Celebration of the University of Vermont's 194th Commencement ceremony began with joyous shouts, whistles, bagpipe music and a standing ovation, as alumna and Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams and the platform party entered the indoor tennis facility at Patrick Gym this morning. The rain -- which forced the ceremony indoors -- did not dampen the spirits of the graduates and their families, some of whom watched the ceremony on a large projection screen in the adjoining gym.
Graduates, families, friends and faculty were welcomed and congratulated by Frank Bolden, chair of the UVM Board of Trustees and an alumnus; Jody Luster, president of the class of 1998; and Judith Ramaley, UVM president. Bolden told the students they were "part of the UVM family. And family, like learning, is forever." His admission that "yes, we will hit you up" for a contribution brought laughter. But, more important than money, he said, would be UVM's pride in welcoming back some of them one day to honor their contributions to the world community.
Ramaley introduced Williams as "a maverick, a risk-taker and a true Vermonter." The Commencement speaker and recipient of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree then bowed to the audience and hugged the sign-language interpreter. She asked her parents to stand, because "it took 26 years for them to see me in robes." Williams did not attend her UVM graduation ceremony in 1972.
"I'm here today," she began, "because this woman (pointing to Ramaley) made me laugh." When the Nobel Peace Prize was announced, Williams explained, one of the first messages on her answering machine was from Ramaley, an invitation to speak at Commencement. The message began, Williams said: "I know I'm not the president you want to hear from, but I am a president."
Then, Williams launched into an unscripted and vivid, verbal resume that likely brought courage to the graduates and some measure of comfort to their parents.
After switching majors five times, Williams said, she settled on psychology, but "didn't have a clue" about what to do following graduation. She found her way through a combination of experience and serendipity -- and the process of elimination. Her first job fell into the last category when, as assistant to an oral surgeon, she fainted seven times on the first day.
Because she wanted to see the world, she got a master's degree in Spanish and English from the School for International Training and followed that with a tour of teaching in Mexico, where her class consciousness was awakened. "That experience brought back to me why the Vietnam War happened, in part," she said, because of "disparities of power."
Still unsure of what to do with her growing interests, Williams said, she moved to Washington, where she spent three years as a temporary secretary and then enrolled in the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Her parents, she noted, hoped this third degree might mean "a real job." They also had "the grace to accept I'd make my own choices," she added.
Then, one day, "I was leafleted at a subway stop. The leaflet said 'El Salvador: Another Vietnam?' " A vehement protester against the Vietnam War while at UVM, Williams said she felt compelled not to let it happen again. She began as a volunteer organizer with the El Salvador movement, while teaching during the day, and, eventually, became associate director of Medical Aid to El Salvador. That position eventually led to her work with the Vietnam Veterans of America, where she organized the global movement known as the Campaign to Ban Landmines. That work brought her and the campaign the Nobel Peace Prize last December.
But life doesn't end at 47, Nobel laureate or not, Williams said. "I'm still wondering what to do with the rest of my life." Earlier, at a press conference, she indicated her work in the land-mine arena would soon end, because more than 40 countries have ratified or are about to submit their official notice of ratification of the treaty to ban land-mine production and use. Forty countries are required to make it binding under international law.
Regardless of what she does next, Williams said, she will be guided by her everyday, waking emotion -- joy -- and she urged that graduates measure their choices similarly. "I still, every single day of my life, get up with joy and excitement and wonder about 'What am I going to do today that's going to make a difference?' Find what makes a difference for you," she said. "I do my best work when I am learning and feeling joy. ... Don't be afraid of your choices. Don't be afraid to take risks. Have the courage to try to figure out what brings you joy, so through your joy you can bring it to everybody else." Your first choice will not define the rest of your life, she told the graduates; "the pressure is never going to stop, and you're never going to know 'who you are'."
Williams also received the Alumni Achievement Award for 1998.
The Alumni Association presented the George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award to Ken Gross, professor of mathematics.
Also receiving honorary degrees were:
More than 2,100 students received degrees: 1,650 undergraduates; 432 graduates; and 87 medical school graduates.
Colleges and schools awarded diplomas at individual ceremonies throughout the day.