Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Despite very cold weather outside, new Mississippi State graduates received warm send-offs this weekend from two successful alumni of the land-grant institution.
Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck spoke at the fall semester's Friday night commencement, while former Tupelo mayor Glenn L. McCullough Jr. addressed the university's Saturday morning program.
Though not all participated in the Humphrey Coliseum ceremonies, a total of more than 1,200 MSU students were candidates for degrees.
A Maben native who holds two MSU diplomas, Tuck took a moment in the early part of her address to express the state's special thanks to 16 fall graduates who have served in the military during the Iraq war.
"Let us say thank you, let us now remember and honor you for the sacrifices you have made and show our appreciation, for you are true heroes," she said in leading the audience to a round of applause for the current and former service members.
She later urged all in caps and gowns, to "never stop seeking knowledge," adding, "Remember that a good education remains constant, no matter how the world changes. It cannot be lost in the stock market, be eliminated in a corporate downsizing or be taken away in trying economic times."
Tuck also reminded the new alumni "that success is never final and failure is never fatal. To be ordinary is easy, but excellence requires commitment. The world we live in needs risk-takers and it needs lifelong learners."
McCullough, who also is a former Tennessee Valley Authority board chairman, focused his remarks around the four Fs--family, faith, freedom, and future. Currently a partner in a Jackson-based executive counsel and development firm, he observed that the fall class included representatives from 74 Mississippi counties, 33 states and eight countries.
"Today is a celebration of family and family matters," he said. Pausing, he added, "Family matters most.
As to faith, he termed it "the ability to hear an inaudible word, to see not what is but what can be." He added, "The faith that enabled you to achieve this goal today is the faith that will strengthen you in a much larger universe throughout life.
"People of faith, humble Christians, tolerant Jews and moderate Muslims who respect the sanctity of life will solve problems and extend hope to the world," McCullough said.
He also reminded graduates that "as you go through life, you will have the freedom to pray or curse, help or hurt, build up or tear down; freedom is equal parts of right and responsibility."
In conclusion, McCullough urged them to heed the words of Peter Drucker, the well-known German business thinker and writer who died last year. "He said the best way to predict the future is to create it."
Students in the Bagley College of Engineering and the colleges of Veterinary Medicine; Agriculture and Life Sciences, including the School of Human Sciences; Forest Resources; and Education received diplomas Friday. Degrees from the colleges of Arts and Sciences; Architecture, Art and Design; and Business and Industry, including the School of Accountancy, were awarded Saturday.
Seven seniors and one from the summer term completed their studies with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages.