Office of the Chancellor > Speeches, Columns and Letters > Spring Commencement

Spring Commencement Remarks of Chancellor G. P. "Bud" Peterson
May 11, 2007

Welcome
Graduates, members of the Board of Regents, President Brown, members of the faculty and staff, parents, distinguished guests, family and friends, I am pleased to welcome you to the May 2007 commencement at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

I know today's graduates join me in extending a special welcome to their families and friends whose love and support have helped to make this day possible.

Also here with us today are many members of the faculty who have guided and mentored these students, and shared with them their time, knowledge and expertise to help each student reach this important milestone. Would the faculty please stand and be recognized.

Today is a day of celebration, but also a day of remembrance for the students, faculty and staff who lost their lives or were injured at Virginia Tech. They should know that our thoughts and prayers are with them, with their families and friends, and with the Virginia Tech community. The lives of our students, our faculty, and our staff, along with people from all over the world, have been touched by this tragedy.

Address to graduates
As many of you have already discovered—and as others of you are sure to learn—our lives are characterized, and indeed, balanced by both joy and sorrow. As the great artist, poet, and writer Kahlil Gibran wrote, "... Joy and sorrow are inseparable . . . " but today we come together in joy and in celebration of your accomplishments!

As part of this celebration, I would like to recount some of the remarkable successes that you, as members of the class of 2007, along with our outstanding faculty and members of our community, have accomplished in what is for most, your final year as students at this great university.  

Campus highlights
This year, the University of Colorado at Boulder was again ranked among the top universities in the nation and the world, placing 34th among public universities in U.S. News & World Report's 2007 Best Colleges edition, and 34th among all universities in the world in a survey conducted by the Institute for Higher Education in Shanghai, China.

The University of Colorado at Boulder currently ranks third among all U.S. colleges and universities in the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, and we are only the sixth university in the nation to surpass 2,000 in the number of graduates who have served in this capacity. We truly have a student body with a strong sense of social consciousness!

Our professors have many noted accomplishments in a variety of fields, and several faculty were selected as fellows in prestigious national academies this year. A number of others were recognized for their achievements by national and international organizations.

Many of the research, scholarly, creative and artistic accomplishments by our faculty and students have gained national and international recognition, and I will highlight just a few here now.

The University of Colorado at Boulder built two of three instruments riding on a spacecraft launched this past April to study high-altitude clouds above the earth's polar regions, which are thought to be increasing as a result of global warming. The satellite is being controlled by our students and faculty from LASP's space technology building here at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Our faculty and students are currently working with Ohio State University to develop an interactive "supermap" using Google earth technology to track the temporal mutations and spread of the avian flu virus around the globe, in order to help policy makers better understand the virus and anticipate further outbreaks.

Researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder led the largest federal study ever conducted on bipolar disorder, and found patients who receive psychotherapy along with medication get better faster and stay better longer. The study could help improve treatment options for more than 5.7 million Americans so afflicted.

Student teams from the Leeds School of Business won both the Big 12 Business Case Competition and the Entrepreneur's Choice Award at the recent International Venture Capital Investment Competition.

The University of Colorado men's cross-country team won its 11th straight Big 12 championship and its third national championship, while the Buff women earned a second straight runner-up finish in the NCAA women's cross-country championships.

Our jazzbig band and its lead trumpeter won two more Down Beat Magazine music awards, bringing our total to 13 such awards bestowed upon the University of Colorado at Boulder's College of Music in the last five years, more than any other school in the Rocky Mountain region.

More than 1,100 of our students participated in the Study Abroad program in 2006 through 180 diverse programs in nearly 70 countries. This is approximately 20 percent of the graduates sitting before you today.

In February, the university achieved another milestone when I, on behalf of the University of Colorado at Boulder, was in the first group to sign the President/Chancellor's Climate Commitment, a pledge to climate neutrality. This is an historical national commitment that signifies our dedication to increasing our already substantial efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions here at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

And last, but certainly not least, this past fall we dedicated and opened the new ATLAS and Wolf Law buildings. These new buildings, along with the Koelbel building, which will open this fall, and the forthcoming Visual Arts Complex, are a tribute to you, the students, who helped to fund them through the student capital construction fee.

All of us here at the University of Colorado at Boulder thank you for your foresight and support of these facilities—the entire campus community will benefit for years to come.

Both the Wolf Law and ATLAS buildings have attained the U.S. Green Building Council's gold rating, one of the nation's highest for green building design, and the only two public buildings in the state of Colorado to attain this ranking—a true testament to your commitment to the environment.

As a further commitment, today many of our students have pledged their support to an ethical, responsible and sustainable lifestyle and are wearing a green graduation cord. I would ask that these students stand and be recognized.

Clearly, you have all been a part of an exciting and momentous time in the history of this great university. I ask that you remember this day as we celebrate with you the completion of one dream and the beginning of many others.

In the words of noted author and speaker Napoleon Hill, "Cherish your vision and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."

To the class of 2007, I ask that as you move onto your next challenge, remember us and know that you remain a valued member of our community that is the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Congratulations again, and best wishes to you all.

Hale Irwin introduction
Now, it is with great pleasure that I introduce today's commencement speaker, Mr. Hale Irwin.

Hale Irwin graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1967. As an alumnus, he is a world-class golfer and one of the most successful athletes in our university's history.

While here at CU, he was an accomplished athlete in one of the rarest two-sport combinations in college athletics, earning a total of six varsity letters in football and golf. During his time at CU, he was a two-time All-Big Eight defensive back and was twice selected as a member of Big Eight All-Academic team.

He was also a two-time Big Eight conference golf champion and the NCAA Division I men's golf champion, and he still holds CU's single-season mark for stroke average.

After turning pro, he has gone on to win three U.S. Open titles and 20 victories on the PGA tour. His great "iron play" and his determined efforts have earned him the reputation as a top player on tough courses and under the most difficult conditions.

I had the pleasure of having lunch with him, his wife, Sally, and his mother, Mame, yesterday afternoon, and while he is quite affable—as seen many times in his career—he is an intense individual who has the ability to truly focus when necessary.

Following his final PGA tour, Mr. Irwin joined the Senior PGA Tour and has since become the all-time leading money winner on the Champions Tour, setting many records for both scoring and victories.

Amazingly, he is also a member of the CU All-Century Football Team, the CU Golf Hall of Fame, the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, and the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Several of his family members have followed in his footsteps here at CU-Boulder. His younger brother Phil was the first CU athlete featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. His son Steve lettered as a member of the Buff golf team in the mid-90's, and his nephew, Heath, was an All-American in football.

I want to thank the Senior Class Council for their assistance in bringing Mr. Irwin back to campus, and for their continuing focus on reminding Colorado and the nation of the many outstanding alumni from this great university.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Mr. Hale Irwin.