Texas Southern University’s May 2011 graduates were the recipients of a powerful commencement speech delivered by John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Wilson challenged the graduates to go out and do something about the environment, education and poverty before, “we reach the point of no return.” He also let the May graduates know that in order for America to regain its number one status in the world in education, “We need to graduate another 8 million people by 2020. Education is the key. Do something now about education. Use your smarts to go out and make a difference.”
Wilson asked several questions to the more than 800 graduates to starred silently as he made his points. The first question was - Can you climb? He asked, “Do you think you know how to excel in today’s society? Can you create passion? Can you innovate?” One of the most thought provoking questions he asked during his speech was, “Do you happen to the day or does the day happen to you?” He challenged the students to “be a lynch pin of change.”
His next question was – Can you lift? “If you can lift, you can help someone along the way so that your living will not be in vain.”
The final question he posed to students was – Can you build? “We need builders! So many of our institutions are broken, we need builders to help repair and give back to our institutions. Our institutions need alumni to give back. Be the first class to give back 50, 60 100% to this institution.”
After concluding with the question, “Do you believe?” Wilson gave one last charge to the May graduates, “believe that we will emerge from this cell of faithlessness.” He challenged all of those in attendance to never give up and to continue to move forward.
TSU President, John M. Rudley in his commencement remarks answered the question are HBCU’s still relevant? He answered, “My answer, then and now is based upon statistics that are represented in this class. Education in a global economy requires that American Students are prepared to compete with students from around the globe. Texas Southern University as the fourth largest Historically Black College provides an immeasurable service to this nation.”
He goes on to say, “HBCU’s graduate 25% of all Black Americans who earn undergraduate degrees, the nation’s Historically Black Colleges have produced the lion’s share of black professionals. At TSU, we graduate between 12 and 14 hundred students a year. “
President Rudley also took time to share major TSU accomplishment with an audience of nearly 10,000. He pointed to the fact that TSU’s football and basketball teams won the SWAC championships this year; and 17 athletes are graduating from football, basketball, women’s bowling, “where Chantell Jefferson is graduating cum laude today and she is the 2011 SWAC player of the year; and in football, Dejuan Fulghum, an accounting major, SWAC defensive player of the year, is in the lineup; Also in football, Curtis Thomas, a communication major, 2010 First Team All SWAC, he is graduating today; In Basketball, Trevele Jones, 2011 SWAC Player of the year, is graduating today; In baseball, Brandon Mikell, is graduating with a major in mathematics.”
President Rudley also recognized and called to the stage Randy Kelley, Grammy Award winning musician and TSU student; Spring Commencement valedictorian, Ms. Elizabeth Kim Pham, Pharmacy in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, graduate as Suma Cum Laude with a 3.92 GPA; and salutatorian Ms. Charla Yvette Hilton, Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Education, graduate as Suma Cum Laude, with a 3.89 GPA.
John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. currently serves as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). To accomplish the initiative's mission of strengthening the capacity of these institutions, he leads his team to work with the 105 HBCUs, the White House, 32 federal agencies, and the private corporate and philanthropic sectors. Their challenge is to ensure that HBCUs are a significant force in helping the nation to reach the goal set by President Barack Obama of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the year 2020.
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