Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

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Secretary Elaine L. Chao
Commencement Address
St. Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana
May 18, 2002

Thank you, Dr. [Karen] Ristau [Vice President and Dean of Faculty].

Congratulations to today's awardees: Dorene Dwyer Hammes, Sister Basil Anthony, Marjorie Hosinki Hamel, and James Jack.

Graduating seniors, parents, trustees, faculty, friends, and family … I am delighted to join you today for the 155th commencement of this outstanding college.

I've heard so many wonderful things about Saint Mary's from Ann Combs, who is the Assistant Secretary for the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration at the Department of Labor. Ann has two sisters and who are graduates of Saint Mary's… and one niece who is a junior here… and her sister is Susan Dampeer.

Saint Mary's also boasts, among its distinguished alumnae… Congresswoman Anne Northup, who is my Congresswoman in Kentucky! And, Congresswoman Northup is doing a great job!

St. Mary's is an excellent school - a college that clearly produces leaders. Its fine reputation is something you should all be very proud of.

Your education here has given you an avenue to uncommon success. It will open many doors.

But it has also given you a great responsibility. A responsibility not just to obey the law and pay your taxes… a responsibility to lead.

The Saint Mary's mission statement and curriculum encourage giving back. Over 50 percent of you participating in community service in the South Bend area.

As you leave Saint Mary's, I hope you will carry its tradition of volunteerism and service with you, throughout your life.

As former head of the Peace Corps, and later of the United Way, I care deeply about maintaining America's unique spirit of volunteering and service.

My professional experience in charitable organizations really arose out of my own experience as an immigrant to this country. That time in my life helped me realize, in a very personal way, the great value of giving and sharing with your neighbors.

When my family arrived here from Asia, we did not speak English and were not familiar with American customs. The kindness, the helping hands of our friends and neighbors were invaluable as we transitioned to this wonderful, but unfamiliar, new country.

At Saint Mary's, you received a liberal arts education. It means that you are prepared to be problem-solvers, not just problem-identifiers.

And now, as you leave the safe haven of this school, I hope you will think about maintaining your diversity of interests as you enter the world of work or of post-graduate education.

Carrying a commitment to service into your post-graduate life will ensure that you keep your mind sharp, your world-view broad, and your heart open to others.

Our country has been deeply changed since the attacks of September 11th. September 11th reaffirmed, once again, the unique spirit of American volunteerism. It has resulted in the opening of so many American hearts. It started a new spirit of service in America. It is a contagious spirit - one that asks, "What can I do to help?"

In his State of the Union address in January of this year, President George W. Bush established the USA Freedom Corps. He also called on every American to commit at least two years -- 4,000 hours over each of our lifetimes -- to the service of our neighbors, communities, and our nation. And since his call to service, more than 29,000 Americans have volunteered with the new Citizen Corps. And applications for AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps are up dramatically, as well.

We seem to appreciate now, more than ever, the great things about living in this country: freedom, democracy and great prosperity. But we also see with new eyes, more than ever, the many needs in communities all over our country.

Through service to your communities, you can help to meet those needs. And you will also gain a deeper commitment to the freedoms that we enjoy.

Whether you have already chosen a job, are planning to continue your studies in graduate school, or are embarking on your career search tomorrow… I hope you will consider service to others whenever possible and wherever you are

No matter where you live, no matter where you are working or studying, you will find needs and opportunities to fill them.

If you have accounting skills, you can help small community organizations with their finances.

If you have communications skills, you can help with fundraising for charitable groups.

If you are good with your hands, you can build or repair community centers or people's homes.

If you have an interest in health care, you can help in a clinic.

Take the time and make a commitment to sharing your time and your talents - share what you have learned here wherever you go next.

And make good on your good intentions. Over 85 percent of this country's graduating college seniors plan to donate money, clothes, or food to a community or religious organization. And 6 of every 10 young adults plan to volunteer with a similar group.

My hopes are high that you will follow through on these plans. After all, more than 45% of those graduating from college this year already volunteer more than 17 hours a month.

To those of you who have been involved in the community surrounding this campus, I am grateful for your work through SURV, Saint Mary's volunteer service center

The local community is better off as a result. And America is stronger as well.

It is through service to our neighbors that we are building the gathering momentum of a million acts of kindness and decency.

As soon as you have settled in your new homes, I encourage all of you to click on www.usafreedomcorps.gov … the site makes it very easy to see what the opportunities are, in your community, for service. All you have to do is enter your zip code, and the site will send you to a list of volunteering prospects in your area.

The call to serve is for all of us, from graduates to grandparents. Interest in the Senior Corps program has also grown by leaps and bounds since January.

Twenty-one percent of young people who choose to serve say they do so, "because it makes a difference." When you change one person's life, you are changing the world.

Most people also say that they volunteer because they were asked to do so. And so, today, I'm here to ask you to volunteer to serve your community, your nation, and your world.

As a graduate of Saint Mary's College, you are already part of a great tradition of community service. My hope is that you will join a long national tradition of service.

Let me leave you with a few key things that are important to keep in mind as you carry on the tradition:

One, community service is not an item on a list to be checked-off. Like a life-long commitment to your own physical health, it is a life-long commitment to your spiritual health and the health of the world you live in. It is something you do not for public recognition, but because it is right and necessary for our country.

Two, discard the notion that dealing with Big Problems like peace in the Middle East or eradicating hunger in Africa are somehow more noble than something like helping one child to read. All acts of kindness are great.

Three, the only way that freedom and opportunity can survive is when citizens take responsibility not only for their own actions, but to care for their neighbors as well. A nation that depends solely on its government to establish order, enforce good behaviors, or to be the exclusive provider of services or benefits is a nation that has lost its moral grounding.

Each of you has been blessed with freedom through generations of battle and sacrifice. Now it is your turn. So as you venture forth, don't forget to use your life not only do well… but also to remember what you were taught here about doing good.

Thank you. May God bless you, and may God bless America.

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