. captain christopher newport. the captain of the -- in fact the commander of the entire expedition that 405 years ago gave birth to the great state of virginia and the great country of the united states of america. i can tell you for him there were no guarantees crossing that ocean. there was only an opportunity that king james gave him to found this new world. many of you as you walk across the stabling will have already found those opportunities. many of you may still be searching. but let me tell you the words of frances bacon. a wise man or woman will make more opportunities than he finds. and it is true. when i was in your seat 36 years ago, all i knew was i was going to go into the army. i had no idea that an average middle class kid from faverple county would grow up to have the same job that thomas jefferson and patrick henry the first two governors of virginia. it's a great country. isn't it? [cheers and applause] so it doesn't matter whether your first job is president of the company or the salesperson for the company or the receptionist for the company. what i tell you is your duty is the same. work hard, and do the very best you can do at that first job. because if you do that people will recognize your efforts. they will reward your efforts and new opportunities will come . i can tell you that most of your opportunities will come because of your character and your ability to get things done. character does count. results and values do matter. again let me give you the words of thomas jefferson talking about character. he said god has formed us as moral agents that we may promote the happiness of those with whom he has placed us in society. by acting honestly towards all benevolently towards those who fall within our way. i can tell you during my couple decades of public service i believe that the world is hungry even desperate for people for leaders of character with a heart for service to others. so go and be those leaders. the scriptures also tell you that to whom much has been given much will be expected. you have been given much here. you have learned from and been mentored by some of the great faculty in all of the commonwealth. so now much is expected. you've been trained for excellence. so do not deliver mediocrity. don't make excuses. make things happen. and now as i close i've got one last request for you as governor of virginia. i know you're going to have many opportunities. maybe some around the country and around the world. but i want to humbly ask you this. no matter where you came from, today you are here in virginia. so if you're going to create something big, create it in virginia. if you're going to open a business, open it in virginia. if you're going to be a great artist or a doctor or a teacher or professor, lawyer, counselor or whatever it may be, do it in virginia. we want to keep your talents and your dreams in virginia. we want you to pay taxes in virginia. so thank you, students, for your hardwork these last four years or five years or six years. you've gotten to this day with the love and support of your families, your parents, the members of the board, the president, the faculty. many have loved and nurtrd you to get you to this day. so i say to you go be great go make a difference go captains god bless you. [cheers and applause] >> more from this year's graduates from the school of communication at the university. >> tell us your name and hometown. >> my name is lauren i'm from memphis, tennessee. >> what did you think of today's speakers? >> i really enjoyed them. i especially enjoyed lindsey's about empathy. i thought that it really spoke tot values of the school's communication. it really spoke to applying the tools that we've learned in a socially conscious way and i really appreciate that. >> who is she? >> she is an undergraduate student graduating today as well. >> what is your degree in today? >> my degree is in foreign language. and communication media. >> what will you do with that? >> well, it's funny you should ask. i actually have a dance minor and i'm planning to pursue dance professionally in the d.c. area. i'm also interested in pursuing arts administration so public relations and marketing for arts organizations. hopefully dance companies. >> how about student loans? do you have any that you're responsible for sflr i actually have no students loans. i'm very, very lucky that my parents have supported me so heavily and so i'm going out into the world a free woman. >> i'm sarah from new hampshire. >> and so what did you think of today's commencement speakers? >> i thought it was amazing. i'm going to be inturning for the associated press so i was excited to hear the president. i thought his speech was very inspirational and lindsey's too moved me to tears. it was great. >> what did you study? >> broadcast, journalism and french. >> you're going to be interning. what would you like to do long term? >> i hope to go into digital journalism. i've interned with abc news but i'm interested in going to morocco and trying to cover how the arab spring has played out there and if there's going to be more disruption i guess. >> up next the commencement ceremony at stnch mary's college afmaryland. the mayor address it had class of 2012. she was the youngest person ever elected to the baltimore city council prior to becoming mayor. here's her speech to the 44 students. >> good morning. i can say i have never seen a group of people more excited about a green door. so thank you very much for inviting me to speak to you on this absolutely beautiful day. i was promise bid your president there would be a few people from baltimore. are there any people from baltimore here? thank you very much. now my nerves are gone. i know there's some hometown folks in the crowd. so today is the culmination not just of the last four years but of a lifetime of hard work for the students who are here today. and after these celebration i promised the students an address, a commencement address of no less than 90 minutes. and i intend to keep my word. so get comfortable. to the graduates i want to congratulate you on completing your undergraduate education. each and every one of you are about to join a very distinguished fraternity. my dear friends and colleagues brandon scott off remind me that a degree from st. mary's is not your average degree. he actually says it's more than i'd like to hear that. a degree from st. mary's is a degree from md's public honors college that comes with the increased level of responsibility of caring for the tradition of excellence of those who have come before you and carried that degree into the real world. 50 days ago i had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many of you at your celebration. and during my visit i had the pleasure of having dinner with your class president and opportunity trustee. i must say our future is in great hands. as i made my trip back it was very clear to me that you all are extremely well prepared to move on to the next chapt anywhere your lives whether bit the real world or furtherering your education. i was also very impressed with your collective awares in of the demrobal situations of today. i was told then and i completedly understand now that it is all a part of what is called the st. mary's way. caring for the environment is just as an important part as the day your shoes made it into the shoe tree. and being socially conscious is no less a part of the st. mary's culture than midnight breakfast. it's also a complete education that will ensure that you are well prepared for the challenges of the world that await you. make no mistake. the world that you are about to eentor is totally different than the world i entered after graduating. our country, state, and city are still struggling from teesketofts great recession. families throughout our great state have to tighten their belts as they struggle with increast costs and decreased income. individuals are struggling to find and to keep work. however, despite these challenges, our spirit remains strong. as the mayor of baltimore i see first-hand the result of an entire city even while the economy endured the great recession that damaged our economy baltimore has held its own. and our public schools test scores and graduates are rising while dropout rates are falling. and our streets, crime is dropping to levels not seen since the 1970s. our neighborhoods are becoming mag nets for new investment. and now as the country pulls itself out of the recession we can see and feel that baltimore's best days are ahead of us and i would love for you to be a part of that future, too. i am humbled to serve tazz mayor of baltimore. it's my home. baltimore is in me and with me wherever i go. and in my lifetime our city has gone through some tremendous changes. people and businesses have left, entire industries disappeared. our schools fell into disrepair. and drug addiction ravaged once proud neighborhoods. despite this, we held on to and built some of our strength our in our inner harbor is home tot great attractions and is the anchor of our tourism industry. we are home to great educational institutions and research institutions and our port is growing and outpaces its peers along the east coast. and our hospitals serve people from all over maryland and all over the globe. without these pillars of growth baltimore might have lost more population. and as important as these physical pillars are there's another pillar that kept people from leaving. and that is love. baltimore is the kind of city that has a special kind of edevotion. every neighborhood is unique. the people who staid for all these years always believed that baltimore's best days are yet to come. there is no quit in them. their love for baltimore compels them to safeguard and uphold what is good and to stand firm in the face of their neighborhood challenges. none of us are willing to give up on our great city. and as mayor i owe it to the people of baltimore to focus on improving in key areas, better schools, safer streets, and stronger neighborhoods. this commitment tot fundamentals is how we're going to hold on to our residents and grow our city by 10,000 families in the next 10 years. but i plan to grow baltimore sss as much about attracting people like you, if this sounds like a commercial as it is to holding on to the families that are already there. just last year, baltimore's ranked as the number one city for new college grads and just this week baltimore's ranked the ninth best city to find a job. does that appeal too any of you? in the 90's as the national economy grew, young people started making investments in some baltimore communities in federal hill, canton, locust point and patterson park young professionals were rehabbing row homes, rooftop decks. the houses were inexpensive and these neighborhoods were close to the centers of business as well as great night life. but we had a problem. we couldn't keep them. unlike people in other parts of the city who were sticking with baltimore these young people got married, had kids and miveed way. they went to neighboring jurisdictions not for the lower cost of living but they left because baltimore's crime and poor schools pushed them away. the city has become focused on doing everything in making the financial promises that -- the city had become focused on doing everything promising everything and making financial promises that it could not keep. it could not do the most important things well. while the real estate boom helped generate historic revenues it only masked a serious problem. now, in 2012 there are signs that baltimore is headed in the right direction. our investment will build on this progress by making baltimore better, safer, and stronger. we can make the argument with young people and convince them to come to baltimore and to stay. and we can help people like you see that baltimore's best days are ahead and that you can be a part of our pillars of growth. we need committed 57ped idecate young people in baltimore right now. and your experience has given you the confidence to make both decisions like that. st. mary's has given you the skills to adapt to an ever changing economy. and the tools to reinvent yourself and to lead in the 21st century and to stay on the cutting edge. so i know this day is probably daunting for many of you. but i have to say that there is no reason to be overwhelmed. abraham lincoln once said, that the best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time with each new day comes the new challenge to overcome and a new opportunity to embrace and drive forward a new future to shape and to make your own. and as i look at these proud graduates today, i see leaders who will be willing to make these bold decisions, leaders unafraid to ask what's next. leaders with the courage to constantly adapt and to change themselves for better. leaders ready to meet tough challenges and seize new opportunities. baltimore and the world needs a new generation of leaders like you. in fact, we're banking on it. st. mary's gave us baltimore's youngest current councilman brandon scott and i have no doubt that you can join him as a member of the new generation of great leaders. at a times it will be tough and you will find yourself asking as we all do at all times in our life did i make the right decision? but you did. and you are prepared to make it through those tough times. your complete liberal arts education has prepared you to take on challenges of all kinds. not just in your long nights in kent or montgomery hall work on your smp but also the times spent with your classmates. now, before i close i must ask a few things of your entire class and when the president asks this of you a little while ago i'm thinking that maybe you weren't warmed up yet. so first, the first thing i ask is that you please stand and give your parents and your family a round of applause and the educators here for all that they have done to help you to get to this day. [cheers and applause] thank you. i also ask you to look to your right and to your left. all right? promise me that you will continue to support your classmates as you move throughout life and as you all work to make our world a better place. i got a call on my way to the commencement today and you will i'm sure it doesn't matter how old you are or whether you are mayor of a big city your mom still tells you what to do and my mother as she knew i was headed down here to give this address she said you have to tell them a few things. so i'm only going to tell you one of the things. my mother's advice to you and i get a lot of advice from my mother. she is an incredible woman, a retired pediatrician who went to the university of maryland medical school back in the 60s when few women let alone a woman of color attended medical school and she's been a tremendous asset to me. so she has one piece of advice. she says that you must commit yourself to a life of learning. she said this is not the end of your education whether you are going off to school or whether you are going off to the work world. you have to commit yourself to becoming the best person that you can be by continuing to learn for your entire life. so that is her advice. i hope that you take it. now on to my advice. when you are done celebrating with your friends and your family i urge you to begin to think about how you can make a difference in your communities or in your city by bringing the st. mary's way with you wherever you go. you are welcome to bring it to baltimore because we need your energy, we need your ideas and most importantly we need your hope that we can make baltimore a better, safer, and stronger place to live. congratulations. god bless you. and thank you again for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today. [cheers and applause] >> coming up next the oklahoma city university graduation. this is about 15 minutes. >> thank you. what a wonderful honor. thank you so very much. i appreciate and accept this honoree docket rat with great pride and humility because it is truly an honor to be able to accept it from oklahoma city university one of our greatest universities in the state of oklahoma -- absolutely. but especially to be here up on the stage with some of oklahoma's top, brightest business leaders in the state and certainly some of our best leaders in civic leadership in our state with gary, with cliff, and with pat and ray. i am so honored to be able to receive this honoree doctorate with such outstanding oklahoma role models and i hope you will emulate the things these leaders have done as you continue on. i have to tell you, you've done a great job here at this university. this university is one of our shining examples, one of our shining stars of success in higher education in the state of oklahoma and it is a great honor to be able to be here today to celebrate and to congratulate our outstanding new oklahoma graduates. you have helped me meet one of my goals in increasing the number of college graduates that we have in our state. so to all of our graduates who receive this exlend education from oklahoma city university we are very proud of you. you have worked very hard to get to this moment. hopefully you can get a little sleep, take a summer break and get ready to do whatever it is you're going to do with your life. and i know there are many people in this audience who helped you get to this point today. certainly we want to thank the outstanding staff and faculty, the board of trustees, your president and what they've done to help you reach this pinnicle of success in your life. so let's give our faculty and our staff a round of applause and thank them, graduates. [applause] and of course you also have your family, your friends who have joined you here today, your parents. we want to recognize and thank the parents and your family for the role that they have played also in supporting you along this path. let's give them a hand. [applause] now, parents, to my parents who are out there you know that when someone typically graduates, they have a tassel that they move from one side to the next and a lot of times they throw their hats up in the air to celebrate that they finally completed this great milestone when they graduate. so parents, i have something for you today, i want you to get out your credit cards and your checkbooks and you can throw those up in the air in front of your students because the tuition is finally over, hopefully. but in all seriousness, it is truly a great honor to be here with so many talented impressive men and women who are graduating from this unique school, a school which mission focuses on not only the students' intellectual ability but also their moral and spiritual development. and that is a tremendous accomplishment of this university. this is one of our most hindi and diverse and universities, and has a unique, and diverse group of students who attend. ocu counts students from 41 different states, and 56 different foreign countries. that is quite remarkable. [applause] >> here is another great fixture -- figure. they have the highest number of national merit scholars this year ever, and graduating from this university. [applause] >> congratulations to all of you. i know you will all do a very exciting things. i have looked at where some of your graduates are going, and some are going to disney paris, some will become officers in the u.s. military -- where are my military folks? [applause] >> some are going on to attend prestigious graduate programs. one is going to the eastman school of music, maybe several ex -- ? -- several? some are going to our top theological programs with full scholarships as they move on. we have them go into medical schools, pharmacy schools, and many other programs and one going to study at the london school of economics. there they are. this is a remarkable class. you are also our future leaders in our state, not only in business but also certainly in civic leadership, too. we are very proud of you. i am sure i do not have to tell you that by virtue of you being here they you have completed one of the most important milestones in your life time that you will achieve. whether it is achieving the financial success or the personal selves itself fulfillment of attaining a college degree, it will be one of the greatest tools you will have to better yourself and reach success. adult with degrees are typically worth twice as much with those only in high school degrees, and over the course of your lifetime, you also have the potential to learn -- earned not just hundreds of thousands of dollars, but millions of dollars with this higher level of education. as you continue your studies, some of you who might go on to the masters or dr. it degrees, but also increases your potential in the -- doctorate degrees, it also increases your potential in the business world. in turning this degree, we are doing everything we can critique in earnings this degree we are doing everything we can to help -- in earnings this degree, we are doing everything we can help in, and we've made increases the college-degree people in our state, and we are working on increasing economic -- academic standards to make sure you get the best education possible. no one can doubt the economic value of obtaining the degree you are achieving today, but it is more than a piece of paper you're going to recede. it is also about higher wages and better jobs, but graduating for most of you makes you part of the rich tradition in oklahoma of service and success that will follow you for the rest of your life. and i am very proud of what you are doing here today, and of the tools you have been given, and i am confident that as you move forward from this day forward, oklahoma will be a much better place. now, i want to say that not only are you very fortunate to be graduating from a wonderful university, but you are also graduating and a great time for the state of oklahoma. i wanted to notice this. today, oklahoma ranks second in the nation for job creation i know you will all be out there looking for jobs, so i hope you heard what i said. we are second in the nation. that is a good marketplace. oklahoma city is number one in the area in job creation based on large, metropolitan cities. it is a great time for you to be graduating, and hopefully most of you will be able to stay in oklahoma. before i end, i want to give you some life lessons that i have learned in my career. when is it is very important to you give back to your community, they you are part of the community, part of service to others, above self. it is rewarding in life that when you give to others and give -- you make your state a better place to live. there is no limit to what you can accomplish no matter who you are or what your background. i enter the came from very humble beginnings. -- i actually came from very humble beginnings. i've had great opportunities to do wonderful things and wonderful jobs, but my grandmother came to oklahoma in a covered wagon. i know that sounds kind of funny because we do not think about covered wagons these days, but she actually came to oklahoma five years after we became a state, in 1912, she was 7 years old, and she came with her family. there were eight in her family. i asked why they came, and they came from tennessee. i said did you come here to buy a home, did you -- did your dad take another job? my grandmother kind of laughed and said we came to oklahoma to find a better opportunity, to be able to support our family, and they actually did not buy a house. they did not rent a home. they did not have a job. the action came to oklahoma to pick cotton and they were going from farm to farm, living in the covered wagon. she told me many times they would sleep on the grass under the stars, or mom would cook outside, and it is a remarkable thing to think about how people used to live just 100 years ago in the state of oklahoma. i asked her if her her parents and she were able to go to high school and go on to college and get a better education, and she told me that with so many people in the family we only had two horses, and my family moved a lot because they were searching for work to find better opportunities, so she said when she could go to school she did, so she only completed the eighth grade in her education. i want you to know something about her. she was one sharp lady. she was a first-class lady. she was one that was always putting others about herself, and she always took care of herself. she died when she was 98 years old, lived on her own all of those many years and was a great cooks, by the way. she was a great role model for me. in this day when we think about all that we have with text messaging, e-mail, facebook, twitter, cell phone, and travel, you can do business globally around the world -- i think about 100 years ago where my grandmother was to the opportunities that i have today, her granddaughter. to be the first woman governor of the state of oklahoma, it really does tell you how great oklahoma is. so, i hope that when you think about your future that you know that no matter what your circumstances are, no matter where you come from, you can be anything you want to be if you work hard, if you never give up, if you take risks, if you believe in service to others. i will also tell you that life will not always go exactly the way you hope it will. sometimes there will be setbacks and disappointments. setbacks are actually opportunities for comdex. when you have a setback, come back -- come backs. when you have a setback, do not let it hold you back. even in my job as governor, i've learned something else that is important that helps me do my job better in our state. receiving your degree is not only a milestone in your career, but your degree also marks the end of a journey in your life and the beginning of another journey in your life, and now it is up to you as graduates to use the knowledge that you received from oklahoma city university, a greek university, to put that knowledge to work, to see what other doors of opportunity might open up to you, and i know through this graduating class today, that oklahoma will be a greater state with even more hope and opportunity ahead. god bless you, and congratulations to all of our graduates. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> you can watch is commencement addresses again tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern. you can also watch them on the c-span video library at cspan.org/videolibrary. we will continue showing commencement addresses. sunday, we hear from first lady michele bachmann, and cia director david petraeus. -- first lady michele obama, and cia director david petraeus. monday, we hear from michele bachmann. tune in at noon and 10:00 p.m. eastern each day here on c-span. >> what i want people to get from the book is a better understanding of who she was, what she was like in that four- year period, and most of the books written do not have the information themselves. i happened to be there. i knew her. >> from late-1960, through 1964, former secret service agents clint hill served on the protection detail of jacqueline kennedy. >> there was no humor -- there was no tabloid stuff in there. she put me to the challenge. >> more with clint hill sunday night at 8:00 p.m. on c-span's "q&a." >> nit romney's work with bain capital has been discussed in his presidential campaign. we spoke with michael krandish and look at video where bain capital was mentioned. this was 25 minutes. >> michael kranish is the deputy bureau chief in washington, d.c., for the "boston globe." bain capital is the centerpiece of the obama campaign strategy. it has been front and center this week. take us back to 1994, the senate race in which it just surfaced. >> in 1994, mitt romney ran for the u.s. senate against ted kennedy. his main credential was that he worked at this company for several years, made a lot of money, people knew that his father had been the governor of michigan. when he ran, he was unprepared for attacks on his record. the kennedy campaign ran some ads against mitt romney and romney thought people were not interested or would not believe it. what we see is that they have responded very quickly. >> we are going to look at some of those ads. what is bain capital today? what was it back in 1994? >> it was a business consultant company. it is the business that invests and advises companies. they take a big stake in companies and they give them venture capital. they run into existing companies, pay themselves a big management fees. and then try to build the company or spin things off. they were very successful for the investors in a fund that invested in some of these companies. some of the companies did well, some not so well. they made astonishing returns. it was an average rebound of about 88% a year. that is different than looking at the companies themselves. he was successful as an investment manager. >> here are two of the ads from the kennedy committee in 1994. and the response from mitt romney. >> mitt romney says he saved bain and company, but he did not tell you that on the day he took over, he had his predecessor fire hundreds. it was rescued with a federal bailout of $10 million. his company failed to repay at least $10 million. the rest of us had to absorb the loss. it caused ordinary people $10 billion. >> maybe he is just against government when it helps working when is it working men and children. >> he thought layoffs were good. >> they kept wages. >> taking away their dignity. they basically cut our throats. >> i would like for him to show me where these 10,000 jobs are. >> these negative attacks are wrong. more than anything else, the cynical, old-style politics has been in washington too long. the real people are more interested in getting serious about crime, reforming welfare, and creating real jobs. they want to hear our differences on issues that matter in our lives. you talk about your plans and i will talk about mine. >> the change we need, mitt romney. >> as you worked on this book, this issues in this race. what comes to mind? >> the first ad is about his former company. there were problems in the company and he turned it around. what is interesting about the third ad is he does not respond specifically to the charges. what he is trying to do in this case is to respond directly and then talk about jobs. he has learned some lessons from the 1994 race. >> in one of the debates, this is from october of 1994. mitt romney going after senator ted kennedy on the bain capital issue. >> as someone with no business experience yourself, how would you have handled that situation in indiana differently? >> first of all, mr. romney has characterized one of his qualifications for the united states senate is his business background. it is legitimate to look for what kind of jobs he has created. the kind of jobs he has created are part-time jobs and minimum- wage jobs that do not have any health insurance. that is not the kind of job i want to create. there are different ways for venture-capitalists to deal with the situation like indiana. either you close the plant down, throw the people out of work, only hire back the younger workers. or you can retrain the workers, further education and training, invest in those companies and create full-time jobs at good pay with good benefits. that is the kind of record that would have impressed me in terms of creating jobs. what is wrong with mr. romney's companies providing the same thing? [applause] >> i have a lot of things to answer on that. in my view, the attack on part- time workers not having health insurance is the height of hypocrisy. senator kennedy and his family have a multiple real-estate empire across this country. that merchandise market has a free cash flow of $20 million a year. i am sure you know that your workers that are part-time to do not have health insurance, don't you? [applause] >> mr. romney, there is a major difference. you do not even afford access to your part-time workers. we at least provide the access and many of those part-time workers take it and it is a shared responsibility. >> i do not know what you are talking about. you do not provide health insurance for your part-time people. >> gentlemen, gentlemen. you are going to have an opportunity to get back to this question. >> my impression is that you have followed a campaign as soon as the primary was over trying to divert the voters' attention is on issues at hand. instead, making personal attacks on me. you said that my firm has 40 people and only one is a woman. you are wrong, 12 are women. you said we give no benefits to americans. we have 40,000 employees who give health-care benefits. only part-time do not have health care benefits. that happens to be the same as your firm. we are strikers in a company that was not even invested in. it happened six months after i left. you parade that around like it is my problem. i am in favor of the minimum wage. you have yet to produce any document that says i did not support the minimum wage. when will this end? [applause] >> let me stop this right now. i think it is fair to ask each one of you to take your first minutes for both a charge and a question. and then we will open it up. is that fair? i am going to have the timer count us down. that is your question. >> that is fine. >> mr. romney would have asked me what i was going to do for working families in massachusetts, how we're going to get our economy on the road, talking about the real measures that are going to affect children, working families, senior citizens. mr. romney, i will provide after this debate all the documentation that you asked for. i hope you'll tell me where you will provide health insurance for your companies overseas. he is a distinguished former member of the united states senate. when he made the characterization, and he called it reprehensible and challenged you to withdraw it, let's put the ads aside and talk about health care. let's talk about education. let's talk about infrastructure. let's talk about our vision for massachusetts. that is what the people of massachusetts want to talk about. >> i want to know where you spend millions of dollars talking about staples and not having health care benefits when your companies do not have health care benefits. when you spend millions of dollars, that if you are so innocent and talking about the issues because that is all i have talked about up until one week ago. >> senator kennedy? >> i will provide those in detail. i will provide them about the minimum wage, giving the document where you said you were against the increase in the minimum wage, you had a different opinion when you were talking on national television. i do not know why you would meet with the strikers. i am bothered about the pain of the people in massachusetts. you may be frustrated about it, but your pain and my pain pales to what is happening in this city. people cannot get jobs. you take a great deal of satisfaction about exchanging papers about this. about your advertisements, about the kennedy interest in the washington investment, my nephew and i have a blind trust. we have no control over those trusts. the kennedys are not in public service to make money. we have paid too high a price in our commitment to the public. >> from 1994, michael kranish, the parallels to what the argument was against mitt romney. >> it is fascinating to watch the tape from 1994. there are a lot of similarities in the way that he is being attacked. he said he had nothing to do with the company -- i am not sure what company he was talking about there. he was receiving financial benefits from the company. one of those things that will come up again. there is a question about jobs that were created and jobs lost. when he ran in 1994, he said that he helped create 10,000 jobs. now he is saying that he helped create 100,000 jobs. we looked at about 100 deals that he did over a 15-year period, you cannot say how many jobs were created or lost. 100,000 jobs figure, the campaign has said 89,000 of those jobs came from staples. most of those were created after bain cashed out. it is one of the smallest deals that they did when romney led the company. the founder of staples -- other people would say, wait a second, they cashed out and most of those came later. he is taking credit for jobs that were created later. in some cases, he has said that you should not blame me for jobs that were lost after i left. there is a balancing there. the obama campaign has tried to point out what they perceive to be contradictions. the basic issue is still the same. in 1994, mitt romney was not prepared to answer these questions. he did not answer a lot of them directly in a timely way. now he is trying to do that. the other thing i want to mention is that mitt romney was hit by kennedy a lot about health care. in 2002, he pushed through a health care plan and standing beside him was ted kennedy. it is really interesting to see kennedy attacking him over this. we know that years later what happened and how it turned out and kennedy was very supportive about what romney did. >> in the same venue where the debate took place. let me show you what governor romney said to "time" magazine. >> he was asked about "bain cap. mitt romney in mid-october of 1994 had this to say about his experience in the private sector. >> one of the ads, it has been interesting to watch the ads my opponent has put out. i do not know how to respond to them all. it suggests that my firm discriminates against women in positions of management. nothing could be further from the truth. of the 40 people in our firm, about 10 or so are women. our chief financial officer is a woman. we have women in key positions in the company. the company i ran before that, when i left, i was instrumental in having a woman appointed as the new chairman of the board. when i was chief executive, women were among the senior officers. in my venture capital business as well, you know what the venture capitalist do. they're not many who have backed a woman as a chief executive officer. judy george had never run a company before. she came to us with a new idea and we provided the capital for that. she is the chief executive of the company and our relationship has been a terrific one. i had some people come to me for child care centers in the workplace. the idea was a terrific one. two young men had the idea, but i was not convinced they were the right people to be the chief executives. they agreed with me. i found a couple, a husband and wife, who had just come back from the sudan. they had come back to the united states and i ask them to become co-chief executive officers. i backed other women as chief executive officers. one of the concerns i have had is that there is a glass ceiling. we talk about that a lot. i believe is there. what of the challenges is knowing where it is in each company. you cannot really tell. one proposal i made is that in all public companies, when they file their 10k, they include a breakdown of women and minorities by in come inside the company. you can look at a company and say, are there any women in this pay group? that would allow us to see where glass ceiling is. i donot want the government to regulate quotas or whatever. i find that in corporate america, when executives look at the information, they get the message all by themselves. you will see american change as people see where the glass ceiling exists. i would be happy to have my own companies conform to that same standard. >> from october 14, 1994. mitt romney losing the senate race to senator ted kennedy. was there a consistency or a similarity to what he was saying back then about these issues to what he is saying today? are there lessons for the campaign that they take away from the 94 loss? >> people do not know what bain capital is. you can listen to ads on both sides today. romney says things are great. obama says things were not so great. he said, i did not actually run our investment. that was left to management. that was from mitt romney himself and that gives you a better idea. he had an umbrella investments and they took in money that had $1 million or more to invest. that fund invested in various companies -- sometimes, jobs were created. sometimes, they were lost. he did not go in there in most of these cases and run a company. he had an investment fund and his colleagues and the board of directors, they would direct strategy. it was not like his father, who ran american motors and turned it around. it is a different type of business. it is a leveraged buyout business where they are using debt to make profits for their investors. that is the detail that tells you exactly what he did. it is hard to explain in the campaign. it has been the tricky pivot for the obama campaign. they do not want to attack private equity. did you want to attack some specific deals that he did. it is complicated. it is not the typical thing of going in and starting a business and then leaving. think of it as a super mutual- fund. they took money from investors and their responsibility was to improve the return. some of his partners said they did not discuss, would this deal create jobs? they did not see it in a negative way. they did not see themselves in a job creation type of business. they were in a business that was intended to get as high of a return as possible for their investors. >> let me show our audience how this issue is playing out in the 2012 campaign. one of the most recent ads from the obama campaign and the response. >> i was a steelworker for 30 years. we had a reputation for quality products. it was something that was american made. we were not rich, but i was able to put my daughter through college. >> it is important. >> let's start but the sale of the plant. i know how business works. >> bain capital was the majority owner. they were responsible. the influence he exercised over these companies. >> they made as much money off of it as they could. they closed it down and filed for bankruptcy. >> they came in and sucked the lifeout of us. >> it breaks my heart. >> i was devastated. it makes me angry. those guys were all rich. they all had more money than they will ever spend. they did not have money to take care of the people. >> bain capital walked away with a lot of money. >> he has destroyed thousands of people's careers. >> he is running for president and if he is going to run the country the way he ran our business, i do not want him there. he would be so out of touch with the average person in this country. how could he care for the average working person if he feels that way? >> i am barack obama, and i approve this message. >> have you had enough with president obama's attacks of free enterprise? cory booker of new jersey. former congressman, democrat from tennessee. >> private equity is a good thing. >> i do not think that there is anything bain capital did that they should be embarrassed about. >> even obama's own supporters have had enough. >> enough is enough. >> michael kranish, as you look at these two spots, what is your reaction? >> as i watched some of these spots, if you had taken away who sponsored them, you would not know when the ad ran. the last ad that we saw was an obama ad, but the basic message is still the same. the cases when mitt romney came in and factories were closed and people lost jobs. bain and romney made money. if mitt romney is talking about it, he will be talking about the success stories. it is a more complicated story than what both sides are saying. it is interesting, complicated, and to understand where he is coming from, an important story to understand. >> more details available in the book. thank you very much for being with us. you can get more information at c-span's video library. it is part of our campaign 2012 coverage. >> coming up, a senate subcommittee looks at the shortage of foreign language workers in government, then a look of the role of government in energy innovation. later, the european political and economic landscape and relations with the u.s. tonight, michael powell, ceo of the national cable and television and communications association and glenn britt look at issues the community faces. the state department of the foreign language and directors as the need for foreign-language speakers in government has never been greater. she testified along with officials from the defense and education department, speaking about the need for college language programs, encouraging workers to expand skills and funding for foreign-language training. this to about one hour. >> thank you for being here. i call this hearing on the subcommittee on oversight and the federal work force in the district of columbia to order. welcome all witnesses. thank you for being here. as chairman of the subcommittee, i have held seven oversight hearings that emphasized the need to build a federal government form language skills from developing foreign-language strategies, to improving u.s. diplomatic readiness. this is my final hearing on this topic. today, we will review the importance of and for -- of foreign languages to our national security. and our economy as well. we will also examine the state of the federal government's foreign language capability, and consider ways to improve our nation's language capacity. last year, we marked the 10th anniversary of the september 11 terrorist attacks this tragic event exposed our nation's language shortfalls. the 9/11 commission raised concerns about the shortage of personnel we needed, middle east and language skills at both the fbi and cia, which hindered our understanding of the threat. these agencies, as well as the department of state, homeland security and defense continue to experience shortages of people skilled in hard-to-learn languages due to a limited pool of americans to recruit from. because of these shortages, agencies are forced to fill language-designated positions with employees that do not ever those skills. agencies them have to spend extra time and funds training employees in these languages. as u.s. businesses look to expand, of all sizes they need to employees with foreign- language skills and cultural knowledge to access overseas markets. all our national and economic security is closely linked to how well our schools prepare students to succeed in a global environment. experts indicate that learning languages starting at the k-12 levels develop higher of language proficiencies than those starting in college. the federal government must partner with schools, colleges and the private sector to address this ongoing challenge and its root cause -- our nation's failure to adequately investing language education starting at early ages. even in a difficult budget environment, we must fund the important international education and foreign language study programs that build the pipeline to a 21st century workforce, including the foreign language assistance program. we must make sure the budget cuts are not at the expense of strategic national security interests. sure-sided cuts to programs like title 6 -- short-sided -- short-sided cuts to programs like total six could undermine the progress we made in this area. today, we will hear about agency's progress in their language capacity, however i believe agencies can do more to coordinate and share best practices in recruiting, retaining, and training personnel. furthermore, i strongly believe that a coordinated national effort among all levels of government industry and academia is needed to tackle the problem before us. if we worked together, -- if we work together we can improve pollinations language capacity and effectively -- our nation's language capacity and effectively confront the challenges to prosperity. i look forward to hearing from our witnesses today, and continuing the discussion on how we can address our nation's language needs. former senator david from oklahoma, who has been a longtime advocate on this issue and was a friend while he was here was kind enough to provide a statement for this hearing. he continues to urge that we invest in comprehensive language training, and to address this language crisis. i would like to submit this, and i will submit his stake in the state and for the record. -- statement for the record. i look forward to hearing from our first panel of witnesses. welcome again. the hon. eduardo ochoa, who is assistant secretary of the office of post-secondary education and the department of education. the hon. linda thomas- greenfield, the director general of foreign service and director of human resources at the department of state. dr. laura junor, deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness at the department of defense. . tweet -- tracey north, department of justice. and, mr. glenn nordin, the principal foreign language and area advisor for the office of the undersecretary of defense intelligence and the department of defense. he is representing the director of national intelligence. as you know, it is the custom of this subcommittee to swear in all witnesses. i would ask all of you to please stand and raise your right hands. theo you swear that testimony you're about to give it is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to it so help you god? thank you. let it be noted for the record is the witness's answer the in the affirmative. before we start, i wanted you to know that your full written statements will be made part of the record, and i would also like to remind you to limit your oral remarks to 5 minutes. mr. eduardo ochoa, please proceed with your statement. >> thank you. the definition chairman akaka -- good afternoon chairman akaka, and thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee today. i am pleased to provide testimony for this hearing on national security and federal foreign language capabilities and i appreciate your focus on this issue as i have direct experience, born in argentina where i attended bilingual schools until my family moved to the united states during my junior year of high school. i understand the importance of foreign-language programs as they not only provide a better understanding of other cultures but provided me with a unique insight of my own culture and language. before providing an overview, let me this threat -- expressed appreciation of your longstanding support for the advancement of foreign language learning. the department believes it is imperative to improve federal government formed language capabilities. in keeping with this belief, the department adopted a fully- articulated international strategy designed to advance to the will goals -- strengthen the educational attainment of u.s. students, and advancing international priorities. a key objective of the plan relevant to today's hearing is to increase the global competencies of all u.s. students, including those from historically disadvantaged groups. 21st competencies', century skills, it is clear for our work force and national security. 30% of u.s. secondary students and 8% of post-secondary students are enrolled in a foreign language course, a long way from a multi-lingual societies of many competitors. two-thirds of americans aged 18 to 24 can not find a rack on a map of the middle east and african americans are under- written which represented in those set study abroad. -- under-represented in those that study abroad. colleges and universities have a responsibility to further develop and deepen the skills, but waiting until post- secondary education is too late. this means the school levels and all levels must place far greater emphasis on helping students understand their responsibilities as global citizens and we believe in beijing students in these ways will help meet the president's -- in these ways will help students achieve the president's 2020 plan. i want to talk about programs that support international warning and foreign language acquisition. we support the teaching and learning a foreign language through a portfolio of 14 grant programs. nine of these programs received $66.6 million to operate domestically, and four receive $7.5 million to operate internationally. one of the prairie rose is meeting the international need for expertise and -- primary roles is meeting the international need for expertise. the national resources center supported under title 6 represents the primary mechanism for developing u.s. language of expertise and college campuses. the 127 institutions provide research and development in over 110 less-commonly taught languages. this plays an important part in meeting the needs of the federal workforce, national security and economic competitiveness for individuals in it with foreign language skills. in addition to resource center, the companion program with scholarships provide funds to assist undergraduate and graduate students in foreign language studies. in fiscal year 2011, 735 of students attended overseas. it also supports american overseas research centers, and in 2011 alone, they work with teachers and students. federal investment is critical to do developing insisting in the pipeline of individuals with foreign language and international education skills that are needed to address national security and competitive needs. this enhances the capacity of educational decisions and agencies of all levels to effectively teach and learn foreign languages. we are committed to and -- continue to improve and refocus the programs to support the goal of strengthening the u.s. education and advancing international party. we believe firmly that knowledge and understanding of other cultures and languages are critical to building and sustaining our nation over the coming years. thank you, mr. chairman, for your attention, and would have to answer any questions. >> linda thomas-greenfield, would you please proceed with your statement. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for the opportunity to appear before a to discuss the challenges to deliver in a on the foreign-policy agenda. i will present a summary of my statement and ask the full statement be submitted for the record. the bureau of human-resources as the critical responsibility of building and maintaining an effective civilian work force that can fulfill its role in strengthening the prosperity and secure the of our nation. as secretary hillary clinton emphasized in the development review, managing threats such as regional conflict, wars and terrorism depends as much on diplomacy and development as the use of military force. therefore, we have increased the number of positions at difficult, hazardous posts that are vital to our foreign policy agenda and we now have close to 4000 language-designated positions in these posts and other locations. it is challenging to uphold the high standard for foreign language capability with the increasing needs we have faced over the past years. over the past decade, there has been a significant shift in positions in the east, south asia, and other bureaus requiring languages of arabic, and chinese. overall positions have tripled in the bureau of south and central asia affairs, where language requirements have increased tenfold and in the bureau of near eastern affairs has doubled regular positions corresponding with arabic requirements. the foreign service's is it has expanded form language training capacity -- institute has expanded foreign language training capacity. more targeted recruitment can help address the challenges. we are recruiting for certain language skills. to address increasingly complex national security challenges, the department must have a robust foreign language capabilities, there for working in our interagency is what partners we strongly encourage young people to study languages earlier in life, starting in middle school, high school, and continuing in college. to assist in building the pipeline, the state department's bureau of educational and cultural affairs is providing language learning opportunities 2000 american university college and high-school students and teachers through our exchange program, however we are very concerned. we have learned over the past few years the budget constraints, because of budget constraints, universities are cutting language programs before they cut anything. in addition, the department has established incentives to encourage employees to strengthen language skills, particularly in so-called hard and super-hard languages such as arabic, russian, japanese, korean, and hindi. this underscores the values placed by the department on crude capacity in the most difficult foreign languages. we have appreciated the support we have received from you in congress as a whole on your program to hire a training complement that enables more overseas positions to remain killed while replacements received required language -- remain fulfilled while we -- replacements receive required language training. while we work aggressively to recruit and retain the talent and staff needed in places like afghanistan and iraq, we must also guarantee that employees have foreign-language skills necessary to succeed in these challenging environments, but the need is not limited to these handful of countries. we have needs in many parts of the world, as i stated earlier. no matter where in the world our employees are serving, our employees must have language skills to gather information,

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