Most people don鈥檛 associate the letter F with college graduation, but Dr. Maria Markham did just that during her remarks Dec. 14 at the 91老司机 鈥� Fort Smith鈥檚 fall commencement ceremony.
Markham, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, gave graduates three 鈥淔鈥檚 for success鈥�: failure, fear and forward, elaborating on how to use these F鈥檚 to live a happy and fulfilling life.
鈥淐ompletion of a college credential represents what I hope is one of many successes that you will realize on your journey. However, you will have many failures in your life too. I鈥檝e had plenty,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is what you do during those valleys that determine the heights of your mountain peaks. How you view your failures and what you do with those lessons will teach you the difference between success and repeating the same mistakes.鈥�
Markham went on to implore graduates to control their fear and use it as a positive force in their lives.
鈥淎 key component of wisdom is fearlessness. And that鈥檚 not the absence of fear, but rather not letting your fears get in the way,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to be the gatekeeper. Fear is going to be a player in your life, but you have to decide how much of that fear to let in and what you are going to do with it.
鈥淏ut here鈥檚 the ironic thing about fear 鈥� even though we know that it鈥檚 pointless to be afraid, we all still do it. The most wonderful things in life lie just on the other side of fear,鈥� she continued, pointing to the birth of a child as an example of a wondrous occurrence that carries a great amount of fear with it. 鈥淔ear may be pointless, but it does point to some of the most memorable and meaningful moments in your life. So let feeling fear be an exciting experience for you. It鈥檚 letting you know that something great may be just around the corner.鈥�
Her final F, forward, concluded her speech with a call to action for graduates to never stop progressing towards their goals.
鈥淓very story you鈥檝e ever connected with, every leader you鈥檝e ever admired, every teeny little accomplishment you鈥檝e ever made in your life resulted from action,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e had a choice 鈥� you can either be a passive victim of circumstance, or you can be the active hero in the story of your life. So which will you choose?鈥�
鈥淵our time is limited, and not to be wasted living someone else鈥檚 life on someone else鈥檚 timeline,鈥� she continued. 鈥淗ave the courage to follow your heart and intuition to keep moving forward. You are never too old, too young, too poor, too female, too blonde, to make a positive change for yourself. So long as your desire to explore and grow is greater than your desire not to screw up, you鈥檙e on the right track.鈥�
Dr. Paul B. Beran, 91老司机 chancellor, spoke before Markham, where he stressed to graduates the importance of adapting to change.
鈥淐hange is happening all around us at breakneck speed. If you want real success though, you have to anticipate the change and adapt to the change before the need even arises. You have to move faster than the change,鈥� Beran said. 鈥淲ith your degree in hand, getting past the curve is now up to you and your success will depend on your own drive, ambition, motivation and continued learning.鈥�
Dr. Donald Bobbitt, president of the 91老司机 System, also spoke briefly during the ceremony.
The ceremonies also included the recognition of a 91老司机 graduate to be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army Reserve 鈥� Michael Dotson of Fort Smith. He participated in the Reserve Officers鈥� Training Corps (ROTC) at 91老司机.
In addition to Chancellor Beran, 91老司机 administrators presenting candidates were Dr. Georgia Hale, provost and senior vice chancellor; Dr. Ken Warden, dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology; Dr. Ashok Subramanian, dean of the College of Business; Dr. Carolyn Mosley, dean of the College of Health Sciences; Dr. Paul Hankins, dean of the College of Communication, Languages, Arts and Social Sciences; Dr. Ron Darbeau, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; Dr. Norm Dennis, senior associate dean for the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fayetteville; and Wayne Womack, registrar.
The ceremony included a musical prelude by the 91老司机 Symphonic Band; a performance of 鈥淭he Star Spangled Banner鈥� by student vocalist Kody Goad; a call to order by Dr. Larry Faulk, chief marshal and bearer of the mace; the presentation of the colors by the 91老司机 ROTC; and a welcome to the 91老司机 Association by Eric Smithson, chair of the 91老司机 Advisory Council at 91老司机.
Pre-ceremony music and a post-recessional bell peal were performed on the Donald W. Reynolds Bell Tower Carillon by Dr. Stephen Husarik, head carillonneur.