First, and foremost, the NRC is guided by a vision rooted in its fundamental mission of protecting the public health and safety, the environment, and the common defense and security of this country. A second guiding principle at the NRC is the continuing effort to increase our effectiveness as regulators-we are not perfect. And a third, fundamental, organizational principle is the anticipation and preparation for change. Turning this back again to you as individuals, having a clear vision of who you are and where you want to go, striving to become ever more effective professionally, and in your personal relationships, and embracing change will allow you to enter the next millennium with confidence and excitement. Finally, as I said at the beginning, a strong moral compass forms the basis of enlightened leadership.
Every commencement ceremony is a passing of the torch, a celebration of our future leaders.
In the years to come, some of you will assert your leadership in ways more visible than others, but each of you will be a leader in some way, as a teacher, a parent, a counselor, and a mentor-or within an organization. As a result, your conduct inevitably will affect not only your own success, but will affect the experiences and direction of others. In the three decades since, I have had the good fortune to follow an ever-ascending career path through industry, academia, and government. Those three decades, spanning three very distinct spheres of my professional life, have caused me to think about the nature of leadership. Many of the principles I discussed earlier, such as hard work, creative thinking, adherence to ethical standards, and an appreciation for divergent opinions, are crucial to leadership.