[210] MTSU Graduates Challenged to Assume 'Mantle of Leadership'

Dec. 17, 2011
Contact: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MTSU graduates challenged to assume ‘mantle of leadership’

MURFREESBORO—More than 1,780 Middle Tennessee State University students received their degrees Saturday during the morning and afternoon ceremonies in Murphy Center. Of those, 293 were graduate degrees at the master’s and doctorate levels.
After welcoming remarks, McPhee introduced the platform party and asked the faculty, whom he called “the heart and soul of this University,” to stand and be recognized. The president introduced the morning commencement speaker, State Sen. Delores R. Gresham, R-Somerville.
With a touch of humor, Gresham greeted “proud parents, doting grandparents, dozing siblings and proud members of this graduating class.”
The senator’s brief address focused on the theme of leadership, and several times throughout her remarks, her mantra was composed of four words: “It matters who leads.”
“Effective leadership focuses on how things should be and how they can be improved,” Gresham noted. She expressed her frustration with the inertia that exists in government and the misdirected focus on precedents rather than creative and bold solutions. She referred to her “personal heroes,” St. Francis of Assisi, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. as models of the true leader who “has the capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies a vision for the future.”
“I cannot see Abraham Lincoln being concerned about interest groups,” she said. “He was guided by a moral compass, the same compass that guided a young Southern preacher years later. They all followed their conscience. They ignored the metrics that others used to define success. They changed the world. It matters who leads,” she reiterated.
Gresham, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, paid tribute to “my band of brothers” when she stated with particular emphasis, “You manage things—but you lead people.” The audience applauded.
“My prayer for you is that you seize the mantle of leadership and make it matter. It matters who leads. And now it’s your turn,” Gresham concluded.
Emmy Award-winning journalist Karla L. Winfrey, an MTSU alumna (‘B.S. ’82), recipient of the MTSU Young Alumni Award and a member of the College of Mass Communication Wall of Fame, was the speaker for the afternoon commencement ceremony.
Winfrey followed up on the theme of leadership by telling the graduates that real leaders empower others to reach their full potential.
“When you look in the rearview mirror, hopefully you’ll see more than your own reflection,” she said. “There was a teacher, a coach, a pastor, and aunt and uncle—take note of the shadows that outline your life. They are your supporting cast, your cheerleaders.
“Not everyone can be a leader perhaps,” she continued, “but you can be a great soldier, a good team player.
“Fear of failure can be frightening,” she said. “But the first quarter doesn’t determine who’d going to win the game. You will fail at some things. But if you have passion, you’ll have to pursue your dream. Keep moving because the world will not stop for you.”
Winfrey’s expressed her primary message in three words: “Get a life. Get a life and live it. Start making choices that are led by your own heart, mind and soul. … Your real education is about to start.”
The speaker cautioned graduates not to be “intoxicated” by power and pride and not to take themselves too seriously. She advised them to surround themselves with trusted friends and family who “keep you anchored in your values,” she noted.
“Look to your left and right. This is your network. As you succeed, pull someone else up with you. Use your degree to serve your family, community and university.”
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