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."
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.