Commencement speaker Bob Moritz ’85 inspired graduates not only with his remarks to School of Business graduates on May 12, but also with his actions. Moritz shared that his transcript didn’t contain all As and Bs, but because of his Oswego experience and the interactions he had with so many people, he was able to realize his full potential. “I stand here today with these grades, leading the best and the biggest accounting and professional services firm in the world,” said Moritz, the global chair of PwC who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the ceremony. “What Oswego taught me ... potential has the possibility to be realized, and you’re in a much better position than I ever was to realize your personal full potential.” He shared some of the major life lessons he’s learned: never stop learning, invest in your relationships and protect and maximize your personal brand. He also encouraged graduates to “give back and at the same time pay it forward” to the next generation of students. He then demonstrated what he meant. He asked College President Deborah F. Stanley to pick three letters of the alphabet. She did, and then Moritz randomly selected a graduate whose last name started with that letter, asked them to stand and then announced he would pay up to $10,000 of each graduate’s student loan debt. And he took his commitment a step further. He then challenged every member of the Class of 2018 in the School of Business to make a gift of any amount in the next 30 days to The Fund for Oswego, and if they did, he would match it and enhance their impact on their alma mater. “The creativity, the stability and the sustainability of this school are the result of the people who came before you,” Moritz said. “Your job is to leave it a better place than you found it … Folks, this is the idea of having some fun, looking back, paying forward and having an impact on the world. If you treat people better than you treat yourself, this world will be a fantastic place.” Watch the entire School of Business Commencement ceremony. Moritz was one of three alumni who spoke at the three separate SUNY Oswego Commencement ceremonies, which recognized more than 1,600 members of the Class of 2018. Christene Barberich ’91, global editor-in-chief and a co-founder of award-winning lifestyle media company Refinery 29, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters before advising graduates of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to craft their own definition of success. She shared with graduates how her journal as a 22 year old listed a series of major life events along with the age by which she wanted to have achieved those goals. She missed the mark on all of them. “It took many years to shake this illusion—this made up story of success that I was struggling to live out,” Barberich said. “Life will inevitably not unfold the way you’re expecting it to … It will be in those challenging, life-altering moments that you will wake up to your own life with courage and grace. And you will actively choose your own version of success. “If there are things that you think are going to hold you back from what you really, really want to do in this world, I’m here to tell you, they won’t,” she said. “The only thing that can do that is you. And here’s the truth: You can do anything.” Watch the entire College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ceremony. During the 4 p.m. ceremony for graduates of the School of Education and the School of Communication, Media and the Arts, Jeff Hoefer ’80, who heads Google’s Digital Imaging Group for Brand Marketing and Hardware, shared how he took his art degree from Oswego to design everything from Darth Vader's helmet to NASA satellites to Apple’s iPhones and iPad to the Oral B Crossaction toothbrush. “Don’t let your pride keep you from putting yourself out there,” he said. “Remember it’s an asking world. “Personality and communication are the skills that get you hired,” he said. “Be a great listener. Be humble … Be kind. Just say hello and smile. Small gestures like this can lead to amazing opportunities. Just be kind. It’s so simple. Being kind and caring about people also make you a natural leader.” He also advised graduates to be patient as life’s path is filled with many twists and turns.
“You’re only as good as the last thing you work on,” he said. “Or to quote Steve Jobs, ‘Stay hungry.’ And reinvent yourself.” Watch the entire School of Education and School of Communication, Media and the Arts ceremony.