Western Nevada College commencement address by Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell

The following remarks are from Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell who delivered the commencement address at Monday's Western Nevada College ceremony in Carson City:

Thank you for the distinct honor of presenting some remarks on this very important commencement day — a day of new beginnings! On this special day, your school, your community, your state and your nation offer up their congratulations to each and every one of you.

Western Nevada College is an integral part of the community of Carson City. Perhaps more importantly, it is an integral part of the fabric of our society — an integral part of what makes us successful as a state and nation.

Education is the social glue that holds us together as a free society. By your graduation and the dedication it represents, you have every right be proud that you are advancing not just your personal and professional lives but, indeed, advancing the very future of our nation.

So, today, in addition to our congratulations please also accept your community’s appreciation for all that you have accomplished and are going to accomplish in this great world.

You have worked very hard to be here to today. You have every reason to celebrate. Indeed, you have every reason to look the future square in the eye and say you are ready to take on all that life may bring to you.

As Brigham Young once said: “Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world's work, and the power to appreciate life.” Indeed it is.

With your graduation today you have embarked on the path of personal success in all that you do.

But while it is the right path, it is not necessarily an easy path.

Mark Twain once opined in one of his more memorable ways that: “education: the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty.” An interesting quote from someone who lived over a hundred years ago — and perhaps prescient. For if anything, the speed at which uncertainty becomes a reality at any particular point in our lives continues to increase.

Although it is generally believed that rate of change in our capacity to process and compute information peaked in 1996 — it is clear that the rate and scope of change in the world’s productivity is still exponential.

Today, with the advent of electronic media, the speed of decision-making — and with it the speed of everyday life — has become both an opportunity and a challenge — opportunities and challenges certainly unknown to my generation as we were graduating — and maybe even unknown to the graduating class of just last year.

Today we have ready access to a wealth of information — and we have near instantaneous communication ability across a broad spectrum of platforms. All good things, of course.

But with speed comes uncertainty — perhaps not the uncertainty that Mark Twain envisioned those many years ago — but uncertainty nevertheless.

Business models, human productivity and indeed our world in general are changing with a rapidity and breadth unlike anything past generations have witnessed.

What does that means to the graduate of today? The words “stress” and “anxiety” come to mind — and you would be right in thinking that there has already been a lot of stress and anxiety in your life by just getting here today — but as I suspect you understand, it doesn’t end here but in a very real sense increases — stress and anxiety in our jobs, stress and anxiety in our business relationships and, yes, stress and anxiety in our personal relationships.

I am certainly no expert on human behavior or the ways to cope with stress, but it seems to me that one way to deal with the rapidity of a changing environment is to expect change, expect surprises — be nimble — be flexible.

In his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Steve Jobs personally related his success story and remarked: “…you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

Maybe so. It certainly worked for Steve Jobs. But it is also important to have a vision of where you want to go and what you want to do and embrace change as an opportunity to accomplish your goals.

Easy to say — hard to implement — but be that as it may, change is a fact of our lives today.

I have no doubt that you are up to the challenge and that your education has provided you with the tools to cope not only with your chosen avocation but life in general.

And of course, just as every coin has two sides, so it is with the challenges of life and work.

This is a great time to live in America and northern Nevada in particular. Although we certainly have our economic struggles, the opportunities for success in our personal and professional lives could not be greater.

They say learning never stops — and I certainly agree, but I must say I envy you not just for your hard work and dedication but also for the immense opportunities and doors that can be opened in today’s world with an education such as yours.

It is certainly no secret that northern Nevada is undergoing an economic diversification of epic dimensions —dimensions that are changing the nature and make-up of our economy in ways that we may predict in some cases but which in others are wholly unpredictable.

Along with this economic diversification, the age of digital communication has brought an entire interconnected world to your doorsteps.

Although perhaps trite to say, the world is indeed getting smaller but with it the opportunities for advancement and success are magnified in reverse proportion — particularly for those willing to take a risk.

Each of you, through your education, has been given the tools to take such risks — you have been given the tools that Brigham Young would say gives you the "power to act well in the world's work".

No matter what your degree or achievement, you have been given the tools to rationally analyze issues and opportunities — I know you will use those tools wisely — and as mayor I would ask that you use them not just for your own benefit, but for the benefit and advancement of your community as well.

Speaking of community, let me conclude by addressing two matters I to have come to believe are of importance if we are to ensure and maintain a sustainable region with an unparalleled quality of life.

First, as we witness economic development, it is important that we not forget our heritage in Nevada. As our communities develop, we must preserve our history and not forget our historical roots — that is what make us unique — that is what makes for a quality of life unknown elsewhere — a quality of life that recognizes our past while promoting the future.

The second concerns the advent of digital communication itself — a form of communication that is important to be sure — but which is nevertheless impersonal by its very nature.

In the face of these wonderful communication tools, it is important that we not lose sight of the value of interpersonal speech and writing.

Those forms of communication — which some may call antiquated — promote dialogue, promote thought and indeed promote what I call a sense of community — a sense of personal self-worth, a sense of belonging, a sense of mutual respect — all of which I believe are essential to maintain the cohesive self-governing way of life upon which our country was founded.

As such, for my part I would ask of this graduating class of 2016 that as you move into the 21st century and take your rightful place in the development of our nation and world with all its attendant uncertainties--that you not forget from where and whence you came and always be mindful of the value of meaningful personal dialogue.

In turn it is my wish and hope for each of you that the dots connect and you savor and enjoy all the fruits that life has to offer.