Thank you for the honor of being your speaker today. Graduates, I’m sure you’re eager to walk up here and get your diplomas, so I will proceed directly to the traditional duties of every commencement speaker: I’ll give you some advice, and I’ll quote others more eloquent than myself.

Now, giving advice you’d think I might be good at, since I do academic advising of students all the time. In fact, when I am advising students, there are only two things that can go wrong: One is that they don’t take my advice – the other is that they do.

Actually I find that the best advising is really listening. This is how it usually happens: A student is making a decision between two options, let’s say “A” and “B”, and says “What should I do Professor?” Rather than tell the student what to do, I ask them to explain their goals, what is important to them in their education, where they see their life going. As the student talks, it becomes clear to both of us which option is the right one, and I will conclude the advising session with a wise, reflective statement such as “Based on what you’ve said, it sounds like option “B” would be best for you.”

At which point the student will say, “Oh Professor, that’s great, because I really want to do “B”, but my parents want me to do “A”, and now I can tell them my advisor said they’re wrong and I should do “B” instead.”

Anyway - in that spirit of listening, I thought: Why should you get advice from me when you can get advice from people like you? This stack of paper is not -- as you may have feared – the text of my address – it’s the collected responses of surveys we conduct in the ECE department, of alumni classes ranging from the last few years all the way back to the 1970s when the WPI Plan had just been introduced. One of the difficulties of education is that – like raising children – it may be years or even decades before we know if we’ve done a good job.

So, we ask our alumni how we’re doing, and they are not shy about sharing insights based on their “real world” perspective. Here are three quotes that appealed to me for this occasion:

“Graduation from any degree program – BS, MS, PhD – is just another starting point in life... It is the journey from starting point to turning point, the experiences and lessons we learn along the way, which give you the freedom to be adventurous”

Many of those responding to this survey looked back on their time at WPI, what they had done in courses and on their projects, what they had learned about themselves from both successes and failures. Just as many looked forward to opportunities and adventures they saw coming, and the confidence their WPI education gave them to learn new things and work hard in challenging circumstances. But always, right on that balance point is --- today. Now. This moment.

A commencement is certainly about looking forward at the beginning of the rest of your life, and looking back with pride on what you’ve done to get here, but don’t forget to take time right now to be mindful of those here whom you love, those who love and support you, those who couldn’t be here, and be joyful in this present time.

Another quote:

“While my engineering career has been exciting and fruitful, it hasn’t been glamorous or filled my soul. Liberal arts is extremely important, if for no other reason than to balance the individual.”

This quote made me think of the standard advice you often hear to “follow your passion,” and if you are very lucky, you may find a job that engages your passion. Loving what you do is highly motivating. But there’s a real danger, in our society, to confuse what you do with who you are. You do need to work hard and pay attention to your career, but don’t let it totally define you. Find as many ways as you can to nourish your soul.

Finally:

“Engineers who are flexible -- who can think for themselves and work on a team -- are invaluable”

This response, and many others like it, exemplifies the balancing act that is an inherent part of a good project. WPI’s motto, as you know, is “Lehr und Kunst” which is variously translated as “Theory and practice” or “Learning and doing,” When my project students are having a difficult time, I often tell them that WPI’s motto should really be “someday you’ll thank us.” Whether it’s an individual responsibility like conducting independent research, or a team activity like presenting your work for group criticism, the diversity of experiences in a good IQP or MQP is guaranteed to stretch every student out of their comfort zone at some point.

So, that’s the advice – now, to quote someone more eloquent than myself, I’d like to close with a reading from Robert Frost which captures for me both the isolation we sometimes feel when struggling with a difficult problem, as well as the sense of connection we can feel with those who share our effort. It’s from his poem “The Tuft of Flowers”. Frost has hired a man to scythe the grass in his hayfield, but by the time Frost arrives the man has left:

He had gone his way, the grass all mown,
And I must be, as he had been -- alone,

'As all must be,' I said within my heart,
'Whether they work together or apart.'

Just then Frost sees a butterfly on a tuft of flowers remaining at the edge of the meadow. Looking at the flowers, he says:

The mower in the dew had loved them thus,
By leaving them to flourish, not for us,

Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him.
But from sheer morning gladness at the brim.

The butterfly and I had lit upon,
Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,

That made me hear the wakening birds around,
And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground,

And feel a spirit kindred to my own;
So that henceforth I worked no more alone;

But glad with him, I worked as with his aid,
And weary, sought at noon with him the shade;

And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech
With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach.

'We work together,' I told him from the heart,
'Whether we work together or apart.'

It’s been an honor and a privilege for all of us at WPI to work together with you during your time here. Congratulations – we wish you all the best!