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REMARKS BY:	DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		Portland State University Commencement, Portland, Oregon
DATE:		June 13, 1999

A Call to be Great Citizens and Great Pioneers

President Bernstine, Provost Reardon, faculty, guests, and fellow graduates-it's a pleasure for me to be here with the Portland State University Class of 1999, your families and friends. And I hope you don't forget your other supporters-the hard working citizens of Oregon whose taxes make this fine university possible. Each of you has also worked very hard to be here today. As President Clinton noted at last year's commencement-some of you have managed to hold a full-time job, carry a full course load, and raise a family. I applaud your achievements-and your obvious stamina.

Being here with all of you, I'm reminded of my own college graduation. I'll never forget it. In the air you could almost feel the excitement, the anticipation, and-above all-the fear that the commencement speech would never end. But don't worry. I promise to remember Franklin Roosevelt's formula for a successful speech: Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated.

That's good advice-and giving advice is really what graduation speeches are all about. So with that in mind, let me offer you Donna Shalala's top ten pieces of advice for Portland State graduates: Number Ten. Be diplomatic. When your families ask if you've finally finished school-lie. Nine. Be direct. When an interviewer asks, "What is your long term goal?" Say: Early retirement. Eight. Listen to the voices of experience. Robert Frost said, "By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss-and work twelve hours a day." Seven. Be good Americans. Pay your taxes, repay your student loans and- above all else-rewind your videotapes before you return them. Six. Don't procrastinate. Order your tickets now for next year's NBA Championship-because the Trailblazers are going all the way in 2000. Five. Be honest. If anyone asks you how you got through school while working or raising a family, tell them the truth-you have no idea. Four. Be Patient. Wait 24 hours before telling your families that you're taking a vacation-alone. Three. Be optimistic. When you think your stress level has reached an all time-high, remember the old maxim: Things can always get worse. Two. Don't neglect your personal life. Because as Lily Tomlin once said, even if you win the rat race-you're still a rat.

But in all seriousness-and without the David Letterman drum roll-my number one piece of advice is: Always be true to your heritage-to the pioneer spirit. The pioneer "spirit of the west"-of rugged individualism and restless imagination, of self-reliance and selflessness-is very much the spirit of this extraordinary state-and this remarkable city. It's the spirit of service that's celebrated in Portland's "Pioneer Courthouse Square." It's the spirit of courage that's commemorated by the mast from the battleship Oregon that stands on Oak Street. It's the spirit that sustained the settlers as they trekked the Oregon Trail-and the spirit that guided Lewis and Clark to the Pacific. Regardless of where you call home-or what work you choose-as graduates of Portland State you are now heirs to this spirit-and it's your responsibility to infuse the spirit into your communities-wherever you land on this earth.

Historian Frederick Jackson Turner was the first person to speak about the importance of the "pioneer spirit," at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. In his famous speech, Turner asked: "[now that the frontier is closed] what of American energy.continually demanding a wider field of exercise?" Turner was saying that if Americans weren't to become self-absorbed and indifferent, we need great goals-"a wider field of exercise." Americans need great things to do-things that get us beyond our immediate selves. We need great goals to stir our hearts and our imaginations. We need great goals to channel our energy. We need great goals to bond us together as a nation. And we need great goals to demand the pioneer spirit.

For decades-the settling of the frontier provided that great goal. And being here in Portland-shadowed by the majesty of Mount Hood in the lushness of the Willamette Valley-it's easy to see why the frontier would have such a grip on the American consciousness. But the closing of the frontier meant that America no longer had a great goal or a grand cause-and many people-including Turner-were afraid that this meant the pioneer spirit, the spirit of the west, the spirit of courage and service, would be lost. We find ourselves in a similar situation today-we've conquered the heavens; we've won the world wars and the cold war; and we're now the only global superpower. It would appear that-once again-there are no more great goals, no more grand causes. The flame of our pioneer spirit is once again being extinguished. And the results? One of America's leading sociologists spent the last two years speaking with middle class Americans all across our country. Many told him that the end of the cold war has left America without a sense of purpose-and this lack of purpose is causing many people to become indifferent to anything that doesn't personally touch them.

If that's true, then perhaps Turner was right and we do need a grand cause to rally around. Fortunately, I think we have one. We have a cause that's just as great, just as grand, just as good-as settling the prairies or sending a man to the moon. That cause is for each of us to be a good citizen-and being a good citizen is based on the foundation of service. A recent national poll showed that more than any other group in America, Generation Xers-the very generation represented by so many of you graduates-hunger for a revitalization of community spirit. The only way to rekindle that spirit-some would argue the true pioneer spirit-is with the spark of service. Now I realize that I may be preaching to the choir. After all, the very motto of this university is "Let Knowledge Serve the City." And the theme of service runs through your entire curriculum. I also know that many of you graduates have freely given your time and talent to community service. For example, C.J. Martin founded "Kids Helping Kids", an organization that raises money for the Children's Miracle Network. Linda Humphrey is a dedicated AmeriCorps member. Tony Silva is very involved with Special Olympics and PAL, and has worked on disaster relief projects. And Dan Overbay mentored minority students, while also volunteering with the Humane Society.

I hope all of you continue this kind of investment in your local community and your nation-and continue to make a difference-after you leave Portland State. Now I realize that as you begin-or continue-to struggle with the competing demands of professional and personal life-this won't be easy. When you're already trying to balance career and family responsibilities, it becomes all too easy to overlook your community responsibilities-but we can't overlook them if we want to be good citizens and build a civil society. Engage in public service; join community organizations; stay involved; do pro bono work; make a contribution; and carry the American dream to every corner of our nation-and the world. Don't get caught up in the usual excuses-that it doesn't matter; that you can't be bothered; that you already have a full time job; that you don't have the time. Strive to be a good person-as well as a great professional. Because- ultimately-you won't be judged by your college degrees-but by your character. You won't be judged by what you earn-but by what you contribute. You won't be judged by who you know-but by who you are.

Undeniably, service is the foundation of citizenship and the civil society. But it is also something more. It is the ultimate expression of the true spirit of Oregon, of the west, of the pioneer. As I said at the opening of my remarks, as graduates of Portland State, this spirit is now the proud inheritance of each of you- regardless of where you call home, or what work you choose. And whether you realize it or not-each of you is also a pioneer, a pioneer of a new century. One of you may discover new paths to better health. You may find a new route to understanding the origins of the universe. Or you may blaze new trails in the global struggle for peace and equality.

But before you leave to chart new worlds, to map out a civil society-and to continue your service-I hope you'll take a moment to look at where you are right now. And as you do: May the natural beauty of Oregon-from the soaring Cascades to the brooding headlands of the coast-remind you that you can always find beauty in life-if you look for it. May the pioneer heritage of the "City of Roses" remind you that there is always more to discover, always more to explore, and always more to learn. May the values you've been taught at Portland State University-a pioneering institution-remind you that what's important is not how you make a living-but how you make a life. And may the example set by Ruby Clancy and Tukata Ninneman remind you that you can overcome any obstacle in the pursuit of a dream.

More than anything on this earth, I believe in each of you. So, to all the members of the class of 1999-the final class of this century-god speed on your wondrous, joyful, miraculous journey as great citizens. I wish you good health and great success along the way-and may the force always be with you. Congratulations.

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