Dear students,

Congratulations!   As we wrap up finals and close the books on another academic year, we have a lot to celebrate. 

This weekend, we expect to award 3,257 degrees to graduate and undergraduate students – the largest graduating class in the history of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  For each of you graduating, I applaud you.  This is a landmark achievement. A university degree remains rare in the world at large and I encourage you to continue your quest for knowledge. I am very proud that our graduates can confidently go forward into the future ahead well equipped with a highly valuable Nebraska education. You now join more than 195,000 alumni, extending our Husker network and adding to our legacy in every corner of the globe. 

Our graduating class of 2018 represents 61 countries from around the globe, 46 U.S. states, and more than 75 Nebraska counties. The collective set of experiences, perspectives, cultures and knowledge in this group of people — and in our amazing collective university community — represent the rich tapestry that is core to our mission.  You have gained much from your time and interactions here – but you also have contributed so much to the collective accomplishments of the university through your scholarship, creative works, leadership, service and citizenship.  Thank you.

If you are an undergraduate or graduate student who is eagerly anticipating receiving your Nebraska diploma in the future – take a breath, relax for a bit and be proud of completing another year in your journey.   Stay committed to your dream.  Having a strong foundational base of knowledge – combined with the ability to critically analyze, debate, inform, and decide in a rapidly moving and fast changing world – in other words, the ability to think critically – is foundational to success in life.  Enjoy your summer.  We look forward to seeing you again in the fall!

Those of you attending the commencement ceremonies of the next few days will hear me say “to those whom much has been given, even more is required”.  Now, use your Husker Power to impact the world through everything and everyone you touch.  Live well, thrive and always remember there is no place like Nebraska.

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