Widener
University President James T. Harris III urged nearly 900 students graduating
from Widener on Saturday to take a different view of the “top one percent” of
wage earners who have been the target of national protests in recent months.
From a global perspective, Harris said the top one percent includes most of the
people attending the graduation ceremony.
“If we are
talking about the highest salaries, we are talking about those in the U.S. who
make greater than $250,000 a year,” Harris said. “But if we talk about that top
one percent of annual income world-wide, that number drops to $35,000 a year.
So, when people say disparaging things about those in the top one percent, they
are talking about many of the people in the audience today and a place where
most of the graduates will be shortly. Does that mean you are a problem
for society? The answer is absolutely not.
“My concern
is that whenever one group is singled out as a ‘problem’ due to income,
ethnicity, religion, sexual identity or any perceived difference – we are on
shaky ground. As college graduates, we owe to our nation, to our communities,
and to our democracy to not let anyone simplify a problem so that the solution
is to treat one particular group differently or more harshly.”
Bill Duke,
the African American godfather of American cinema, presented the commencement
address. Duke recently received a Lifetime Achievement Tribute from the
Directors Guild of America, joining the ranks of directors Stephen Spielberg,
Alfred Hitchcock and Clint Eastwood. He is also a humanitarian and activist who
serves on the Board of Trustees of Educating Young Minds, an after school
program that helps inner city youth to excel in school and life. He is also
involved with the United Nations UNAIDS mission to eliminate AIDS globally.
Duke's
directing credits include The Killing Floor, A Rage in Harlem, SisterAct
2, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, The Cemetery Club, Cover
and Not Easily Broken, Black Diamonds: The Evolution of Blacks in
Baseball and Dark Girls. His acting credits include Predator,
American Gigolo, Car Wash, Commando, Menace II Society,
Bird on a Wire, The Limey, Get Rich or Die Trying, X-Men
3, Henry’s Crime, and The Big Bang.
In his
address, Duke humorously urged graduates to avoid “egocentric materialism and
vested self interests,” and praised soldiers and teacher for their sacrifice
and their ability to motivate us.
“Without the
intervention of all the teachers that confronted me and refused to allow me to
use any excuses – including race, poverty, or any other excuse that I came up
with – all hope in me would have died. There is not dollar amount that can be
placed on this contribution.”
On behalf of
the graduating class, salutatorian and Senior Class Gift Committee member
Jacqueline Beers of Upper Darby, Pa. presented President Harris with the
largest senior class gift in university history – a check for $5,215.39. The
Widener Board of Trustees challenged the senior class to raise $5,000 this
year, pledging $75,000 if they reached that goal. The senior class designated
the gift of the university’s Widener Fund, which provides financial aid to
students and support for faculty research and extracurricular activities.
“This year,
the Senior Class Gift was special because it united the entire Widener
community including students, alumni, faculty, staff and parents,” Beers said.
“With this gift, we will make such a difference at Widener University.”
Harris
introduced Michael Forese, an accounting major from Downingtown, Pa. as the
valedictorian, and Jacqueline Beers, an accounting major from Upper Darby, Pa.
as the salutatorian, but the student address was delivered by President’s Award
recipient Anna Miller of East Prospect, Pa. The President’s Award is presented
to the senior who has contributed the most to campus life through scholarship
and participation in extracurricular activities.
“When I look
back at my time her at Widener 10 years from now, I’m not going to remember the
grades that I earned or what exactly I did in a leadership position that I
held,” Miller said. “What I will remember is all of the people who have
impacted my life. Remember those people who have had an impact on your life and
strive to make a difference in the lives of others.”
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