Godspeed, Commencement, 2004 Centre College • John Roush, President As we prepare to sing the College’s alma mater and hear the words of benediction, let me share a very few thoughts. I promise to be brief. Thank you for these years you have spent with us. I am confident you leave Centre a different person than when you came. I am confident you leave Centre a better-educated person, one more capable of making a difference for good in the life of work and service that awaits you. I am hopeful you leave Centre a better person. A person who views the world and its many people with a new sense of community, compassion, and understanding. A person prepared to be a citizen-leader who will work with others to find solutions to the challenges of his or her community, state, nation, and the world. But, right now, let me invite you to close your eyes and remember your experiences at Centre. Let your memories of these days cascade across your mind. Remember, if you will, the day you started here. Your first roommate. Your best course. Your worst course. Your best friends. The person you worked hardest to like. Your greatest achievement. Your toughest loss. Your best day. Your worst day. All the laughter. Some of the tears. All the hopes. A few of the disappointments. Remember these days. Never forget them. Remember the people who made this experience possible for you. Be sure to thank your parents and others who matter in your life. Take time today to thank the professors, coaches, and staff people who made a difference in your life. Let your friends know that you are in their debt for their friendship and support during your Centre years. Don't miss any opportunities on this day of commencement to thank those who made this day possible. Congratulate yourself. This is one of those moments when it is OK to step back and know you have done something really important. The undergraduate years, almost everyone will tell you, represent the time when you grow and are shaped as a young adult in ways you come to understand fully only later in life. And commencement, signaling a new beginning, not an end, is the time for you to celebrate. Two final thoughts. Not three – two! One, come back. Come back to Centre often. Doing so will remind you of these wonderful days, and will help you maintain a sense of humility by reminding you of who you are and from whence you came. Two, go and do good things. Hold on to the ideals and high goals you have set for yourself. Believe and work for those things that are good and decent and in the interests of all people. Never give up on people, though they may give you reason to do so. Don't settle for anything less than a life well lived. Continue to be your best, do your best, and strive to finish each day with no regrets. Be strong, but ever mindful of those who are weak. Be thankful for your country and its many freedoms, and never allow yourself to take them for granted as you work, and study, and travel across this amazing world. Now as you prepare to leave us, know that we -- your teachers and all of us who have played some role in your Centre experience -- wish you only the best. We are proud of you. We look forward to hearing of your good deeds. We stand prepared to help you again and again. We will miss you. We love you. Godspeed.