FAYETTEVILLE -- Gov. Mike Beebe encouraged graduates of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to get involved in politics.
Speaking at UA's fall commencement ceremony Saturday morning in Barnhill Arena, Beebe said he wasn't talking about running for office, but of knowing about politics and being able to think critically and analytically so the graduates can make informed decisions at the ballot box.
"With all its faults, with all the politicians who ever lied to you or stole your money, with all the negatives that you read about, this is still the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the planet," said Beebe. "America is still the greatest form of democracy."
But cynicism is causing Americans to disengage from politics, the governor said.
When he was a boy, Beebe said, it was noble for parents to want their children to run for office when they grew up.
"Along the way, politics has become a dirty word," Beebe said. "It does not have to be. It should not be, because it permeates all of our lives, and good people need to be involved in it. Honest people need to be rewarded, and informed people need to be making those decisions."
More than 1,200 graduates participated in the fall commencement ceremony Saturday as a crowd of about 7,500 watched from the stands of the Razorbacks' old basketball arena.
Beebe was one of three men who received honorary degrees at the UA ceremony. The others were former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mike Duke and Andrew D. Hamilton, vice chancellor at the University of Oxford in England.
The governor said the state's priority is the education of its people, and it is higher education that makes America competitive with the rest of the world.
Beebe's mother never finished high school because he was born when she was a teenager, Beebe said.
"Because she hadn't finished high school, she was obviously limited with what she could do with her life," Beebe said. "She spent her whole life without an education, as a waitress. ... It is sometimes what you do not have that you appreciate the most. And the fact that she did not have an education caused her to value education. She wanted to ensure that I got one."
As a result of his mother's emphasis on education, Beebe said, he graduated from law school at UA and had a great career.
"I made enough money to be a Republican," said Beebe, a Democrat. The comment drew laughter and applause from the crowd.
Beebe spent 20 years in the state Senate and four years as attorney general before becoming governor in 2007. Unable to run for re-election because of term limits, Beebe will leave office at the end of this month.
"Because of a mother, and because of education, because of what you now have, it opened all the doors," Beebe told the graduates. "Where else in the world would somebody from the wrong side of the track have the opportunities that I have had?"
Beebe told graduates that they have the chance at the American dream, a chance others don't have because they lack a college education.
Hamilton spoke of the contributions of two Arkansans who attended Oxford on Rhodes Scholarships: former U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright and former President Bill Clinton.
Fulbright made a perpetual contribution to the educational and cultural exchange between nations when he established the Fulbright Scholarship Program, Hamilton said.
Through the program, about 800 U.S. faculty members and professionals each year travel to 140 countries to lecture, teach and conduct research. An equal number of academics and professionals from overseas visit the United States each year under a Fulbright Scholar grant.
Hamilton oversees Oxford University's commemoration of Fulbright, which features a distinguished lecturer and a visiting fellowship, according to the commencement program.
Hamilton said he took pride in becoming a Razorback.
"I also look forward to joining with all of you graduates with my name nicely carved in the footpaths of this great university," he said.
Hamilton was referring to Senior Walk, which has the names of almost all UA graduates etched into it. Senior Walk has a section for honorary degree recipients.
In Duke's address, he emphasized human interaction in the digital world.
"You're going into a world where the pace of change is accelerating every day," said Duke. "But here's the secret: None of that matters. What really matters is the one thing that won't change, that will remain the same for you as it did for me and everyone that came before us, and that is that it's all about people, people and their importance in your life.
"The joy and the reward in life comes from people -- your family, your friends, your colleagues and sometimes even perfect strangers. So my advice for you today is take time for people. Listen to them. Respect them. ... Treat people as the most important thing in this changing, crazy world that we live in."
Doing that can help a person further his career, but more importantly, it will enrich his life, Duke said.
The graduates were presented red folders when they crossed the stage. The folders didn't contain diplomas because grades have yet to be finalized for the fall semester. UA spokesman Steve Voorhies said the graduates should receive their diplomas by mail in January.
The diploma delay and a cold drizzle didn't dampen the enthusiasm for graduates like Andrew McDonald of Lowell, who is receiving a bachelor's degree in sociology and criminal justice.
"It's a dreary day, but it's a good day to graduate," he said.
NW News on 12/21/2014