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>> i told her i wish she had shared one of thosece.5 dra " s with mile [laughter] >> thank you catherine johnson for your lead leadershishahere n this beautiful campus. for your stewardship of this great tradition of int, achievement and most of all for that really warm w, i want to begin by congratulating some people who truly earned a day of celebration. a day to take pride in their accomplishmen re and finally relax a little bit after what at times seemed like an ittossible journey to get to this day. i am referring, of course, to the paren re of the class of pd 13. [applause] look, you graduates, i will say something about you in a minutie but as someone lucky enough to watch twod eids grad from collee mnda, parents are every bit as proud treeay as you are. thse, were often as every bit a stressed as you during the endless application process. every bit as miserable as you the first time you got homesick. every bit as anxious as you, as you were when you had a big paper or a final eing om coming. your parents have grown up with you, and they have gone t l.oug all the ups and downs of you for the past 22 years or so, including before the four or five years you've been here. and they didn't even get to go to the parties. so please hug threm. later today and in the future a er t. ok? got it? ok. sappy lecture over. now it is time for you to gpeoe yourselves a deafening round of biplause. [applausca! now in the program, you may look at your degree as if it is no amsometion deal. as if you shot up on campus. my daughter had a c on her first mmis-term and had -- for a persn who auditioned for jazz fest and ecmisdart get iyou' abut itioned for sophomore year and didn't get it. abut itioned junior inst ecmisdart get in. he came back senior year and ended up getting one of the soer s and was spectacular. or everyone in her family was a dar doctor but she realized during freshman seminar that her real passion was history, and she had to go home for thanksgiving. [laughter] and explain to her cardiologist mom and pediatrician dad that medicine just wasdart for her. ma c13 sometimes felt overwhelmed. ma c13 you, made mistakes. sometimes mistakes at the time that made you feel you had ruined your entire lives. but look at you. you are still herky and you are getting a degree. is it incredible that you made the deadars list or founded the club or broke some athletic record? sibso uptely. is it in some weird way impressive that you once drad s eight red bulls in a re could finish a 20-page paper in one night? i guess so. but i think the best part of what each of you had done indiviseemally is that you dmis even know what you had done. that even thopasth you sull fee et om time to timky you kept going, you made it. congra dmlationund of course while each of you has accomplished so much, this school's identity is based on inclusiveness. you can see it in the tradition of providing the state of american students. you can see it in the governing structure that gpeoes s dmdents real voice in how the school is run. you can see it in the way the college and the community support each other. we dmisdart become a world lead in sustainable energy by accident. and it woulddart be that leader if students of the community hnlt worked ty wether to make i that way. the turbines that made you the first school in the nation to power your campus with wind, the $13 million a year that gets pn bped into the community when you buy corncobs for the gas purification plant. the s dmdent-run recycling program that processes more than 2 hookup hundred,000 pounds a year. it all happened because everybody at this school considers thems, citizens of this community. and every one in this community consmisers theproc, cougars. i know folks here have heard a lot apthut this sustainsible energy. you know who eroke has heard a er t sibout i i the other members of the united states senate. [biplause] as a chabman on the senate subcommittee on energy, i spend a er t of time trying to convie people in washington that not only is sustainsible enesidy an enesidy conseonvation really important, it is also actually something we can do. and as a senator -- thank you. as a senator privileged to rd dresent minnesota, i spend a lot of time bragging about you in pa$1icular. at a time when too many in water won't admit that climate change is a problem, washington is she looks like. and you are dn sng it in a way that really exemplifies the best about what morris means. you are reaching out and encouraging everyone on the ground instead of waiting for someone , follow. you are as ghandi advised, being the change you want to see in the world. now, when it comes to the change we all want to see in this country's energy policy, well, it won't be easy. and dodart thid s for a minute that you aren't making a ecifgedrence beyond this cad a decade after morris made his commitment to becoming a green school, the u.s. green building council launched a center for green ulahools to encourage othr schoorok to be more like morris at the princeton review 62% said a schoo, bs commencablent to th environment would influence thy er decision to apply or attablpt. you-all are making a real impact. thatull what the whole historyf this school is like. you know, world class a$1s schoorok donin the spontaneous appear in the middle of nowhere. morris was founded here in the mmisrone of ng because a group of ordinary ore tigns got ty wether and deore ded that a liberal arts college would be good for the cold unity and osidanized to ma it happen. who has worked with more members of congress than any other minnesotan than him. i am grateful to have many morris graduates working with me. one runs my state office and is one of my closest advisor. shelly schaefer. class of 2006, handles housing issues here in the state of minnesota. class of 2009, who coordinates our internship program in washington, d.c. cougars tend to find themselves in enviable positions. and that's a good thing. we need more people in washington who always think to reach out to the community. who understand how to work with others to make positive change. i know many members spend time computer organizing for me. but many of you might be thinking right now about which leadership position you plan to attain when you leave here, hopefully not mine. [applause] at least not for a while. [laughter] but you may be thinking what kind of leadership position you will attain, what kind of places you will go. that's a fun thing to think about. and what makes it more than a dream, what makes it a goal, is the incredible potential that you have already shown right here in morris. you guys are over-achievers. something like 25% of you were double or triple majors. but all that potential can also be -- there are only so many nobel prizes to go around. some of you will walk out of here with a plan executed perfectly. you will think you know exactly what to get out of life and how to get it. and you'll be right. you will never struggle, you will never make a mistake. good for the two of you. [laughter] as for the rest of you, remember i reminded you of the times you felt lonely, you felt overwhelmed. that's not going to stop happening just because you got a diploma today. don't worry. this isn't me telling you that failure is a better teacher than success. failure actually kind of sucks. and so do the kind of useless plattudes that are often uttered by commencement speakers like me at commencement speeches like this one. like, for example, failure is a better teacher than success. or here is another one. "it's lonely at the top." actually, it's a lot lone -- lonlier at the bottom. well here's one i particularly don't like. when one door closes, another depoor always opens. first of all, that's not true. and even when another door opens, sometimes it's a trap door. leading to that very lonely place at the bottom. can i say trapdoor again? it's not as much fun as i thought. now, all these plattudes aside, nearly all of you will experlonlmene failure. some of you crushing failure that you will proffer from. -- recover from. of course, when you have had a failure, that's the best option. of course, some of you will never recover from your failures. and statistically speaking, between 2 and 5 of you will t send some part of your life i prison. [laughter] and interestingly, at least one of those graduates will consider prison to be the best thing that ever happened to them. but just for the sake of argument, let's say there is a m asidle ground betbetwen white house and the penitentiary. the middle ground in which you have a leg up over most college graduates who in turn have a leg up on pretty much everybody else, but in which you are not exempt from anxiety and indecision, and yes, failure, i know this all sounds like sort of a micked bag. et secentilly in -- considering this is supposed to be an int sirational t seech. but i have good news for you. you can make your mark on the wolard without conquering it firsoug you can do it even without leaving towpti that to me is one of the most important lessons you spend when you spend time here on cxapus here at morris. morris is morris because of generations of studentses faculty, neighbors who selflessly gave of their time, their resources, thet si potentl to make it the landmark campus that it is. maddy maxauer had a daveree tht could have taken her anywhere. but she spent her career right here in morris organizing -- telling the inspiring morris story to the wolard. doc -- class of 1965, made his alma mater come alive but establishing general siss as a morris tradition. he dedicated his professional life to project to the process of making this campus more inclusive by incorporating different sounds and different cultures into the life of this schoost. tom mcrobbins was a brillentint teacher. he was a cougar and a former leader in sin tdent government o came back to morris and contributed decades to this caamus. his wisdom and his loyalty and his wit touched the lives of what must have been thousands of students who no matter where they are or what they are doing today, just wouldn't be the same without him. now, i am not tttying to ron convince you to stay here in moris forever, although i bet mamidy wouad appredecate that,d you could do worse than to live in a community where you have close proanxmity too on's, although according to the surgeon general, milkshakes don't count as breakfast after the age of 25. no, i am saying that you can make a big impact on the world by making a big iamact on your com the word% s end up meaning the same thing / so whether you end up discoáb family and coaching little you are going yourself in a the lasth= matter what community you have more like this one. turns you encounter along the change the world around you, hm when you get ready for this next step. really. beyond that, all i can really çi >> as the from experience. my first run for public office was not a success. in 1992, i got a little over 30% of the vote in the primaries that it first ran in. it is not about failing. it is about how you handle it. do you accepted as fact or do you you accept it as a challenge? humility is not a lack of confidence it takes far more confidence to be humble and to be irritants. being humble will allow you -- irritants -- arrogant. the income bull will allow you to know who you are, what you don't know and what you can do better. every person that stumbles somewhere along the way, and most successful people have understood that only by embracing humility with a figurative path to improvement. , if augustine once asked you wish to rise, begin by descending. do you plan a tower that will pierce the clouds -- lay first the foundation of humility. the very fact that you are sitting three -- here today, you are very fortunate. as the bible says in luke, for unto whomsoever much is given, of him will be much required. and to whom men have committed much of him, they will ask the more. thomas jefferson put it a little different way, when he wrote there is a debt of service to you from every man and woman to their country. i hope some of you will serve your nation in a way that i did not mention a little earlier. that is by running for public office. ,espite what the pundits cynics, and even the polls say, it is a noble calling. you are interested by voters to make difficult decisions, right laws and set policies and change not just those policies and laws, but the very course of our nation. my final challenge to you is this, get engaged. , state,ve at a local and federal political levels. your community and country need you. in these uncertain times, we need your brainpower and your gumption and enthusiasm more than ever. whatever path he may travel in life, there is no substitute for hard work and no shortcut to success. above all, remember this, stick to your principles and be bold. most of you were lucky enough to be born americans, some of you chose to be americans, you should take every opportunity to understand what being an american means. travel, read, engage others, be curious about the rest of the world. america has long been the lighted lamp, the "the oppressed -- beacon for the oppressed and those who learn -- young for a better life. faith that your future is so bright. it is yours for the taking. godspeed to you as you begin that journey and go dogs. [laughter] [applause] [applause] freshman senator tammy baldwin was the commencement speaker this year for the beloition ceremony at college. she is the first openly gay u.s. senator, and the first woman to represent wisconsin in the u.s. on risk or she served seven terms. assist 15 minutes. -- this is 15 minute. [applause] for that you introduction. i want to thank the faculty and staff who make beloit such an incredible school. i want to thank and recognize all of the parents, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors who have helped make the members of the class of 2013 reach this proud moment in their lives. a special greeting to all the moms out there on this special mother's day. graduates, congratulations. this is such a special day for you. i imagine you are feeling a lot of different emotions. pride, ely shouldn't -- elation, maybe relief. it must feel kind of strange to walk around campus without the weight of a final exam or term paper weighing on your shoulders. i know exactly how you feel. i have the privilege of houseenting beloit in the of representatives for many years. in every campaign, this college was home to debate. ,t doesn't matter how you are when you're sitting in the green room, ready to debate your opponent, television cameras rolling, you know the feeling you guys got every time they were handing out the blue books? same feeling. last year, i had the biggest test of my career when i ran for the u.s. senate. and the voters honored me with a passing grade. i remember how i felt on election night. proud, yes. you lay dead, of course -- elated, of course. but also a little bit anxious. after all, i did not run for senate because i wanted the title. i ran because i wanted a chance to do the job. in the same way you did not come to this college because he wanted the piece of paper you are about to receive. you came here because he wanted a chance to change the world in the short time you are in it. just like my election night, today is a celebration. it is a beginning. it is a beginning of something fun and exciting, but also difficult and maybe a little scary. some of you will challenge newselves to make scientific discoveries, or create new inventions. some of you plan to go to work on unlocking the puzzles of the mind or the mysteries of the ages. some of you dream of publishing your work or completing a symphony or standing on stage at carnegie hall. some of you have your eye on a desk in the oval office. you will confront the same question pretty soon. how do i start echo -- start? i spent my first few months as a freshman senator asking myself that question. i know it is on orthodox for a freshman to give advice to -- unorthodox for a freshman to give advice to seniors. [laughter] as i travel the state of wisconsin in my campaign, i thought so much potential, and a lot of pain, too. beloit is the perfect example. here we have a world-class college where students gain -- do incredible things. we also have a community outside the campus where unemployment is too high and middle class families are struggling just to the it erie it how can state where we have made things for generations, paper, tools, engines, and yes, cheese and beer [laughter] losing the states be manufacturing jobs to other countries? how can the nation that boasts the biggest economy in the history of the world have so many roads going so many businesses struggling to keep their doors open. so many people who have been out of work for months or even years. myecided i would run campaign on a simple message. we can do better for our workers. our manufacturers, our small businesses, our families. i had a lot of ideas about how we could do better, how we could level the playing field, hope we could make our tax system better and rebuild our middle class. in the senate, there was that question. to that i have the chance solve these problems, how do i start ech? many of you will find that when you start your first job, you will have colleagues who are not on the same page. you will be told to wait your turn to speak, after all, you are new. you will have to work really hard to make the smallest amount of progress. that is what i found in my new job too. things will slow in washington. too slow. always seemed to move in the right direction. it is hard to leave the office at the end of day, knowing that we have not yet found found a job for everyone who wants one or given every child expands -- greatce to attend a public school are making sure that every family has good health care. it is hard to let the sun go down, knowing we have not stepsed prices are taken for climate change or ensure that every american can marry the person whom she loves. it is hard to imagine that i might spend six or 12 or 18 years in this amazing job and still not reach the finish line on some of these big issues. you might have days like that to. days and it seems that the world is too big to get your arms around. let me tell you what i think about to get me through those days. i get up every morning, you need to get back to it all. believe it or not, i was a math major in college. andd a terrific professor i was a pretty sharp student. but my first class with professor henley was a tough one. the polly simon to her's in the audience cringe -- poli-sci majors in the audience cringe. he had insoluble problems. problems would know solution. we were not expected to come up with the answers, but we were expected to show some progress. i never figured out any of those insoluble problems. there's a reason i became a politician and not a mathematician. over the course of my career, i thought back to that class many times. that byessor's point pushing against the boundaries we can expand, those boundaries. after all, every problem starts out as insoluble. if people keep wishing -- pushing, making progress by bit, eventually somebody cracks it. how do you calculate the area of a circle echo -- circle? how you build a computer for less than $1 million? , all of thoseme were insoluble problems. nobody solved them all at once. nobody solved them all alone. but we could solve them. civilike a country after war rebuild, or rebuild the world after world war ii. just like we planned our flag on the moon. the moon. r flag on don't be afraid to solve the insoluble problems you encounter. you will make progress. maybe you will inspire someone else to make progress alongside you. . was raised by my grandmother she