Now I understand that there was a rumor going around for awhile that your commencement speaker this year would be Oprah Winfrey. Well, looks are sometimes deceiving, but I have to admit that I'm not Oprah. For those who may be disappointed, all I can say is that if it would help, I will be very happy to recommend some books, and I promise not to have any meat for lunch. To the class of 1998, I offer my heartfelt congratulations. Today is a day to celebrate.
Today is the payoff for all the late nights in the library and the long hours studying.
Graduation is one of the five great milestones in life. The others are birth, marriage, death and the day you finally pay off your student loan. But as your hopes for hitting the jackpot on Jeopardy fade, you will find the deeper aspects of the education you have received here will endure. The University of Maryland is not just a factory for processing students and issuing degrees. It's as large as a small city and virtually as broad in its intellectual and social sweep as humanity itself.