Commencement

Commencement Remarks - William L. Fox, President

I kept my notes from that day four years ago when most of you entered this place by following the bagpipers across campus and up the steps and through the door of Culver-Stockton College. I had a feeling this class was special. And I offered you then an affirmation that I hope you will continue to believe in, more than ever, after this special hour in your lives. I said at matriculation, "You have chosen
the rarest and finest college education in the world—at a small, American liberal arts college rooted in the values of faith and service."

To your parents, I would say again, as I did when I first shook hands with the class of 2008: We can't do this job without you. We're partners and at this college we look out for one another; and we count on the deep interest, commitment, and encouragement of our students' families. Today, we honor you and thank you for the sacrifices, the words of wisdom when the phone rang at home, no matter the hour, and the support you have given our faculty, coaches, co-workers, and me.

When this class first arrived, I told a story about meeting a man at the airport who was a skycap. As I waited for my luggage to come off the plane, we began talking. And I quickly learned that this man had put two children through college—the proudest and greatest achievement of his life. I asked him, how did he do it? He never mentioned the extra jobs or extended loans. Rather, he said, "I just made sure that learning meant pleasure, not work."

Colleges are like skycaps. We help people move between their destinations—we give them a hand with their bags, suggest how they may want to repack them, and make sure they have their boarding pass and claim check for the next trip. Here, your personal possessions, traveling with you in the journey, will also be ideas, friendships, and dreams. You begin new travels today. We are confident that you're ready for the trip and what an itinerary it already appears to be:

• Some of you will work in hospitals, two of you are taking jobs at the Mayo Clinic.
  
• More than twenty of you will teach and coach in our public schools.
  
• Members of this class will work for global industries: Caterpillar, Walgreens, DOT Foods, Knapheide, AT&T, Kraft-General Foods.
  
• One of you will be in Washington, D.C., at the Kennedy Center.
  
• Another will move to Chicago and work for Grant Thornton.
  
• A classmate has recently tried out for the Minnesota Vikings.
  
• Yesterday, the U.S. Marine Corps commissioned one of you a second lieutenant on our campus.
  
• Several of you have seen your internship placements result in full-time position offers.
  
• Quite a few of you will head off to graduate school at top universities such as Oklahoma State, University of Iowa, Ohio University, Southwest Baptist University, and Western and Southern Illinois Universities.

And the story of this class is just beginning. We are already very proud of you. And over the years, we will be keeping an eye on you, just as I promised when you arrived.