Graduates urged to create a 'culture of us'
A self-confessed aficionado of fast cars and Elvis Presley encouraged the graduates of the University of South Carolina Saturday to make a commitment to public service and help the great institutions from which they have benefited.
Delivering the commencement address to graduates of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences and S.C. Honors College, Wayne Clough said, “Now, it is your time to give back to our society.”
Wayne Clough
As secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the former president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Clough has a strong background in the types of institutions that provide a constant in a changing world.
“Give your institutions your support,” said Clough, who was awarded an honorary doctorate of engineering. “Speak clearly with your voices to their enduring value, and, if you are willing, offer your time in public service at least for some time in your life.”
“We all have seen the emptiness created by greed, selfishness and a focus on ‘me,’ ” he said. “Let us leave this behind and create a culture of ‘us.’ ”
For some in the audience, the path to a degree was long and fraught with uncertainty.