Tercentenary Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., May 26, 2016…
2016 Baccalaureate Service: “Who Will Tell Your Story?”
Memorial Church, Cambridge, Mass., May 24, 2016 As delivered. Greetings, Class of 2016. And so it is here—the week of your Commencement. The days of miracle and wonder when your theses are written, classes have ended, and you still have free HBO. And so it may seem strange to be gathered here today, as we…
Commencement Address at UMBC: “The Fellowship of Educated Men and Women”
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, May 19, 2016 As delivered. Thank you for this very great honor. Thank you, President Hrabowski, UMBC faculty, staff, distinguished guests, families, friends, and of course, graduating students: It is a signal honor for me to be here. Graduates, you have worked hard to arrive at this moment. You have…
Wadsworth House Plaque Dedication
Cambridge, Mass., April 6, 2016…
To Be “A Speaker of Words and a Doer of Deeds:” Literature and Leadership
United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, March 24, 2016 As delivered. Thank you, Colonel Harper, and thank you, Lieutenant General Caslen, for inviting me today. And thank you to the Zengerle family for making this occasion possible. It is a great privilege to launch this series and I know it will have a…
Remarks at U.S. Conference of Mayors
Roxbury Community College, October 7, 2015 As delivered. Good evening, and thank you for that introduction. I am delighted to be here tonight. I am an admirer of our host, President Roberson, who is working every day at Roxbury Community College to create pathways to opportunity for students from Greater Boston, most of them students…
2015 Remarks at Morning Prayers
Appleton Chapel, Memorial Church, September 2, 2015 As delivered. Today, as we embark on this new academic year and as we welcome to campus individuals from a wide range of origins, backgrounds, locations, and circumstances, I would ask that we pause to recall and reaffirm our purposes and our opportunities. I often remark that for…