MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 22, 2009
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CITY COUNCIL PRESDIENT MICHAEL C MENTEL KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT OHIO DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY WINTER COMMENCEMENT
City Council President Michael C. Mentel served as the keynote speaker during winter commencement exercises at Ohio Dominican University (ODU) on Saturday, December 19, 2009. President Mentel received a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from ODU Interim President Ron Seiffert for his outstanding service to the community. Ohio Dominican University is a private institution founded in 1911 in the Catholic and Dominican tradition. The university has more than 3,000 students and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. The following is a transcript of President Mentel’s commencement address.
To the graduates, it is an honor being here with you as we celebrate your new beginning.
It is a new beginning for Ohio Dominican University as well. This is the first graduation ceremony to be held in this tremendous new facility, the Bishop James A. Griffin Student Center.
Bishop Griffin faithfully served the Columbus area Catholic community for decades while steadfastly remaining true to the faith and his followers.
He is indeed a good and faithful servant and this building is a fitting tribute to a man I am fortunate enough to consider a friend. This is a dynamic and ever changing campus.
In addition to this Student Center to improve the quality of life here on campus, Ohio Dominican is also partnering with local industry to ensure this institution is moving forward and shaping the innovative and analytical thinkers we need to succeed in our current economy.
The new Battelle Hall will serve as a new science building while St. Albert Hall is also being renovated. It is important that this university invest in the infrastructure of education just as it invests in the intellect of its faculty, staff and students.
Ohio Dominican is at the forefront to making the 16th largest city in the United States a leader in this ever growing high-tech world.
It is wonderful to see international local entities, such as Battelle Memorial Institute, investing in and cultivating tomorrow’s leaders, today, at a University such as this.
I will admit, that contemporary headlines about how this is the worst time in history to be graduating from a college or university and heading into the employment market are daunting.
Nonetheless, these challenging economic times are seeking those graduates who will exercise the fortitude to change the culture of greed, selfishness and “what’s in it for me” attitude that has over the past decade, from Enron to Wall Street, created the challenges you face today.
Saint Catherine of Siena wrote:
“To the servant of God . . . every place is the right place, and every time is the right time.”
Because of our faith, our values, we are compelled to trust in God’s will. We are empowered with the gift of Choice. Our choices, guided by our faith, leads to the betterment of ourselves and our community.
So, despite the headlines, despite the economy, despite the despair some in our community are feeling as we move into this Holy Christmas season, I believe you have been placed here, through choice, at this university, in this city, at this time, for a reason.
The gifts you have been given during your time at Ohio Dominican; the knowledge and critical thinking skills you have acquired, the confidence and maturity you have strengthened, the friendships with students and staff you have made, will all be used to shape the person you will become, and the city and country you want to live in during the months and years ahead.
Ohio Dominican is better for your decision to attend this institution, the City of Columbus is better for your time spent with us.
It is true; Columbus has weathered the recent economic storm better than most major American cities.
We were as prepared as a city could be for what we have experienced.
We had set money aside. We made the tough choices that I hope future Council’s will never have to consider. And most important, we were honest with our citizens.
While other major cities in this state, and this country, dwindle in population, Columbus is a major city that is continuing to grow with endless possibilities.
The Columbus Chamber of Commerce projects Franklin County will grow by more than 200,000 people in the next 20 years.
There is truly something special happening here in Columbus.
We are home to some of the largest national and multi-national corporations in the world, such as NetJets, The Limited and Limited Brands, Nationwide Insurance, Grange Insurance, Worthington Industries and American Electric Power among many others.
We also are the international home to The Battelle Memorial institute, mentioned earlier, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital with its nationally and internationally recognized children’s research facilities.
Because of our efforts and status, Forbes Magazine recently named Columbus the number one up and coming technology city in the United States.
As a city we are investing in the economic tools of doing business by acquiring a city owned broadband network, making Columbus the first major city in the country to acquire such a network. We are confident that this will serve our city economically as well as a model for other cities to follow.
In 2008, I joined corporate leaders and other Columbus organizations for a trade mission to Israel where we signed an agreement to expand the exchange of technology between our two nations.
TechColumbus, a business incubator, is cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in all of us by giving small companies the advice and financial resources to grow and build upon their successes.
As you can see, Columbus is a major American city with much to offer.
Like any urban setting we have our challenges and to every challenge is a solution.
And at the core of our solutions is community.
The unemployment rate remains a concern. Foreclosed homes dot neighborhoods and some wonder where their next meal is coming from.
The plight of the homeless and this city’s response to the needs of these individuals and families has put Columbus on the forefront of this issue.
In the words of the late community and business leader Mel Shottenstein: "It is unacceptable for anyone in our community to go without food or shelter for even one night."
That is why we became the first city in the United States to create a cabinet level position in the Mayor’s office to specifically deal with moving people from homelessness to stable housing.
The Director of Homelessness and Social Service Advocacy ties together Columbus’ response to this problem; bringing together shelters, public safety and service departments, addiction treatment services, job training centers, low income housing sites and other county, state and federal agencies.
I, along with the City Council, believe that these individuals are citizens of Columbus, no matter where they sleep at night.
A home, a shelter, a viaduct, I am reminded that, “but for the grace of God go I.”
And because a person is with us in this community, they are deserving of every measure of respect and assistance possible from city government.
During your experience at this University you have been taught to question, to intellectually challenge, and, as is captured in Ohio Dominican’s mission statement, “to contemplate truth and to share with others the fruits of this contemplation”.
Our core Catholic faith, as carried through the classrooms of this institution, teaches compassion.
Compassion compels us to not only have empathy for others but to make their suffering our own.
Not just to pity, but to pursue progress.
Because we have been blessed by God with so much, we have a moral responsibility to care for those who struggle to care for themselves.
It is Christ himself who taught, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)
This institution carries forth a strong commitment of civic responsibility.
It is everywhere.
From the service provided to those in need at the Bishop Griffin Center to the;
Blood drives that help fill the shelves at the American Red Cross with the “gift of life”.
On Make a Difference Days students and staff leave ODU and help clean surrounding neighborhoods, forging a bond between campus and community.
Volunteers have gone to New Orleans to build homes for Hurricane Katrina survivors and still others traveled to El Salvador on a mission trip to minister and care for young children.
I want to challenge you to continue this service in every community you call “home”.
These are simple gifts, the gifts of time, the gift of a caring nod of approval, the gift of comforting someone in a time of need.
Most importantly, these are gifts from our hearts.
Never lose the gift of compassion. Its wealth may not be measured economically, but you will be wealthier nonetheless.
And remember the words of St. Catherine…every place is the right place and every time is the right time.
Please never forget, whether you stay with us in Columbus or not, Ohio Dominican and indeed the city of Columbus are your home, we are proud of you, good luck and may the shining light of wisdom and the grace of God lead the way wherever you may travel.
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