Duke Confers Degrees on More Than 3,500 Graduates

DURHAM, N.C. -- Laryngitis kept UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan from addressing Duke University graduates, but it didn't prevent the students from hearing Annan's message that people the world over are "being influenced by the same tides of change."

Annan, the scheduled commencement speaker, last week was forced to cancel several weeks of appearances because of his health; Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane read portions of his speech to the graduates.

"In such a world, issues that once seemed very far away are very much in your backyard," Annan wrote in his prepared remarks. "What happens in South America or Southern Africa -- from democratic advances to deforestation to the fight against AIDS -- can affect your lives here in North Carolina. And your choices here -- what you buy, how you vote -- can resound far away. As someone once said about water pollution, we all live downstream."

Undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees were awarded to 2,856 May graduates at the annual commencement ceremony before an estimated crowd of 18,000 people on an overcast Mother's Day in the university's Wallace Wade Stadium. Including September and December graduates, the total number of degrees awarded was 3,558.

Annan was awarded an honorary degree, as were four others -- U.S. Navy Admiral Frank L. "Skip" Bowman (listen to audio clip); artist, author and feminist Judy Chicago; physician-scientist Dr. Richard D. Klausner (listen to audio clip) and dance leader Charles L. Reinhart. Each of the other four recipients made brief remarks.

In his prepared remarks, Annan drew upon his experiences as a young college graduate more than 40 years ago at the time his native country, Ghana, was emerging from colonial rule. Annan, the first UN Secretary General from sub-Saharan Africa, said his preoccupation as a college graduate was the future of his own country, but he urged today's graduates to think beyond their national borders (listen to audio clip).

"Even though I went to college here in the United States, as an African my main focus was on my own country, which had just become independent. While we were well aware of the world at large, most of us in Ghana looked inward, and set about running our own country after centuries of colonial rule.

"Today, whether you are in Ghana or here in Durham, there is no such thing as thinking only in terms of your own country. Global forces press in from every conceivable direction."

Annan, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, is well known for his crusading work against poverty and HIV/AIDS, for championing the protection of human rights and the environment, and for reforming the UN organization. He previously said he chose Duke among the many speaking invitations he receives in part because of the university's commitment to HIV/AIDS research.

In his prepared remarks, Annan said, "Global challenges demand global solutions. Our jobs depend not only on local firms and factories, but on faraway markets for the goods they produce. Our safety depends not only on local police forces, but on guarding against the global spread of pollution, disease, illegal drugs and weapons of mass destruction.

"The world is at a critical juncture, and so are you. Job prospects are not as plentiful as you might have preferred. The question typically heard at this time of year -- 'What are you going to do?' -- is a bit more charged than usual.

"At the same time, I understand that many of you have used these uncertain times to explore avenues you might not have considered before -- such as teaching or other forms of public service in troubled communities in the United States or in some of the world's developing countries.

"The engineers among you might have hopes of working down the road in the Research Triangle, but there might equally be a place for you helping a country emerging from conflict to rebuild its infrastructure.

"The lawyers among you might have your eyes on corporate towers in big cities, but there is also some fascinating work to be done helping countries moving towards democracy to write constitutions and build independent judiciaries.

"The doctors and nurses among you may be schooled and specialized in all the wonders of modern medicine, but you might also find it rewarding to bring those benefits to people around the world, especially those at risk of dying from preventable illnesses.

"The same applies no matter what diploma you are about to receive, from economics to earth sciences. Be open to the detours that lead to new discoveries, for therein lies some of the spice and joy of life.

"And remember, if this is a world of peril, it is to a far greater degree one of enormous opportunity."

Terry Schuster, who received a bachelor of arts in English, presented the student address.

For more information about Duke's 2003 commencement, click here.