President & Chief Executive Officer
The New York Times Company
U. Mass Dartmouth Commencement
May 28, 2006
Thank you, Chancellor, honored dignitaries, faculty and staff. My heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2006 and to your families and friends. It is my honor to be here with you today at your commencement and to receive this degree. As a native of nearby Somerset, it is always a pleasure to come home.
This morning, I am going to focus on an important factor in all our lives.
I am going to talk about choices. Your choices, to be precise.
Starting today, when you leave this beautiful campus and begin the next chapter of your lives, you will become what Winston Churchill once called masters of your fate, captains of your souls.
The choices that you make from now on about your life and your career will help you move forward, will help set your course for the future and will help shape your destiny.
Eleanor Roosevelt, the former First Lady, writer and activist once wrote, "One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility."
That responsibility can be very great.
While the ability to make your own choices, to be masters of your own fate, can be exhilarating and empowering, it can also - at times - be daunting.
I read an account recently that underscores the power and the challenges of our choices so profoundly that I want to share it with you. It is from a new book called "The Defining Moment" by the journalist Jonathan Alter, and it focuses on President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first 100 days in office, beginning in March of 1933.
At the time, Alter writes, the country was reeling from the Great Depression. 16 million jobs had been lost, and the unemployment rate had soared to nearly 80 percent in some cities. The New York Stock Exchange had suspended trading. "Runs" on banks had become commonplace, forcing them to close and leaving many Americans without money.
As a result of the crisis, violence was breaking out across the nation. The governor of North Carolina even predicted a revolution was on the way.
FDR faced a monumental decision.
As the newly-elected President, he could assume wartime authority and call out the Army to keep order. Or, as Alter writes, he could assemble a private force of veterans to enforce a kind of martial law.
But to do either would deal an extraordinary blow to capitalism and to democracy.
So what did FDR do? What choice did he make?
One week after he took office, he made his first primetime radio speech. Up until that point, politicians had used radio - a relatively new medium -- to talk at people, not to them. Understanding how afraid and overwhelmed most Americans felt, FDR decided to deliver his remarks in a new way, in a way that was personal and conversational ... as though he was sitting in someone's living room by the fireplace - thus the famous "fireside chats."
As he spoke, instead of seizing authority or spreading panic, he chose to empower the public by giving them hope. He outlined a process to reopen the banks, beginning the very next day. He assured the public it was safer to put their money back into a bank than to hide it at home.
Then he personally appealed to his countrymen, asking for their help. He said: "Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan... Let us unite in banishing fear."
60 million people listened that night. The next day, newspapers reported long lines of Americans standing outside of their banks, ready to redeposit their money.
In the words of a New York Times editorial dated March 14, 1933: "The fear and panic... appear to have almost entirely passed." The New York Stock Exchange, which had been closed for two weeks, recorded its biggest one-day gain in more than fifty years. In less than a week, three-quarters of the recently closed banks had reopened.
Through one man's one choice - a choice to personally appeal to Americans - the country narrowly averted a catastrophe that could have irreparably harmed our government and our way of life.
You may not be President of the United States - at least not yet. But each of you in your own right will soon be making choices of your own. And you will be making them at a time in our history when the world is accelerating faster, growing more complex, and offering you more options than ever before.
So the question becomes, how can you make sure that you make the right choices? Are there any proven truths?
I certainly do not claim to have all of the answers. However, I do believe that the best way to make smart decisions is to look at great leaders and study the choices that they have made.
Here are eight choices that I believe are most important:
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The choice to be courageous. To be bold. To take risks. Think of Rosa Parks refusing to relinquish her seat and move to the back of the bus. The Chinese students facing down military tanks during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. The choice by our brave young men and women in the military to risk their lives for our country in Afghanistan and Iraq and around the world.
One story of courage that I have always found inspiring is that of Andy Grove, the former Chairman and CEO of Intel. Born into a Jewish family in Hungary in 1936, he suffered but survived the Nazi persecution of the Jews, then suffered under the cruel hardships of Russia's communist government.
When he was in his late teens, Andy made a choice. He and a friend escaped by night to the Austrian border. They miraculously survived the perilous journey, and he came here to the United States and entered college.
Forty years later, Grove was named "Man of the Year" by Time magazine, which recognized him as one of the preeminent architects of the Digital Age - "the person most responsible for the amazing growth in the power and innovative potential of microchips."
Think about what would have happened if Andy had not made that decision to escape and come to this country. Think about how that would have affected the technological revolution, how our computers would run without Intel chips. Think about his courageous choice. Think of him when you have courageous choices of your own to make.
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The second choice is the choice to keep learning. You have received an outstanding education here at this fine university. Build upon it. If you have an opportunity to pursue an advanced degree, do it. If you cannot enroll in a formal program, then find a mentor or create your own curriculum by reading every book or online news source or newspaper that you can. By doing so, you will give yourself a critical advantage over your competition and you will also never lose your wonder of the world.
A great example of someone who continues to embrace lifelong learning is The New York Times's brilliant columnist and foreign affairs expert Thomas Friedman. As you may know, Tom wrote a best-selling book on globalism called, "The World is Flat." For anyone who knows his work, it is no surprise that Tom's book was such a success. What is a surprise is that before he began to write it, he made a conscious decision to take time off to travel and study other cultures. While Tom was already a world-renowned expert on global affairs, he knew he had to keep learning in order to keep growing. In his words, "I needed time to retool. I had skills that were no longer relevant, they needed updating... I scrambled in order to learn about forces in the world I didn't know about in order to keep myself relevant."
Take Tom's advice. Choose to stay informed. Choose to pursue life-long learning.
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Another choice that many leaders make: The choice to change your mind. Some of you have already planned your careers. Good for you. Some of you will find your calling as you go. That is just fine, too. And many of you may think you are heading in one clear direction only to find you wake up one day and change your mind. There is nothing wrong with that.
Listen to your heart and follow its lead. The most successful leaders are not afraid to change course if it means that they will be able to pursue the life and the career path that they really desire. A few examples of those who have changed their minds and have gone on to make important contributions: Dr. Jonas Salk once wanted to be a lawyer. He went on to develop the vaccine for polio, saving millions of lives.
Meg Whitman once hoped to go into medicine. Today, she is the President and C.E.O. of eBay.
I have had my own experience in changing life's path. After I graduated from Salve Regina University in Newport, I spent eleven years as a teacher in Rhode Island and here in Massachusetts before moving to New York and beginning my career in media. I made that choice because, although I enjoyed teaching, I was intent on pursuing a career in publishing. I wanted to work for a news organization devoted to quality journalism - and devoted to truly making a difference in the world in which we live. Do not be afraid to change your mind. I have never regretted my choice. Neither will you.
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A fourth choice is the choice to be ethical, to have a strong moral compass.
When you are faced with a dilemma, if you ask yourself the simple question, what is the right thing to do - you will never go wrong. Two senior executives at Sony Pictures Classics truly exemplify this. Michael Barker and Tom Bernard have released incredibly successful independent movies such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and won numerous Oscars. Several years ago, the pair, along with their partner Marcie Bloom, were about to leave Sony and join another studio. Just as they were ready to make this move, Marcie suffered a massive brain aneurysm and fell into a coma. Barker and Bernard turned down the offer because if Marcie left Sony, she could have lost her health insurance -- and they wanted to stay with her, to stay together. They put their friend and colleague above their own business interests. They had strong moral compasses. Today, the three still work together as co-Presidents at Sony Classics, and they continue to create Oscar-winning films. Follow their example. Choose to do the right thing.
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Choice number five is the choice to persevere. This reminds me of the inspiring quote by Martin Luther King Junior. He said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Great leaders stand firm when times get tough. Great leaders persevere.
Some examples: Steven Spielberg was flatly rejected from both the U.C.L.A. and U.S.C. film schools. Yet, he went on to become an Oscar award-winning director.
Thomas Alva Edison was nearly fired from one of his first jobs working as a telegraph operator. He later revolutionized the world through his many inventions.
Another person who exemplifies perseverance is someone here today, among the graduates of the Class of 2006. Gay Gillespie married early in life, had three children and went on to become an important conservationist and local advocate for land preservation - now serving as executive director of the Westport River Watershed Alliance. But she never gave up on the idea of finishing her college degree. By taking a course or two every year, she has steadily worked her way to this day, graduation day. Today, she realizes her dream. It is a tribute to both her determination and to this university for creating a course of study that worked with her very busy life.
Another wonderful story of perseverance is that of an athlete in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. More than an hour after the winner of the Olympic marathon had been declared, John Steven Akhwari of Tanzania finally made it back to the stadium, limping in terrible pain from a fall. The stadium had just a few spectators left, but soon they began to cheer. Ahkwari kept going. He made it to the finish line.
After the race, a journalist asked him why he hadn't just given up. He replied: "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race."
If you believe in something, if you have a dream, let nothing dissuade you - no matter how many obstacles you may face. Pursue your dream relentlessly. Finish the race.
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The next choice for you to think about: the choice to work for the greater good, to give back to the community. The leadership, faculty and staff at this university are outstanding role models for you. Follow their examples and invest back into the people, the communities, the businesses and the institutions that helped bring you to where you are today.
I am very proud that the company I work for, The New York Times Company, and its properties -- including The Boston Globe and The Worcester Telegraph and Gazette here in Massachusetts -- all believe strongly in the importance of public service. It is in keeping with our mission to inform and educate the public through quality journalism.
On a very personal level, I am also a strong believer in public service. It has been engrained in me by my family, in particular my grandfather, George Cottell, who led an electrical workers union branch in Fall River, Massachusetts, until he retired in the mid-1960's.
At the age of nearly 70, he moved to a poverty-stricken area of Hartford, Connecticut, to join Volunteers In Service To America or VISTA. The program, which was created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, was to be "a domestic Peace Corps," as part of the "War on Poverty." He was assigned to a city welfare department, where he soon became a point-person, helping the needy cut through the red tape to receive training, services and hospital care. I remember how proud he was to be able to help; to be a contributor to civic well-being. I remember how proud I was of him for doing so. Honor those in your life who participate in public service - and make your own difference. Remember Winston Churchill's words, "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give."
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Choice number seven is one every leader should take advantage of: The choice to have a sense of humor. Humor can help make an important point or sway opinion in a gracious manner. For example, in 1858, Abraham Lincoln took on Stephen Douglas in a hard-fought campaign for a U.S. Senate seat. During a debate, Douglas called Lincoln quote, "a two-faced man." Lincoln replied, "I leave it to my audience. If I had another face, do you think I would wear this one?" Lincoln made his point respectfully and effectively.
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Finally, the last choice to keep in mind is this: The choice to celebrate your past, while embracing your future. There is a very meaningful quote that addresses this thought by Hodding Carter Jr., a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and opinion leader in the civil rights movement. It is very brief, but it holds a lifetime's worth of wisdom.
Carter said, "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots; the other, wings."
Your roots represent everything that has served as a foundation for you thus far. They are your family. Your dearest friends. Your geography. Your beliefs and values. Your most rewarding successes. Your deepest disappointments. They are your education, this institution and the proud history it represents
Look around you. The people here with you today - your family, your friends, this university and the wonderful memories that you have made here... these are your roots. They help steady the world, when your world becomes uncertain. Cherish them. Keep them close. Always remember their importance.
Your wings, on the other hand, are about you and your future. What career you will pursue. Where you will live. What kind of person you will become. What role you will play in your family, in your community, in the world. Wings represent your confidence and your courage to take risks. Wings represent your determination and your knowing that your potential is limitless.
Trust yourselves. Trust your abilities. Trust your wings.
I started my remarks today with a story about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It seems fitting to close with one, as well.
Back in 1932, FDR made a commencement address of his own, at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.
He told those graduates, "We need enthusiasm, imagination, and the ability to face facts, even unpleasant ones, bravely... We need the courage of the young."
That message is as relevant today as it was when he said it, more than seventy years ago.
I encourage you to choose to have courage and to challenge conventional wisdom.
Choose to embrace lifelong learning.
Choose to have a strong moral compass.
Choose to be passionate about your life's work.
Choose to persevere.
Choose to give back to your community, your nation, your world.
Choose to bring humor into your life.
Choose to always cherish your roots and trust your wings.
May God speed you on your way. Thank you.
