Graduating Into A Changing World
By Twila Lindblade/Huntsvile Item Staff writer
As a leader in making change through creating new programs
and resolutions, Rod Paige shared his expertise with 1,056
Sam Houston State University graduates during commencement
exercises held at Johnson Coliseum on Saturday.
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U. S. Secretary
of Education Rod Paige |
A longtime educator with strong Texas ties, Paige's message
was for the graduates to move beyond personal excellence.
He encouraged the graduates to use their knowledge of the
past, vision of the future and skills to create services that
benefit the well-being of the community.
"Even a casual review of history will show us points
in time when the world underwent drastic shifts in direction,"
said Paige, who at one point was superintendent at Houston
ISD. "It is during these great leaps forward that educated
men and women are so needed to assure that human social development
keeps pace with these rapid advances."
Paige reminded the graduates of important inventions like
the printing press, which ensured all children would be allowed
an opportunity for an education.
"The printing press made it possible for books to be
mass-produced so that eventually everyone could afford them,"
he said. "From then on, education was not the exclusive
property of kings and queens. It was for everybody - for me,
for you, for your children for all children."
The mechanical cotton harvester, the Internet and other technology
has allowed for advancement as well, Paige said.
"From new discoveries in neural psychology bridging the
gap in our understanding of the workings of the brain, to
innovations that can put satellites in space as easily as
delivering newspapers, technology has made the impossible
possible," he said.
Paige challenged the graduates to look beyond personal achievement
and instead work to create improvements in society.
"There is limited access to appropriate health care for
poor people. There is an AIDS epidemic that is increasingly
affecting young people," he said. "What I am asking
of you has been better stated by one of our greatest presidents,
John F. Kennedy, who said 'Ask not what your country can do
for you, ask what you can do for your country.'"
Paige also urged graduates to thank their parents, spouses,
children and loved ones who helped support their academic
achievement.
"Talk to the jockey who wins the Kentucky Derby or an
astronaut upon his return to Earth, and the first words out
of their mouths are words of thanks to the team that worked
to make it happen," he said. "I have always felt
that no one accomplished much alone. You should congratulate
those who lifted you up and now share in your accomplishments."
Paige was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the secretary of
education in 2001, after the inauguration of President George
W. Bush. He earned a bachelor's degree from Jackson State
University in Mississippi and his master's and doctorate degrees
from Indiana University.
He served as the dean of the College of Education at Texas
Southern University, and established the university's Center
for Excellence in Urban Education, a research facility that
concentrates on issues related to instruction and management
in school systems.
Paige also served as a trustee and officer for the Board of
Education for Houston ISD. In 1994, he became the superintendent
for Houston ISD and created the Peer Examination, Evaluation
and Redesign (PEER) program. The PEER program asks for recommendations
from business and community professionals for strengthening
school support services and programs.
- END -
Twila Lindblade
can also be reached at 936.295.5407 ext 3017.
SHSU Media Contact: Frank
Krystyniak
Dec. 14, 2003
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
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