Thank you, President (Ivory) Nelson. I am delighted to be among the Lincoln Lions, among the blue and orange.

President Nelson, I agree with your school motto: "If the sun shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." On this glorious day, regardless of the weather outside, the sun is shining brightly for these graduates. I can feel its warmth. I'm sure you can feel it, too. And the temperature will be rising all day. Won't it?

My congratulations to all of today's graduates. Your commitment, dedication and scholarship are publicly recognized today. This is a landmark moment for you, the Class of 2004, the 145th class to graduate, honoring the university's 150th anniversary.

You have shown commitment, conviction and courage. You know the measure of this moment, the difficult path to academic distinction. Each of you made a bold decision to attend college. There were risks, sacrifices, long days and longer nights, struggle, doubt, and even pain and anguish during finals. You explored the depths of knowledge and drank deeply from the cup of wisdom.

Let me explain your accomplishment using recent history and statistics. Four years ago, you walked into Hughes Library and Rivero Hall for the first time. You were enchanted by Dickey Hall and its computer center, which for many became a home away from the dorms.

Four years ago—and now it seems like the blink of an eye. During your time here you probably worked through 40 or more courses, reading an average of four or five textbooks per course, or roughly 200 textbooks. You sat through over 4,000 hours of lectures and labs. You logged tens of thousands of hours on the computer and the Internet. While exploring the arts and sciences, you encountered the great works of Plato, Newton, Frederick Douglass and Duke Ellington. You had the honor and privilege of working with some of the finest faculty in the world, under the leadership of a fine president. Many of you did a senior thesis, which may have felt like reading the encyclopedia while undergoing medieval torture.

But you made it … you did it! This is the day you join the community of scholars who are proud alumni of Lincoln University.

I also congratulate the trustees, administration, faculty and staff of Lincoln University. Another generation of graduates leaves to embark on a life's journey of learning, leadership and humanity. You have well prepared these graduates for the journey ahead.

On behalf of President Bush and all Americans, I applaud the outstanding level of scholarship and leadership here, as well as this institution's many, many contributions to Pennsylvania and to our country.

I also want to congratulate the family and friends of each graduate. I know you made sacrifices, too. OK … many sacrifices

I know we can never thank parents enough. If graduates are looking for a full-time job, with endless challenges and long hours, become a parent. It's hard work—just ask your own parents. They're tired! They've been shelling out cash for your college education. And right now, they're probably thinking of Bill Cosby's words: "Commencement means ‘to go forth.' And ‘forth' is not ‘back home.'"

We celebrate great achievements today. But tradition demands that I say a few words about the future to our graduates. You must use your learning, leadership and humanity to foster peace, justice and prosperity throughout the world.

In a new book published just a few days ago, my friend Juan Williams of National Public Radio writes about the civil rights experience. The title of the book is My Soul Looks Back in Wonder. He talks about the "power of one," and the history of our country as having been shaped by the actions of individuals overcoming adversity and securing freedom for all of us. It is the story of the American Revolution and the many stories of biography that have shaped our nation.

Change begins with the power of one, when one person steps forward and influences another, who influences still another, leading to a revolutionary coalition of change, what Williams calls "a grand movement of people." You know about this because Lincoln University has been the source of change, when Langston Hughes put pen to paper and made Americans understand a chained soul set free. This university gave America a magnificent intellectual giant, Thurgood Marshall, who helped end segregation in Brown v. Board of Education 50 years ago this month. This university changed world music with Cab Callaway. Lincoln University has graduated presidents of countries, physicians for the needy and lawyers for the downtrodden. It has blessed our country with generation after generation of graduates who understand and practice "the power of one."

One person can change the world. It happens every day. Mother Theresa brought hope to the destitute of Calcutta. Mother Hale took care of HIV-infected babies in Harlem. Miles Davis turned moods into music heard from Harlem to Cape Town. Nelson Mandela took the reins of power and brought a peaceful transition to South Africa after decades of apartheid.

Each of these people seized their moment. They didn't hesitate. They were equal to the task.

I have spoken of those well known, the famous, those remembered by history. But each day there are countless people who quietly seize the moment: teachers, nurses, doctors, clergy, law enforcement officials, fire fighters and social workers. Each confronts a world of endless demands, trying times and infinite challenges. Yet, with each decision, each act of service, each moment of compassion or kindness, they change the world for the better. They do so with little fanfare or applause. They act without hesitation. They also are equal to the task.

And many of those people are sitting right here—your parents, your friends, your faculty and your classmates.

You must seize the moment! Knowledge must lead to action. I appeal to your abilities and I appeal to your humanity. The kind of person you become matters. The kind of world we create is a product of the kind of people we become and remain. This is a world in desperate need of tenderness, consideration, respect, compassion, understanding and empathy. We have a duty to each other. As the ancient Greeks said, we must "cultivate our humanity" and become brothers and sisters of all mankind—of each other.

Let us use this day, this moment of accomplishment, to stop and survey the horizon. Then, after our celebration, let us walk from this stage and into the future together.

Two score and three years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke to the Class of 1961 at their commencement. He understood the power of one and the grand movement of people. He spoke that day of Mary McLeod Bethune, Albert Einstein and so many who have changed the world through determined action. He said "Even a superficial look at history shows that social progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through tireless effort and the persistent work of dedicated individuals." Dr. King said we must work to "emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man's inhumanity … into the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice."

Today, with this graduating class, we stand witness to your emergence into the sun. We see the power of one. It can be multiplied person by person, day after day, transforming our world through service, leadership and humanity.

"If the sun shall make you free, ye are free indeed." God bless each one of you. Congratulations.

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