Friday, November 9, 2012

Official Ring Ceremony

Here is the text from my speech to The University of Southern Mississippi Official Ring recipients yesterday evening. Approximately 40 students, who have recently graduated or are approaching graduation, received rings.

Congratulations students, families and friends! SMTTT!

Good evening. Thank you to Jerry DeFatta, Dawn Smith and the Southern Miss Alumni Association for their kind invitation to be with you this evening. And thank you students, families and friends for joining us on this happy occasion. Students, that you are here today means that you are on the doorstep of great achievement, you are approaching earning a degree from The University of Southern Mississippi. You are to be applauded for this accomplishment. But as with all great accomplishments we know that achievement is not just of your own doing. No doubt the family members and friends seated next to you played an important role in your arrival at this point. Some provided financial assistance. Others were study partners and proofreaders. Still others I am sure were there with a kind and supportive word when you perhaps couldn’t see the successful end to your journey from Southern Miss student to soon-to-be Southern Miss alumnus or alumna. I congratulate you all for being here today.

When I was asked to speak to you about the official ring of The University of Southern Mississippi, I thought first about other rings and how they compare to your Official Ring.

First, and my wife will be proud for my mentioning this first, is the ring that I wear on my left hand, a wedding band. It is a sign of my loyalty and commitment to my wife, a commitment that so long as she can tolerate me, will be until death do us part. It is a ring that she gave me on our wedding day, a gift I of course reciprocated. Like all wedding bands, my ring was given to me at the beginning of my journey with Deedre. It was a sign of things to come. A pledge. A commitment. Today, and all days, it serves as a reminder to me of that pledge, of that commitment—a commitment that should not and cannot ever waver. As are all rings, its shape is a circle, with no beginning and no end, a reminder that commitment should have no end as well.

A second ring I commonly see on our campus is a championship ring. This University has been fortunate enough to produce not only a number of conference champions, but national champions over the years. That accomplishment is often rewarded with a championship ring. It shares its shape with the wedding band but unlike the wedding band, the championship ring is awarded at the end of a journey. It represents accomplishment and achievement. It is a sign of a job well done. The ring reminds those athletes of success that has been well-earned but is in the past. The championship ring requires nothing more of its wearer—his or her job is complete.

Which brings me to the ring you have just received, a ring that I also wear on my right hand—the Official Ring of The University of Southern Mississippi. Its physical characteristics have already been described to you, and I know you will wear it pride as I do. Like the championship ring, the official ring that you now wear is a symbol of great accomplishment. As a student, you have been rigorously tested. You have been asked to complete assignments of great difficulty. You have been required to meet certain academic standards. And today, you are on your way to a successful completion toward your degree—it is an accomplishment worth celebrating. While I encourage you do so, I also respectfully request that you consider that the Official Ring shares characteristics with the wedding band as well. True, the Official Ring is awarded near the end of your student work at The University of Southern Mississippi, but it is also awarded at the beginning of another journey—as an alumnus or alumna. In my view, your Official Ring is as much a celebration of achievement as it is a sign of your commitment to your alma mater.

So what does that commitment look like? For some of you, it will mean coming back years later as an employee, and dedicating your time and talents to your alma mater on a daily basis. For most, though, it will mean volunteering to assist with a local alumni or Eagle Club chapter. It will mean contributing financially to scholarship funds and one or more of the many support organizations, like Partners for the Arts. It will mean coming back to campus for Homecoming. It will mean encouraging high school students to pursue the same path you once walked here on the Hattiesburg campus.

Many of you are familiar with Dr. Paul’s charge to all students—“To leave Southern Miss better than you found it.” I trust that those of you in this room have done so. I trust too that Southern Miss has had a similar effect on you over the past few years—that you are a better person because of your Southern Miss experience. That experience should not end at Commencement, though—my experience has taught me that years from now you will be better than today as a result of a continuing relationship with Southern Miss. My hope is that when you glance at your Official Ring years from now it reminds you that Southern Miss is always with you.Thank you again for the invitation to speak with you this evening and congratulations on receiving your ring.