Graduations are indeed special moments in the lives of students and universities.
This occasion marks and recognises many years of hard work, dedication, struggle and achievement on the part of graduates and their families and friends. We celebrate and commend all graduates for their success and wish them well in their future careers. When I was asked to speak to you today, I wondered what I, as one of the university's newest and youngest professors might be able to impart to you as you move on to a new stage of your professional lives. I will not proceed to give you a history of the millennium in 100 minutes, but I will provide a brief homage to my parent discipline in less than 100 seconds, though my address does spend slightly more time afterwards looking to the future. You are following in a centuries' old tradition of education in the Western world that has witnessed many great advances in human society.