Leaders for the New Century

 

graduation

At Finals on May 22, Gov. George F. Allen (Col '74, Law '77) encouraged the 4,008 members of the Class of 1994 to use their many gifts to serve the public good. "A U.Va. graduate is a very special person, and much is expected of you," he said. "It is the great hope of Virginia that you have been prepared to be in positions of leadership, not just to be self-sufficient but to devote your time and talents to a higher calling - to improve the opportunities of your fellow human beings."

allen Gov. Allen, who was president of his class in 1974, praised the students for preserving the Honor System's single sanction. "From its inception, this University was designed to inculcate the personal responsibilities and values of honor, integrity, and service to others," he said. "Your vote this year to keep the student-run Honor System brings credit to your education and to the University. You give guidance to others and show another unique virtue of Mr. Jefferson's academical village."

At Valediction the previous day, ABC News White House Correspondent Brit Hume urged students to practice humility and to choose their battles carefully. "On true issues of principle, you should stand and fight and live with the consequences," he said. "But most of life's conflicts do not rise to the level of true principle, and most of the time we bear at least some of the blame when things go wrong." Hume is a 1965 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences.