The sometimes controversial saying "It takes a village to raise a
child" came into U.S. politics in the mid-1990s but after some research I
learned that the concept actually comes from African culture and proverbs.
Whether you agree with the saying or not I would like to put my own spin on the
sentiment... "It takes a (very understanding) family to raise a grad
school parent." It has become clear
to me that we as societies, families, neighborhoods, etc. are more
inter-reliant than many realize and we should all work toward helping each
other succeed because if one person has success then we all benefit.
As many of you know, I recently graduated with my MBA from
the University of San Diego after two and a half years of in-person evening
classes on campus. Most of those years I
was gone 3 to 4 nights a week from 530-10pm after a full day of work. It wasn't easy on my family and I have a
newfound respect for anyone going through night classes and for single parents
(including all the amazing parents who have a spouse on military deployment or
travel frequently for business). Leading
up to commencement I was asked by the graduation committee to speak on behalf
of my cohort and the reaction I had from family, friends and faculty at the
school after the speech was amazing. I
decided nothing I could write here will express my sentiments better so here is
the text of what I said at graduation:
"Distinguished faculty, staff, guests and
graduates. When I was asked to represent
the Professional MBA program and speak about what this program has meant to me
I racked my brain about all the possible topics I could address. Without a doubt, the outstanding faculty and
staff have been highlights of the program, the rigorous curriculum and
insightful discussions in class were invaluable, the networking events kept the
program personal and my classmates are without a doubt some of the finest
people I have had the pleasure to work with.
However, I kept returning in my mind to something else that I felt important
to discuss and acknowledge; they are the families, loved ones and mentors
behind the scenes that have made this degree possible. This comes from the perspective of the
Professional MBA because most of us maintain a full time job and on the whole
have more personal responsibilities in our lives than many younger full-time
students in the program.
Now, for some context from my personal story... I started
this program on Active Duty in the Navy with a 5-month-old daughter, a condo
and my amazing wife. On this day I now
have a precocious 2 and half year old (who is going on 15), a 7 month old son,
we sold the condo, bought a house, I transitioned from Active Duty to Reserves,
got a new Civilian Job, and I began work on a Second Master's degree. All the while my wife has held a demanding
job in private practice and is an adjunct professor at SDSU. Thankfully she is
the same wife I had at the beginning of the program!
I give you that context so you can understand where I am
coming from in these remarks. Without my family and friends supporting me, I
would never have completed this program. Without the mentors I had in this
program (some of whom are here today), I would never have completed this
program. Without the higher purpose of
Corporate Social Responsibility threaded throughout this degree, I would never
have completed this program.
So to answer the topic suggested by the graduation committee
of what this program has meant to me. I
answer that it has given me the best education in life to continue working as a
leader, manager, consumer and family man.
I now look at the world in a very different way than the first day I
stepped into class. I look at the world
more holistically, more critically, and I am enthusiastically positive about
the future of business because of the direction business academia and business
leaders are headed. I have expanded my
mind in ways I never knew were possible and have challenged my perceptions of
the world. In short, this program has
profoundly changed me in ways both big and small that will stick with me for
life.
Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote: “The function of
education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.
Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.” Based on my experience I believe Dr. King
would be very proud of this MBA program.
A program that not only concerns itself with imparting knowledge but
more importantly focuses on the character of its students and the responsibility
we have to people, profit, and planet to do the right thing and understand the
broader impacts of our decisions as leaders.
I am very grateful for this opportunity to speak and would
like to offer my congratulations to each of the graduates here today, I am sure
the road you travelled was just as special and I consider myself lucky to be
included in a group of such outstanding men and women.
Finally, I would be remiss without personally addressing my
daughter Charlotte who has only known life with Daddy in school 4 nights each
week. Thank you for understanding why I
had to leave each night before you went to bed.
We have some fun catch-up time to start and a new swing set to put
together! I love you sweetie!"
