Here's to the Hall

Being an in-house attorney, understanding finance, accounting and general business theory is an indispensable skill, so after practicing law for seven years, I decided to get my MBA. I view my law degree and business degree as wings of an airplane- both are needed for flight. I went to the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University at night, starting in the fall of 1995 and completing my classes in December 2000. At the May 2001 Stillman School of Business graduation ceremony, I was fortunate to be able to give a commencement speech to my classmates. In honor of the ten year mark of completing the degree, I thought I'd reintroduce the text of my speech in this blog.

I. Introduction

Congratulations.

Congratulations to each and every one of you who have worked tenaciously to receive the degree that you are receiving here today.

One of the unexpected joys of writing this speech was that it forced me to assess my feelings about Seton Hall and my five years here. It’s really impossible for me to distill my time at Seton Hall down to a few minutes presentation, much less to presume to speak for the varied range of experiences that each of us has lived through while earning a graduate degree. Some of us studied management, others finance, still others toiled for advanced degrees in taxation, accounting, or even joint degrees. Some of us came to campus at night after work, others dedicated themselves to school full-time, some of us came after being in the working world, some straight from college. Each of us carries our own memories and moments and this event has unique significance for each of us individually. Even so, despite these disparate backgrounds, perhaps we do share some common perspectives about graduate school.

II. Our Common Bond

Perseverance

One likely shared feeling is the satisfaction that comes from perseverance and promises kept to ones self. We live in constantly accelerating times, but I believe that there still must be a constancy of core values, an anchor that allows us to be true to our higher instincts and not be blown off course. Each of you knows what I mean by this because you have demonstrated, through your actions, a dedication to the core value of education.

Empowerment

Another feeling we should all share is one of empowerment. Speaking for myself, not a day goes by that I am not able to perform my job better, to analyze a problem better, and to create solutions to work issues more adeptly due to the disciplines and skills that I picked up in my classes at Seton Hall. Each of you now also possesses this powerful and unalienable tool kit to improve both your individual life and our wider society. The diploma that we receive is merely a physical manifestation of that tool kit, but what you have really earned is inside of you, and that learning gives you immense power in your chosen field.

Education prepares students to join the timeless dialogue of the world’s great minds. Armed with your knowledge and your diploma, you are now ready to enter into that dialogue in your chosen field and to embrace it with the passion that motivated you to seek this degree in the first place.

For me, I have always been interested in business as a profession. Although many view the professions of business as mercenary arts, business, in fact, is a true profession and perhaps even a calling. Business is an amalgamation of an astounding scope of disciplines- marketing, psychology, law, management, human relations, economics, finance and others. Business intrigues me – at root it is the study in the practical aspects of how humans live their everyday lives, how they buy what they buy, why they work as they work, why they organize as they do.

Business has a fundamental effect on peoples’ lives and standard of living. Business, because it transcends national boundaries, has the ability to create and topple empires, and decisions made by business managers can sustain economies or break them. Just as the power of business over our lives is immense, so is the responsibility of those who take the mantle of business leadership to be capable stewards who respond to the better angels of our nature.

Be it the business world or another profession, your knowledge gives you power to change the world (or at least your corner of it) for the better and I challenge each of you to accept that undertaking.

Enthusiasm

At this ceremony, I am certain that we also share a certain excitement or enthusiasm toward the future. Seton Hall has given me a renewed enthusiasm for my profession. The word “enthusiasm” has its origins in the Greek word theos and means to be filled with God. This enthusiasm, or being filled with God, creates the passion and confidence that makes all the difference between success and failure. Churchill once said that the greatest blessing was to have a career that one enjoyed so much that every work day was like a vacation and every day off like an enforced absence from a loved one. Now that’s enthusiasm! May you all find such happiness in your career.

Gratitude

One last emotion I am sure that we all share is gratitude. Without the dedicated professors, staff, and administration, Seton Hall would be nothing more than an empty collection of lecture halls and dorms. The professors who routinely stay after hours to accommodate students, who challenge us to think, who inspire us- On behalf of all here today I offer a thank you to the Seton Hall faculty and staff.

I also thank my fellow classmates for their contributions to class discussions, joint projects and general friendship. An important part of life is about collaboration and building bridges of respect and I thank you for that opportunity.

I also give a special thanks to the families, spouses, parents, children, significant others, friends, work colleagues and employers, whose loyal support was unwavering, profound and sublimely patient. It would have been impossible to complete this endeavor without you.

III. Conclusion

It amazes me how a journey that seemed so daunting at the outset can in retrospect seem to have passed by so fast. But this phase of the journey is now complete.

It is a true honor for me to have the opportunity to address this class. Congratulations again to you all.