First, if we are expected to live lives of thoughtful service, we d better make sure what we mean by service in the first place. The word itself comes to use by way of Middle English and Old French, tracing back to the Latin word for slavery. Although you may have felt enslaved to your professors for the last few years, that is certainly not the life we intend for you as marks of a PLU graduate. However, there are many modern meanings of this word everything from a branch of the Armed Forces to a religious rite. We have an expectation of you as graduates of PLU to lead lives of thoughtful benefit to others.
Some examples are obvious.
For many of you, your professional lives provide an obvious avenue of service those entering the clergy, teachers, nurses, social workers, and the like. And perhaps I will be lucky enough to see you at the alumni awards banquet. Of course we could round up the usual suspects donating to a worthy cause, volunteering at the food bank or the local shelter. All of these are laudable, and I don t for a minute wish to diminish their value. But let me remind you that our mission is to educate for lives of thoughtful service, not only obvious service.