Learn English George Bush You too can be President with BIG subtitles

the president Turner thanks members of

the Board of Trustees Provost Ludden

faculty staff distinguished guests

parents and most importantly the class

of 2015 I thank you for your warm

welcome and I appreciate the invitation

to be with you you know when I mentioned

this speech to some of my pals they were

surprised I was going to give it say I

haven’t given a commencement speech

since leaving office you know my

decision is quite practical so I got a

phone call from my landlord

Jerald Turner

rather than raising the rent or

threatening to hold our security deposit

I was relieved to hear president Turner

ask if I believed in free speech

[Laughter]

I said yeah he said perfect here’s your

chance to give one as a proud member of

the SMU community I am honored to be

here truly honored to deliver the 100

commencement address

I admire a president Turner’s

persuasiveness and his leadership he

runs a fantastic University

it is dynamic diverse and destined for

continued excellence he’s assembled a

strong administrative team he is

supported by an engaged alumni and he

has an outstanding Board of Trustees I’m

fortunate know many of the trustees you

know for example I’m good friends with

the Chairman Mike Boone there’s one

trustee I know really well she’s a proud

graduate of the class of 1968 and went

on to become our nation’s greatest first

lady

do me a favor and don’t tell mother

[Laughter]

I know how much the trustees love and

care for this great University I see it

firsthand when I attend to bring your

spouse night dinners I also dropped by

classes on occasion I’m very impressed

by the intelligence and energy of the

faculty I want to thank you for your

dedication and thank you for sharing

your knowledge with the students

Teresa stay the graduates have had the

supportive loving families some of you

love you so much they’re in the overflow

sites across the campus I congratulate

the parents who have sacrificed to make

this moment possible it is a glorious

day when your child graduates from

college and a really great day for your

bank account I know the members of the

class of 2015 will join me in thanking

you for your love and your support

most of all I congratulate the members

of the class of 2015 you worked hard to

reach this milestone you leave with

lifelong friends and fond memories you

will always remember how much you

enjoyed the right to buy a required

campus meal plan you will remember your

frequent battles with the park and Pony

office you may or may not remember those

productive nights at the barley house

[Laughter]

you were founding members of the mighty

SMU mob bouncing like mad and watching

in wonder as your then student body

president senior Lobster danced with joy

after the pony victories right here in

moody you’ll think back to those

carefree fall game days on the boulevard

though I don’t recall seeing too many of

you in the stadium

those of you who are graduating this

afternoon with high honors awards and

distinctions I say well done and as I

like to tell the C students you too can

be President

[Applause]

after four years of sitting through

lectures I have a feeling you’re not in

the mood for another one what I’ve

learned about graduation speeches is

that they’re too long and rarely

remembered so I’m gonna keep this short

I can’t attest to the how memorable be

I’ve also learned it’s important to

refer to someone associations associated

with the University so I picked one an

SMU trustee who by the way is not here

Reverend Mark Craig now I asked mark to

deliver the sermon at the First United

Methodist Church in Austin before my

second inauguration as governor of Texas

I still remember his Fort Worth twang as

he talked about Moses God called Moses

to action and and Moses repeatedly found

excuses not to act Who am I that I

should go to Pharaoh and bring the sons

of Israel out of Egypt oh my lord I pray

send some other person I have sheep to

tend and the people won’t believe me I’m

not a very good speaker and I obviously

was not the only one who’s ever mangled

the English language or in his case

Arabic

fortunately Moses recognized a call to

serve something greater than himself he

answered the call lettuce people and

history was made you too will be called

at some point the question as Mark aptly

and artfully laid out is will you be

optimistic and hopeful or pessimistic

and cynical here are three reasons why

you should be optimistic and hopeful one

you’re graduating from a great

University

your SMU degree will open the door to a

wide variety of career options millions

will never have had this opportunity and

some years later foundation so you can

reason and continue to learn throughout

your life it has given you the tools to

be productive citizens one of the great

strengths of America is our active

public square

issues are influenced by the will of the

people that is why an educated citizenry

is so important to the success of our

country as SMU graduate which you are

well equipped to participate in these

vital debates my hope is that you speak

out on the issues that matter to you

participate in your nation’s civic life

as citizens not spectators you’ll come

to learn that who you are is more

important than what you have and that

you have responsibilities to your fellow

citizens your country and your family by

taking part in American democracy you

will make our country stronger secondly

you’re blessed to live in the greatest

nation ever

here you can strive and succeed as far

as you dare to dream it says something

about our country that millions around

the world are willing to leave their

homes and families and risk everything

to come here and realize the American

dream their pursuit of that dream

invigorates our national soul it renews

our country’s character and it adds

vitality to our culture you live in a

land that is compassionate and decent

because we believe in the rights and

dignity of our own citizenry we are

committed to defending the rights and

dignity of people everywhere America has

liberated millions around the world from

tyranny and terror

we’ve helped turn the tide against

deadly disease in places like Africa in

our hearts we believe all are created

equal under God the Liberty we prize is

not America’s gift to the world

it is almighty God’s gift to humanity at

home there are thousands of platoons in

the armies of compassion working to

honor those beliefs no matter what’s

your career path enlist when you help

another you enrich your heart and you

strengthen the fabric of our collective

goodness many of you many of you have

already made service a prior priority in

your lives by volunteering during winter

spring and summer breaks and completing

more than a hundred to community

projects through engaged learning I

thank you for recognizing the timeless

truths of those to whom much is given

much is required as you serve others you

can inspire others i’ve been inspired by

the example of many selfless servants

winston churchill a leader of courage

and resolve inspired me during my

presidency and for that matter in the

post presidency like churchill i now

paint

unlike Churchill the painting didn’t

worth much without the signature

19:41 he gave a speech to the students

of his old school during Britain’s most

trying times in World War two it wasn’t

too long and it is well remembered Prime

Minister Churchill herbes never give in

never nothing great or small large or

petty never give in except to

convictions of Honor and good sense I

hope you’ll remember this advice but

there’s a lesser-known passage from that

speech that I also want to share with

you these are not dark days these are

great days the greatest day of our

country our country has ever lived and

we must all thank God that we have been

allowed each of us according to our

stations to play a part in making these

days memorable in the history of our

race when Churchill uttered these words

many had lost hope and Great Britain’s

chance of survival against the Nazis

many doubted the future of freedom today

some doubt America’s future and they say

our best days are behind us I say given

our strengths one of which is a bright

new generation like you these are not

dark days these are great days and

finally you can be hopeful because there

is a loving God whether you agree with

that statement or not is your choice it

is not your government’s choice it is

essential

it is essential to this nation’s future

that we remember that the freedom to

worship who we want and how we want or

not worship at all is a core belief of

our founding I’ve made my choice I

believe that the Almighty’s grace and

unconditional love will sustain you I

believe it will bring you joy amidst the

trials of life it will enable you to

better see the beauty around you it will

provide a solid foundation amidst a

rapidly changing somewhat impersonal

technologically driven world it will

show you how to love your neighbor

forgive more easily and approach success

with humility and failure without fear

it will inspire you to honor your

parents and eventually be a better

spouse and parent yourself it will help

you fully grasp the value of life all

life it will remind you that money power

and fame or false idols and I hope and

believe that God’s love will inspire you

to serve others I want to thank you for

letting me share this special day with

you I wish you all the very best stay in

touch with your friends love your family

treat this day as a step toward a

lifetime of learning and go forth with

confidence may God bless you

[Applause]

you