President Obama's Arizona State University Commencement Speech

Congrats to the class of 2009 Arizona State University graduates! All 9,000 of them! More than 65,000 people attended. Rocker Alice Cooper performed.

Due to unwanted controversy surrounding ASU's Administrative staff foolish decision not to award President Obama an Honorary Degree, the school renamed its scholarship program after him.

Going forward the Barack Obama Scholars Program will help fund the education of more than 1,600 students entering the university this fall.

President Obama: "Thank you, President Crow, for that generous introduction, and for your inspired leadership here at ASU. And I want to thank the entire ASU community for the honor of attaching my name to a scholarship program that will help open the doors of higher education to students from every background. That is the core mission of this school; it is a core mission of my presidency; and I hope this program will serve as a model for universities across this country."

"Now, before I begin, I'd like to clear the air about that little controversy everyone was talking about a few weeks back. I have to tell you, I really thought it was much ado about nothing, although I think we all learned an important lesson. I learned to never again pick another team over the Sun Devils in my NCAA bracket. And your university President and Board of Regents will soon learn all about being audited by the IRS."

"In all seriousness, I come here not to dispute the suggestion that I haven't yet achieved enough in my life. I come to embrace it; to heartily concur; to affirm that one's title, even a title like President, says very little about how well one's life has been led - and that no matter how much you've done, or how successful you've been, there's always more to do, more to learn, more to achieve."

"And I want to say to you today, graduates, that despite having achieved a remarkable milestone, one that you and your families are rightfully proud of, you too cannot rest on your laurels. Your body of work is yet to come."

"And that's not just how you'll ensure that your own life is well-lived. It's how you'll make a difference in the life of this nation. I talked earlier about the selfishness and irresponsibility on Wall Street and Washington that rippled out and led to the problems we face today. I talked about the focus on outward markers of success that can lead us astray."

"But here's the thing, graduates: it works the other way around too. Acts of sacrifice and decency without regard to what's in it for you - those also create ripple effects - ones that lift up families and communities; that spread opportunity and boost our economy; that reach folks in the forgotten corners of the world who, in committed young people like you, see the true face of America: our strength, our goodness, the enduring power of our ideals."

"I know starting your careers in troubled times is a challenge. But it is also a privilege."

"Because it is moments like these that force us to try harder, to dig deeper, to discover gifts we never knew we had - to find the greatness that lies within each of us. So don't ever shy away from that endeavor. Don't ever stop adding to your body of work. I can promise that you will be the better for that continued effort, as will this nation that we all love."

"Congratulations on your graduation, and Godspeed on the road ahead."

President Obama's ASU Commencement Speech Part 1



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Sources: Whitehouse.gov, CNN, Thehill.com, Huffington Post, Arizona State University, Daylife, Reuters, Youtube, Google Maps