The 51福利 (51福利) held its summer graduation ceremony to a packed auditorium of friends, family, faculty, and a large class of 377 graduates, in King Auditorium, Sept. 23.
And for only the third time in the university鈥檚 long 100-plus year history, 51福利 awarded an honorary doctorate of military science to keynote speaker, Norman R. Augustine.
The ceremony opened with 51福利 President Dan Oliver taking the opportunity to acknowledge the faculty and staff for their hard work in creating 51福利鈥� challenging learning environment -- paramount to the quality of the students鈥� education. He also thanked the family members and friends of the graduates for their support, while recognizing the hard work each graduate endured during the their time at 51福利.
鈥�51福利 graduates, you should be justly proud of what you have accomplished here,鈥� said Oliver. 鈥淲e are proud to call you 51福利 alumni and we look forward to hearing great things from you in the future.鈥�
Oliver then proceeded to introduce the guest speaker and present him with the honorary degree.
鈥淭he power of an 51福利 education is its impact on our students鈥� and graduates鈥� effectiveness to lead.鈥� Said Oliver. 鈥淭oday we have the special honor of welcoming an iconic leader to our ranks as an 51福利 alumnus. He is a friend of the 51福利 whom I would proudly suggest to you or anyone else as a mentor.鈥�
With the assistance of 51福利 Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Leonard Ferrari and the Dean of the Graduate School of Operational and Information Sciences Dr. Peter Perdue, Oliver presented the honorary doctorate to Augustine, former Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, just one position among a long list of leadership position in the public and private sectors.
鈥淚 am deeply honored to receive a degree from this great institution,鈥� said Augustine in his speech. 鈥淚 am acutely aware of the standard of excellence that you maintain and the demands placed upon each individual who is affiliated with the school.鈥�
Augustine gave an interesting perspective on the reasons for the day鈥檚 celebration. He said that a graduation is commonly referred to as a 鈥渃ommencement,鈥� or a beginning, not an ending. The focus for the graduates will be on what they next, he said, not what they have done in the past.
鈥淵ou will be expected to be part of the answer to the problems now confronting our nation,鈥� he emphasized.
Augustine noted that the U.S. had to learn to adapt to the challenges of today鈥檚 fighting environment. That even with the nation鈥檚 might in conventional warfare, enemies were shifting their tactics and that future leaders needed to adapt to this shift.
He mentioned the emergence of globalization and its implications and how critical effective leadership is in this new world.
Augustine offered insight on what characteristics he has observed in exceptional leaders鈥攕uch as Adm. Arleigh Burke, Gen. Omar Bradley and Gen. Jimmy Doolitle鈥攚ho helped shape his career. Augustine listed core principles that make a strong leader, including an uncompromising moral compass, selflessness, courage, and demanding standards.
He also added two important observations. He said that he was struck by how many of the leaders he met while participating in over 500 meetings of Fortune 100 companies who did not have abnormally high IQ鈥檚 or come from millionaire families. Rather, in his experience, the key characteristic they shared was motivation. 鈥淢otivation will beat mere talent almost every time.鈥�
He noted the value in focusing on the present, in doing your best, right now, to prepare for the future. Augustine quoted Sir William Osler, who he noted is 鈥渞ecognized by many to the father of modern Western medicine鈥� in saying 鈥淚 have had 鈥� personal ideals. One is to do the day鈥檚 work well and not to bother about tomorrow 鈥� To it, more than to anything else, I owe whatever success I have had 鈥� to this power of settling down to the day鈥檚 work and trying to do it well to the best of one鈥檚 ability, and letting the future take care of itself.鈥�
To conclude, Augustine turned his focus on the members of the military, giving praise to the members of the armed services.
鈥淚n my experience, you exemplify the very best about America,鈥� he said. 鈥淪peaking as a civilian, and as a private citizen, I thank each and every one of you for what you do for our country 鈥� May you always enjoy fair winds and following seas.鈥�
After his address Augustine joined Oliver and Ferrari in presenting Distinguished Professor Awards to four 51福利 professors selected by their colleagues for the honorary title. A distinguished professor, noted Ferrari, is a senior professor that has been recognized as a role model among their colleagues, has given continued effective service to the 51福利 team, and has conducted work that has had significant impact in their fields.
A total of 366 graduates earned 393 degrees, with 246 crossing the stage during the ceremony. Of the 363 graduates, 134 came from the Navy, 30 Marines, eight Army, three Coast Guard, 18 Air Force, 147 DoD Civilians, two Air National Guard, one NOAA, and 23 international students. There were five PhDs, excluding Augustine, 61 Masters of Arts, three Masters of Business Administration, 279 Masters of Science, 30 Executive Masters of Business Administration, two Bachelors of Science, and 17 dual degrees.