I love this university and its students. Many of you are, as I was, the first in your families to go to college. You will exceed many expectations, and will one day look back on your time here and realize how much of your success came from your education. Just as our students exceed expectations, so has this whole university exceeded expectations in the way it has grown and matured over the past 25 years. With an education, there are no limits to your contributions, if you are prepared.
Education is the foundation of that preparation.
Education provided the opportunity for the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Denny Hastert, an NIU alum, to rise from a humble background here in the heartland of the nation to being the third highest ranked public official in the United States. The education you have received here at Northern Illinois University provides you with the same opportunity. I hope you will seize the opportunity and pursue your dreams. In reflecting on my experience in higher education, two days of each year stand out clearly as emotional high points. Students returning to the campus in the fall have always generated a deeply felt excitement and a personal rededication to our education mission.