Brinkman relates his 'six Gs' of life

Del Brinkman

Former Dean Del Brinkman delivered the School's graduation speech in Macky Auditorium on May 9.

It is a pleasure and honor to be with you on this important day in all our lives. Congratulations to all of you who are graduating today, and congratulations also to all those in this auditorium who have helped you get to this important milestone in your life.

I hope you don't mind if I include myself as a part of the class of 2002. Though my time at the University of Colorado was short, I consider myself to have had a great learning experience here at the base of the beautiful Flatirons, and I am moving on to a new phase of my life just as your are.

Higher education is more about taking advantage of opportunities than anything else.

So, today we celebrate the results of those opportunities, and I share your sense of achievement and accomplishment. Together we are moving on to see what life holds in store for us.

I join you in thanking the wonderful people that entered our lives in our time in Boulder. There are teachers, mentors, advisers, role models, friends, classmates and family members to whom we owe much thanks as we celebrate our graduation. For me, that means the faculty, administrators and staff of the School and of the University as well as the members of the School's Advisory Board to whom I owe a special debt of gratitude.

I especially want to thank Jennifer Tierney, Jessica O'Conor, Alicia Rippen and Kevin Olson and other members of the School's Student Government Board for inviting me to speak today. It affords me an opportunity to bring closure to my deanship that was literally cut short by my open-heart surgery. I also remember fondly those "Bagels with Brinkman" sessions and some enjoyable dinners along the way with the students.

Being a graduation speaker is a tough assignment. I know you did not spend years on this campus so that you could hear a 10-minute speech on your day of graduation. But, after some of the 50-minute lectures you have heard over the years, maybe this won't be too bad. My job today is to talk to you, and your job is to listen. As a speaker once said, if you finish before I do, I am sure you will let me know. I was told to be accurate, be brief and be seated. So I promise I shall be brief as possible ï no matter how long it takes me.

I want to say a few words to each of three groups here today: First, and most important, the graduates; second, the teachers and staff who have provided help and inspiration; and third, family and friends who have provided support and love, and even money.

Social reformer Susan B. Anthony said: "Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory."

That may sound like a contradictory message to cite at a time when so many of you are looking forward to reaching a great milestone in your lives, and receiving a college degree is a tremendous achievement.

But I urge you to take a quiet moment and let some of those other milestones come to the door of memory. The lasting friendships made, the academic challenges accepted and conquered, the great times that you shared ï all are indispensable parts of the journey from being a slightly overwhelmed freshman to a confident college graduate.

The poet e. e. cummings wrote: "It takes courage to grow up to become who you really are." You came to a college campus to do exactly that. Here you found faculty and staff who have helped generations of students on that same quest. Here you were surrounded by bright, ambitious peers who are also trying to become who they really are.

Those journeys seldom go in a straight line. In fact, the most fulfilling ones are often the most circuitous. A major research university such as CU offers plenty of opportunity for academic exploration. It also creates a community where you can get to know a diverse group of people from all over the world. In a small college town in Colorado, the larger world is never far away.

That certainly was the case on Sept. 11, when CU reeled along with the nation in the wake of the terrorist attacks. We all will remember exactly where we were when we heard the news. I will remember something else as well: how those tragic events united us. There was confusion, sadness and anger, but there was also a sense of shared purpose.

Although that momentous tragedy will always mark this academic year, there were also plenty of times of pride, happiness and celebration. Each of you will have your personal remembrances of important milestones.

In addition to what you learned in the classrooms, laboratories, internships and practical and professional settings at CU, you also experienced a variety of extracurricular events that included learning what a couch ordinance is and celebrating Nobel prizes for two CU faculty members; and some of you enjoyed one of the greatest games in the history of Buffalo football, the lopsided win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. You learned that you could do anything in your room at college except one thing: you couldn't have a hot plate. Most of you took full advantage of the opportunities provided for you. And you will come to appreciate those opportunities more as time goes on.

A word to the faculty and staff: If you don't feel the excitement of graduation day, then you may be missing one of the joys of your career. It is a privilege to be associated with a university, and you are the persons who make our much-envied system of higher education a success. Students keep you young at heart. You have learned that some students drink from the fountain of knowledge and that others just gargle. You are the guardians of the university spirit. On top of all the satisfactions that go with that, you have the privilege (as a faculty member once told me) of going to work each day in a park, which is what this beautiful campus resembles.

Parents, relatives and friends of the graduates, you share in the pride of this wonderful day because you know full well how much sacrifice has gone into this college experience.

And how much money! Increasing tuition costs are giving new meaning to the term higher education. But, in my humble opinion, it is one of the best investments a person makes in a lifetime. It is worth it even if you have had to share what one parent told me recently: "My son managed to cram four years of college into five."

Parents, you know you are now past that time in your life when you knew your children were growing up. That is when they stopped asking you where they came from and refused to tell you where they were going.

Graduates, please allow me to leave you with some suggestions for the future. They could be called the six G's of life. First, be great. Strive to excel in whatever you do. Set high standards for yourself and you will be surprised at how well you can perform.

Second, be good. Strive to be ethical and have high integrity. There is enough bad in the world. Our hope is that you can make some of the bad things good. If you always do right, it will gratify many and astonish the rest.

Third, be grateful. Recognize that it takes a lot of people and support for you to succeed. Say "thank you" often along the way and you will see even more help come your way.

Fourth, be gracious. Getting along with people involves seeing things as others see them. Being nice to people can bring many personal rewards, and, on top of that, society as a whole will be enriched.

Fifth, be generous. Remember to support worthy causes with your time, energy and money. That includes higher education and the University and School that provided you the opportunities you celebrate today.

Sixth, be glad. Another way of saying this is to enjoy life. Make every day count and have fun along the way. And you well know that time flies when you are having fun.

Although retirement is far from your mind right now when you are thinking about where that first or next job will be, take it from me, that time comes quicker than you can imagine. There will be obstacles and detours in your life, but a truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

So, be great, be good, be grateful, be gracious, be generous and be glad, and life will treat you well. And don't be sad or cry because your college days are over. Rather, smile because they happened.

Woody Allen once said that a major part of making it in life is simply showing up. Whether your are an undergraduate finishing your degree and preparing for a career, or a master's graduate refining your career goals, or a doctoral graduate preparing for a career of teaching and research, you know you have shown up so far and that you have done well.

I congratulate all of you again on your achievements. This is truly a day to celebrate. My main wish for you today is that you graduate life with honors.