From the NYTimes.com Homepage

Full article here.

Includes quotes by new alumni Genevieve Angelson, Andrew Marvin-Smith, and Emily Gallivan '08.

For those who can't get to it from the link:

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — When Senator Edward M. Kennedy endorsed Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in January, Mr. Kennedy passed the torch of Democratic liberalism, saying it was “time again for a new generation of leadership.”

On Sunday, Mr. Obama embraced the legacy by standing in for Mr. Kennedy, who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last week, and delivering the commencement speech at Wesleyan University.

The symbolism of protégé and mentor permeated Mr. Obama’s address, which called graduates to public service, honored Mr. Kennedy and reflected the legacy of his family.

“It is rare in this country of ours that a person exists who has touched the lives of nearly every single American without any of us even realizing it,” Mr. Obama said, his voice rising. “And I have a feeling that Ted Kennedy is not done just yet. But surely, if one man can achieve so much and make such a difference in the lives of so many, then each of us can do our part.”

Mr. Kennedy has deep ties to Wesleyan — his stepdaughter graduated Sunday, and his son Edward Jr. celebrated his 25th reunion this weekend.

Mr. Obama implored the 737 undergraduates and 100 graduate students to change the country and the world through service to others, a theme Mr. Kennedy planned to focus on. Mr. Obama urged them to help rebuild New Orleans, volunteer at a local soup kitchen or help end the situation in Darfur, and to remember that change will come, though not immediately.

“It’s because you have an obligation to yourself, because our individual salvation depends on our collective salvation,” Mr. Obama said. “Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in America’s story.”

Mr. Obama paralleled his life to the Kennedy family, telling graduates he was born the year John F. Kennedy “called a generation of Americans to ask their country what they could do” and went on to become a community organizer in Chicago because he was inspired by that call to service and by stories of the civil rights movement.

Mr. Obama also mentioned Robert F. Kennedy, whose assassination late in the Democratic presidential nomination process was referred to last week by Mr. Obama’s rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, as a reason for staying in the race.

Mr. Obama told graduates not to take the easy way out and flag in their dedication to helping others and enacting change.

“I hope you’ll remember, during this those times of doubt and frustration, that there is nothing naïve about your impulse to change the world,” Mr. Obama said. “Because all it takes is one act of service — one blow against injustice — to send forth that tiny ripple of hope that Robert Kennedy spoke of.”

John J. Pitney Jr., a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College, said the speech showed that Mr. Obama was assuming the mantle of Edward Kennedy’s liberal legacy.

“This event is a symbolic passing of the torch of Democratic liberalism from Ted Kennedy to Barack Obama,” Professor Pitney said. “It’s a happy coincidence of being gallant and politically smart. He’s filling in for an ailing friend and at the same time doing a world of political good. Moments like that are rare.”

Representative Bill Delahunt, Democrat of Massachusetts, a good friend of Mr. Kennedy and a supporter of Mr. Obama, said Mr. Obama’s offer to deliver the address highlighted the bond between the two men.

“It clearly is a demonstration of profound respect, but it’s more than that,” Mr. Delahunt said. “There’s a personal connection there, and it’s symbolic of a new generation.”

In addition to the 10,000 official attendees, about 5,000 people gathered on a hillside on a sparkling spring afternoon to watch Mr. Obama’s speech, which was preceded by a conferring of honorary degrees and a performance by a Japanese student drum group.

Emily Gallivan, 21, said that she was happy with Mr. Obama, but that she appreciated Mr. Kennedy’s ties to the university.

“He has multiple connections to the school,” Ms. Gallivan said, “and it would have been nice to have him speak at his stepdaughter’s graduation.”

Andrew Marvin-Smith, 22, who is heading to China in a few weeks to teach English, said he thought Mr. Obama’s calls to go abroad were needed.

“America needs to pick itself up and get in touch with the rest of the world,” Mr. Marvin-Smith said.

Genevieve Angelson, 22, who affixed felt letters that read “Obama ’08” onto her red graduation gown, said Mr. Obama’s address was one of the most inspiring she had heard.

“It made me feel like we have never been asked to do anything, and the fact that he asked us was appropriately overdue,” Ms. Angelson said.

While Ms. Angelson said she was ecstatic to hear Mr. Obama speak, she was saddened as to why.

“I regret that something so wonderful for us came out of something so sad,” Ms. Angelson said.

Corporate Whoredom or Selfless Service?

...is the facile but succinct question that's on a lot of college students' minds as the real world looms on the other side of graduation.

Wesleyan is ostensibly all about being a well-rounded individual and helping out the greater world, but college is mad expensive and cashing in with high-paying jobs after graduation is not only tempting, but necessary for a lot of debt-saddled new alums.

As the NY Times noted today, the dilemma of choosing between big money and public service after graduation, or at least putting off the big money in favor of something noble for a little while, seems increasingly pronounced as Obama's play for the White House (and our hearts and minds) grows stronger. As you might remember:

In his commencement speech last month at Wesleyan University, Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, voiced a similar theme when he sounded an impassioned call to public service, and warned that the pursuit of narrow self-interest — “the big house and the nice suits and the other things that our money culture says you should buy ... betrays a poverty of ambition.”

So what's a well-educated but financially-strapped idealist to do?

The article mentions approaches that different colleges are taking to encourage graduates along the public service path without having to worry about the finance issue. A Harvard education professor is leading seminars to light a public service fire under Ivy League asses. Amherst and UPenn are expanding public service fellowships and internships. Tufts is going to start paying off the college loans of graduates who choose public service jobs. And a lot of schools, including Wesleyan, are making great efforts to decrease the costs of higher education, so students don't have to worry about paying off loans.

Wesleyan isn't lacking in efforts to encourage students to pursue public service opportunities - this is clearly an issue that President Roth feels strongly about, and certainly a significant amount of Wes graduates go on to participate in nonprofit programs like Teach for America, or work in jobs related to public service.

But many are insecure enough about their financial ambitions without the additional guilt of lacking a full-time public service commitment.

The NYTimes touched on post-graduation job insecurities in another article this past weekend, about fresh college grads getting used to gainful employment, citing Kai Johnson '08 as someone who seems to have found at least a temporary balance between public service and apprehension about the future:

Kai Johnson, 22, who graduated from Wesleyan University in May, is working at the Greater New York chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice, a nonprofit, for the summer, and will begin teaching English in France in the fall. “I’m really excited to move on to the next chapter of my life,” he said, “although it’s hard to graduate from college and leave that behind.”

Still, his summer job is part time, so he does not feel trapped, he said, at least not yet. “I’m looking at having a couple of different careers in different areas, with a couple years of commitment,” he said. “I’m not looking to having a 30- or 40-year plan.”

So are we on the verge of a new Obama-ushered era of socially conscious graduates, sacrificing personal wealth for the greater good of society? Is public service reaching a tipping point, from being easily written off as a fringe manifestation of progressive guilt, to a universally-appealing American civic movement?

Links:
NYTimes: Big Paycheck or Service? Students are Put to Test
NYTimes: Land a Job, Then What? Graduates Adjust to Life With No Going Back

NYPost: Columnist's.. uhh... interesting take on Obama's address

So we've seen all sorts of media coverage so far about Obama's commencement address at Wesleyan, ranging from the traditional to the student-directed to the satirical. But this column today by Adam Brodsky entitled "BAM'S LAND OF LOSERS: HIS PATHETIC ADVICE TO GRADS" was too good to pass up... and I don't think it's intended to be satire. I think he really means it:

Obama's America has two groups: those in need - and those who care for them. Missing are the folks who produce real wealth - the goods and services all Americans enjoy. Obama could have galvanized the grads, urging them to follow in the paths of these heroes - to take a job, say, with Big Oil and invent a cheaper way to make cars run. Instead, he ladled out soggy oatmeal. FOR all his soaring, hopeful rhetoric, Barack Obama chose an odd message this week to send Wesleyan's graduating seniors.

Face it, kids - he basically said - Americans are losers. Pathetic, needy dependents who can't make it without help. So forget your dreams, dear graduates. Go forth and aid your fellow deadbeats.

Never mind "The Audacity of Hope." Obama was trumpeting "The Ubiquity of Failure." "The Equality of Need." "The Endlessness of the Dole."

OK, I exaggerate - a little. Here are his actual words: "Our collective service can shape the destiny of this generation . . . Individual salvation depends on collective salvation."

That is, unless we come together and fix America's myriad flaws (like poverty, which never disappears), we're all doomed.

...

But his speech was more than just recycled graduation clichés. Obama, who worked as a community organizer in his youth, was describing his world, his vision.

Yes, he's sometimes paid rhetorical homage to American capitalism, acknowledging that it has "led to a standard of living unmatched in history."

But his record betrays something else: He favors higher taxes, "fair trade" over "free trade," a higher minimum wage, bailouts for subprime "victims," penalties for "predatory lenders," bigger subsidies for health care and housing.

For Obama, such stands - and a communal spirit - offer "change" and "hope."

"All it takes is one act of service," he says, "one blow against injustice, to send forth what Robert Kennedy called that tiny ripple of hope."

But America is neither unjust nor bereft of hope. Far from it.

And if Barack Obama thinks the next generation of Americans needs to spend its time dwelling on this nation's "wrongs" and catering to the "underserved," he's got a sad vision for America indeed.

That's right, Wes grads. America is not unjust! Wow, good to hear! I guess I'll just believe it now. Also, apparently, it would be soooo sad if you spent time trying to fix the nation's wrongs and tried to serve the underserved. Don't do that. Don't listen to Obama, that commie.

Read the rest here.

Your source for Reunion & Commencement

2008 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Barack Obama

Sunday, May 25
11:00 AM

We're working on getting the ticker tape scrolling along the bottom of your screen 24 hours a day, but in the meantime we'll be telling you everything you need to know about Reunion & Commencement, just like always... with blog posts like this one.

Here's a preliminary roundup of the resources we've assembled so far. We've got much more planned throughout the day, so stay tuned!




IF YOU'LL BE ON CAMPUS

Get a seat on Andrus Field at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Seating on Andrus is limited and will require a ticket. Seating opens at 8:00 AM; no one will be allowed on the field prior to that time. Access will be from the Usdan/Fayerweather area of Wyllys Avenue. More details and map.

The weather will be beautiful: sunny and 68º with a gentle breeze.

For those unable to procure a ticket, Foss Hill, parts of Andrus Field, and the surrounding areas will be open to the public. More details.

For those traveling to Middletown by car, Ed McKeon reports:

I just spoke to a downtown merchant who was advised that he should not count on getting into or out of his shop on Sunday, because Main Street would be closed for some time. This same merchant quoted police as saying they are projecting up to 100,000 visitors to Middletown for the Obama speech.

The University has warned that you should not expect to find parking anywhere in the vicinity of campus.

Can't find a spot on Andrus Field or Foss Hill? The address will be simulcast in the Memorial Chapel, the ’92 Theater, Crowell Concert Hall, and in SCIE 150. Campus map [PDF].

IF YOU'RE AWAY FROM CAMPUS

Can't make it to campus? The University has contracted with an outside company to broadcast the address live on the web via Windows Media (blech) streaming video. The stream will be available approximately 15 minutes before the ceremony begins. I'm assuming the 600 viewer limit is no longer an issue. More details.

WTNH will also be streaming the address live at their website. More details.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Reunion & Commencement: includes overview, schedule, environmental information, and info on class reunions, honorary degrees, etc.

FAQs: contains information on fees, meals, transportation, parking, housing, WESeminars, and special needs.

Commencement Information: details on prohibited items and restrictions on political/campaign materials. Please note that campaign-related activity, political signs and banners, glass bottles, fireworks, and "selected other items" are prohibited from the event. You will be subject to removal and possible arrest for bringing any of these items to campus. The Secret Service ain't no fool, yo.

STAY TUNED TO WESLEYING

We'll be giving you the latest updates from Reunion & Commencement, including live reporting, photos, and footage from the media corral. Since both Wesleyan and WTNH will be streaming the address online, we will not be streaming live, but we will have footage available after the event (more details to come).
We've also be pared down the blog to speed up load time and save some bandwidth, but shoutbox and everything else will be back soon so don't worry.

FINALLY...

Congratulations, Class of 2008, and best of luck in wherever your post-graduation plans take you!

Student Commencement Speaker Reconsidered

It's usually taken for granted that the senior class president will give a speech at graduation each year, but the WSA is apparently entertaining a motion this week to turn over selection of a student speaker to a committee composed of senior class officers, who would choose from a pool of applicants and be barred from applying themselves.

Which seems kind of arbitrary. If someone's being chosen to represent an entire graduating class, they should be chosen by more students in the class than just a few WSA members.

But I'm surprised that the article and Wespeaks in the Argus about this issue neglect to mention the likely reason that this resolution was even put forward - last year's senior class president gave a speech to mixed reactions, and it was kind of embarrassing to have someone like Barack Obama (not to mention everyone else present) witness the Wesleyan student body represented by one somewhat erratic speaker.

Which isn't to say that would be the case this year - by at least several accounts, 2009's class president Ravid Chowdhury is deserving of the privilege, and it would be unfair to take it away when he was ostensibly elected by seniors last year with the knowledge that he'd be speaking at graduation.

But the Argus doesn't have a bad idea in proposing that in addition to the class president, who is elected mainly for being a good organizer if not necessarily a good speech-maker, another student be chosen to address the class based solely on their ability to deliver a great speech.

In any case, the WSA votes on the issue this weekend. You can watch the 2008 student commencement address here (cut ahead to 9:40 for it), or read the full transcript.

Obama's Speech (as prepared)

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
Wesleyan University Commencement
Sunday, May 25th, 2008
Middletown, CT

As Prepared for Delivery:

Thank you, President Roth, for that generous introduction, and congratulations on your first year at the helm of Wesleyan. Congratulations also to the class of 2008, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your graduation.

I have the distinct honor today of pinch-hitting for one of my personal heroes and a hero to this country, Senator Edward Kennedy. Teddy wanted to be here very much, but as you know, he’s had a very long week and is taking some much-needed rest. He called me up a few days ago and I said that I’d be happy to be his stand-in, even if there was no way I could fill his shoes.

I did, however, get the chance to glance at the speech he planned on delivering today, and I’d like to start by passing along a message from him: “To all those praying for my return to good health, I offer my heartfelt thanks. And to any who’d rather have a different result, I say, don’t get your hopes up just yet!”

So we know that Ted Kennedy’s legendary sense of humor is as strong as ever, and I have no doubt that his equally legendary fighting spirit will carry him through this latest challenge. He is our friend, he is our champion, and we hope and pray for his return to good health.

The topic of his speech today was common for a commencement, but one that nobody could discuss with more authority or inspiration than Ted Kennedy. And that is the topic of service to one’s country – a cause that is synonymous with his family’s name and their legacy.

I was born the year that his brother John called a generation of Americans to ask their country what they could do. And I came of age at a time when they did it. They were the Peace Corps volunteers who won a generation of goodwill toward America at a time when America ’s ideals were challenged. They were the teenagers and college students, not much older than you, who watched the Civil Rights Movement unfold on their television sets; who saw the dogs and the fire hoses and the footage of marchers beaten within an inch or their lives; who knew it was probably smarter and safer to stay at home, but still decided to take those Freedom Rides down south – who still decided to march. And because they did, they changed the world.

I bring this up because today, you are about to enter a world that makes it easy to get caught up in the notion that there are actually two different stories at work in our lives. The first is the story of our everyday cares and concerns – the responsibilities we have to our jobs and our families – the bustle and busyness of what happens in our own life. And the second is the story of what happens in the life of our country – of what happens in the wider world. It’s the story you see when you catch a glimpse of the day’s headlines or turn on the news at night – a story of big challenges like war and recession; hunger and climate change; injustice and inequality. It’s a story that can sometimes seem distant and separate from our own – a destiny to be shaped by forces beyond our control.

And yet, the history of this nation tells us this isn’t so. It tells us that we are a people whose destiny has never been written for us, but by us – by generations of men and women, young and old, who have always believed that their story and the American story are not separate, but shared. And for more than two centuries, they have served this country in ways that have forever enriched both.

I say this to you as someone who couldn’t be standing here today if not for the service of others, and wouldn’t be standing here today if not for the purpose that service gave my own life. You see, I spent much of my childhood adrift. My father left my mother and I when I was two. When my mother remarried, I lived in Indonesia for a time, but was mostly raised in Hawaii by her and my grandparents from Kansas . My teenage years were filled with more than the usual dose of adolescent rebellion, and I’ll admit that I didn’t always take myself or my studies very seriously. I realize that none of you can probably relate to this, but there were many times when I wasn’t sure where I was going, or what I would do.

But during my first two years of college, perhaps because the values my mother had taught me –hard work, honesty, empathy – had resurfaced after a long hibernation; or perhaps because of the example of wonderful teachers and lasting friends, I began to notice a world beyond myself. I became active in the movement to oppose the apartheid regime of South Africa . I began following the debates in this country about poverty and health care. So that by the time I graduated from college, I was possessed with a crazy idea – that I would work at a grassroots level to bring about change.

I wrote letters to every organization in the country I could think of. And one day, a small group of churches on the South Side of Chicago offered me a job to come work as a community organizer in neighborhoods that had been devastated by steel plant closings. My mother and grandparents wanted me to go to law school. My friends were applying to jobs on Wall Street. Meanwhile, this organization offered me $12,000 a year plus $2,000 for an old, beat-up car.

And I said yes.

Now, I didn’t know a soul in Chicago , and I wasn’t sure what this community organizing business was all about. I had always been inspired by stories of the Civil Rights Movement and JFK’s call to service, but when I got to the South Side, there were no marches, and no soaring speeches. In the shadow of an empty steel plant, there were just a lot of folks who were struggling. And we didn’t get very far at first.

I still remember one of the very first meetings we put together to discuss gang violence with a group of community leaders. We waited and waited for people to show up, and finally, a group of older people walked into the hall. And they sat down. And a little old lady raised her hand and asked, “Is this where the bingo game is?”

It wasn’t easy, but eventually, we made progress. Day by day, block by block, we brought the community together, and registered new voters, and set up after school programs, and fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with some measure of dignity.

But I also began to realize that I wasn’t just helping other people. Through service, I found a community that embraced me; citizenship that was meaningful; the direction I’d been seeking. Through service, I discovered how my own improbable story fit into the larger story of America .

Each of you will have the chance to make your own discovery in the years to come. And I say “chance” because you won’t have to take it. There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care. You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should by. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live your life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America ’s.

But I hope you don’t. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, though you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get here, though you do have that debt.

It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in America ’s story

There are so many ways to serve and so much need at this defining moment in our history. You don’t have to be a community organizer or do something crazy like run for President. Right here at Wesleyan, many of you have already volunteered at local schools, contributed to United Way , and even started a program that brings fresh produce to needy families in the area. One hundred and sixty-four graduates of this school have joined the Peace Corps since 2001, and I’m especially proud that two of you are about to leave for my father’s homeland of Kenya to bring alternative sources of energy to impoverished areas.

I ask you to seek these opportunities when you leave here, because the future of this country – your future – depends on it. At a time when our security and moral standing depend on winning hearts and minds in the forgotten corners of this world, we need more of you to serve abroad. As President, I intend to grow the Foreign Service, double the Peace Corps over the next few years, and engage the young people of other nations in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity.

At a time when our ice caps are melting and our oceans are rising, we need you to help lead a green revolution. We still have time to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change if we get serious about investing in renewable sources of energy, and if we get a generation of volunteers to work on renewable energy projects, and teach folks about conservation, and help clean up polluted areas; if we send talented engineers and scientists abroad to help developing countries promote clean energy.

At a time when a child in Boston must compete with children in Beijing and Bangalore , we need an army of you to become teachers and principals in schools that this nation cannot afford to give up on. I will pay our educators what they deserve, and give them more support, but I will also ask more of them to be mentors to other teachers, and serve in high-need schools and high-need subject areas like math and science.

At a time when there are children in the city of New Orleans who still spend each night in a lonely trailer, we need more of you to take a weekend or a week off from work, and head down South, and help rebuild. If you can’t get the time, volunteer at the local homeless shelter or soup kitchen in your own community. Find an organization that’s fighting poverty, or a candidate who promotes policies you believe in, and find a way to help them.

At a time of war, we need you to work for peace. At a time of inequality, we need you to work for opportunity. At a time of so much cynicism and so much doubt, we need you to make us believe again.

Now understand this - believing that change is possible is not the same as being naïve. Go into service with your eyes wide open, for change will not come easily. On the big issues that our nation faces, difficult choices await. We’ll have to face some hard truths, and some sacrifice will be required – not only from you individually, but from the nation as a whole.

There is no magic bullet to our energy problems, for example; no perfect energy source - so all of us will have to use the energy sources we have more wisely. Deep-rooted poverty will not be reversed overnight, and will require both money and reform at a time when our federal and state budgets are strapped and Washington is skeptical that reform is possible. Transforming our education system will require not only bold government action, but a change in attitudes among parents and students. Bringing an end to the slaughter in Darfur will involve navigating extremely difficult realities on the ground, even for those with the best of intentions.

And so, should you take the path of service, should you choose to take up one of these causes as your own, know that you’ll experience frustrations and failures. Even your successes will be marked by imperfections and unintended consequences. I guarantee you, there will certainly be times when friends or family urge you to pursue more sensible endeavors with more tangible rewards. And there will be times when you are tempted to take their advice.

But I hope you’ll remember, during those times of doubt and frustration, that there is nothing naïve about your impulse to change this world. Because all it takes is one act of service – one blow against injustice – to send forth that tiny ripple of hope that Robert Kennedy spoke of.

You know, Ted Kennedy often tells a story about the fifth anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps. He was there, and he asked one of the young Americans why he had chosen to volunteer. And the man replied, “Because it was the first time someone asked me to do something for my country.”

I don’t know how many of you have been asked that question, but after today, you have no excuses. I am asking you, and if I should have the honor of serving this nation as President, I will be asking again in the coming years. We may disagree on certain issues and positions, but I believe we can be unified in service to a greater good. I intend to make it a cause of my presidency, and I believe with all my heart that this generation is ready, and eager, and up to the challenge.

We will face our share of cynics and doubters. But we always have. I can still remember a conversation I had with an older man all those years ago just before I left for Chicago . He said, “Barack, I’ll give you a bit of advice. Forget this community organizing business and do something that’s gonna make you some money. You can’t change the world, and people won’t appreciate you trying. But you’ve got a nice voice, so you should think about going into television broadcasting. I’m telling you, you’ve got a future.”

Now, he may have been right about the TV thing, but he was wrong about everything else. For that old man has not seen what I have seen. He has not seen the faces of ordinary people the first time they clear a vacant lot or build a new playground or force an unresponsive leader to provide services to their community. He has not seen the face of a child brighten because of an inspiring teacher or mentor. He has not seen scores of young people educate their parents on issues like Darfur , or mobilize the conscience of a nation around the challengeof climate change. He has not seen lines of men and women that wrap around schools and churches, that stretch block after block just so they could make their voices heard, many for the very first time.

And that old man who didn’t believe the world could change – who didn’t think one person could make a difference – well he certainly didn’t know much about the life of Joseph Kennedy’s youngest son.

It is rare in this country of ours that a person exists who has touched the lives of nearly every single American without many of us even realizing it. And yet, because of Ted Kennedy, millions of children can see a doctor when they get sick. Mothers and fathers can leave work to spend time with their newborns. Working Americans are paid higher wages, and compensated for overtime, and can keep their health insurance when they change jobs. They are protected from discrimination in the workplace, and those who are born with disabilities can still get an education, and health care, and fair treatment on the job. Our schools are stronger and our colleges are filled with more Americans who can afford it. And I have a feeling that Ted Kennedy is not done just yet.

But surely, if one man can achieve so much and make such a difference in the lives of so many, then each of us can do our part. Surely, if his service and his story can forever shape America ’s story, then our collective service can shape the destiny of this generation. At the very least, his living example calls each of us to try. That is all I ask of you on this joyous day of new beginnings; that is what Senator Kennedy asks of you as well, and that is how we will keep so much needed work going, and the cause of justice everlasting, and the dream alive for generations to come. Thank you so much to the class of 2008, and congratulations on your graduation.