00:00:07,173 --> 00:00:08,041 Good evening. 00:00:08,675 --> 00:00:10,744 My name is Paul Winistorfer 00:00:10,777 --> 00:00:12,278 and I have the distinct privilege 00:00:12,278 --> 00:00:15,448 of serving as the Dean of the number one ranked College 00:00:15,448 --> 00:00:19,085 of Natural Resources and Environment in the Nation. 00:00:19,686 --> 00:00:20,887 President Sands, 00:00:20,887 --> 00:00:23,156 I have the honor of presenting the candidates 00:00:23,356 --> 00:00:25,191 for the Bachelor of Science 00:00:25,291 --> 00:00:26,893 and Bachelor of Arts degrees 00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:30,363 in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. 00:00:30,764 --> 00:00:32,665 Will the candidates please stand? 00:00:34,434 --> 00:00:35,735 You may be seated. 00:00:36,569 --> 00:00:38,405 Graduates, you are at home 00:00:38,538 --> 00:00:41,608 or some location other than Lane Stadium 00:00:42,008 --> 00:00:43,743 and I'm here at Cheatham Hall. 00:00:44,377 --> 00:00:45,512 Virginia Tech, 00:00:45,545 --> 00:00:46,446 the campus, 00:00:46,713 --> 00:00:47,781 the Drillfield, 00:00:47,947 --> 00:00:48,782 the dorms, 00:00:48,815 --> 00:00:49,849 your apartment, 00:00:50,283 --> 00:00:51,584 Cassel Coliseum, 00:00:51,618 --> 00:00:52,685 Lane Stadium, 00:00:52,886 --> 00:00:53,987 the library, 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:55,422 Cheatham Hall, 00:00:55,655 --> 00:00:56,656 the Brooks Center, 00:00:57,090 --> 00:00:58,324 Major Williams 00:00:58,491 --> 00:00:59,526 and Wallace Hall 00:00:59,826 --> 00:01:02,629 and many other places off campus, 00:01:02,929 --> 00:01:05,198 like the Cascades or the New River. 00:01:05,565 --> 00:01:08,701 These places are special places to all of us. 00:01:09,402 --> 00:01:13,073 You've spent the past four years here in and among these places. 00:01:13,373 --> 00:01:15,375 Not being here the last few months, 00:01:15,375 --> 00:01:17,243 and especially for commencement, 00:01:17,444 --> 00:01:21,881 has been and is a disappointment for you and for us. 00:01:22,282 --> 00:01:23,850 We miss you terribly. 00:01:24,417 --> 00:01:27,053 You are the reason we are here in the first place. 00:01:27,487 --> 00:01:30,156 These places aren't the same without you. 00:01:31,091 --> 00:01:33,393 Graduates, as you begin your new journey 00:01:33,393 --> 00:01:39,265 in a world that will challenge you, more than any other attribute in your toolbox, 00:01:39,365 --> 00:01:40,767 more than your smarts, 00:01:40,767 --> 00:01:41,768 your skills, 00:01:41,835 --> 00:01:45,305 your expertise with software and hardware 00:01:45,839 --> 00:01:47,874 and your problem-solving ability, 00:01:48,141 --> 00:01:52,712 I wish for you the humility and grace to work effectively with those around you. 00:01:53,580 --> 00:01:56,216 In an undelivered speech in 1945, 00:01:56,216 --> 00:01:58,118 President Franklin Roosevelt said, 00:01:58,118 --> 00:01:59,219 and I quote, 00:01:59,752 --> 00:02:02,622 "Today, we are faced with the preeminent fact" 00:02:02,856 --> 00:02:05,024 "that if civilization is to survive," 00:02:05,024 --> 00:02:08,394 "we must cultivate the science of human relationships," 00:02:08,661 --> 00:02:13,266 "the ability of all peoples of all kinds to live together and work together" 00:02:13,266 --> 00:02:15,902 "in the same world at peace." 00:02:16,536 --> 00:02:21,741 75 years later, these words seem so very relevant in the world we live in today. 00:02:22,342 --> 00:02:25,345 The humility and grace to work effectively with those around you 00:02:25,345 --> 00:02:30,083 requires patience and practice and persistence over a lifetime. 00:02:30,283 --> 00:02:32,018 It is not a one-time thing. 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:35,288 We do not offer a course in this subject, 00:02:35,321 --> 00:02:39,225 but it is a skill you must master to be effective in your career 00:02:39,359 --> 00:02:41,194 and successful in your life. 00:02:41,895 --> 00:02:44,130 While we love the trees and the forest 00:02:44,197 --> 00:02:46,199 and the fishes and the wildlife 00:02:46,299 --> 00:02:47,967 and the weather and the maps 00:02:48,034 --> 00:02:49,836 and the wood and the packaging 00:02:50,003 --> 00:02:52,572 and everything else we do in this college, 00:02:52,772 --> 00:02:55,808 remember, it is all about the people. 00:02:55,842 --> 00:02:57,110 All the time, 00:02:57,343 --> 00:02:58,278 all the people. 00:02:59,145 --> 00:03:01,114 On behalf of our faculty and staff, 00:03:01,114 --> 00:03:03,783 we genuinely thank you for selecting Virginia Tech 00:03:03,783 --> 00:03:05,985 and the degree programs and majors 00:03:06,019 --> 00:03:08,922 in our College of Natural Resources and Environment. 00:03:09,322 --> 00:03:11,591 On behalf of our college family, 00:03:11,591 --> 00:03:13,560 we congratulate you and your families 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,230 on this significant accomplishment and milestone in your life. 00:03:18,097 --> 00:03:20,366 You are different now than when you arrived. 00:03:20,633 --> 00:03:23,636 As you go out into the world becoming agents of change 00:03:23,636 --> 00:03:27,207 for our resources and humanity at large, 00:03:27,273 --> 00:03:28,641 please remember us. 00:03:28,975 --> 00:03:29,909 Keep in touch. 00:03:30,376 --> 00:03:32,612 Let us enjoy hearing of your successes. 00:03:32,979 --> 00:03:35,615 Come back to visit and tell us how we can be better. 00:03:36,115 --> 00:03:40,687 Send a card now, in five years, in 10 years, in 20 years 00:03:40,787 --> 00:03:43,690 to those professors who really made a difference in your life. 00:03:44,157 --> 00:03:47,460 Believe me, it will bring a lot of sunshine to their day. 00:03:47,660 --> 00:03:49,462 Don't wait too long to do it. 00:03:49,963 --> 00:03:51,731 Congratulations from all of us. 00:03:52,065 --> 00:03:54,867 We look forward to seeing you again one day on campus. 00:03:55,235 --> 00:03:57,503 In the meantime, be safe. 00:03:58,171 --> 00:03:59,539 Resume celebrating. 00:04:00,039 --> 00:04:01,140 Go Hokies.