Indiana University of Pennsylvania Criminology Graduation Remarks
Saturday, May 13, 2006
by Attorney General Tom Corbett
"Make excellence your goal"

Thank you, and good afternoon.  It is a pleasure to be with you all today.

You are about to leave I-U-P physically, but I trust that you will carry the lessons of this school and these people with you in your future endeavors.  And the future is what I want to talk about today.

You have worked hard, as have your parents and the Criminology Department faculty and staff here at I-U-P.  I know they have challenged you, just as I am sure you have challenged them on occasion. 

Their mission has been to teach, test, prod and motivate you to grow intellectually, physically and mentally  - all to get us to this point in time.  Their work with you is concluding today, but your work is just beginning.

You are at the start of a very special career path. one that looking back on, I am very happy I chose. Whether your focus is on work as a police officer or prosecutor. correction officer or investigator. forensic specialist or social worker. I know that you will find the work challenging and extremely rewarding. I trust that you will become role models and leaders in your communities. And I pray that you will all have long and safe careers.

During my years as a prosecutor, I have had the privilege to work with law enforcement on every level, so I understand the challenges that lie ahead of you. 

Law enforcement is hard work.  It can be exhausting work, both physically and emotionally.  There are hazards and pitfalls along the way, and there are also risks. The very nature of the job will put you in contact with some of the worst elements of our society, but at the same time you will also see some people at their very best. 

Most importantly, at the end of every day of your service, you will be able to go home knowing that you are helping to make your communities better, and it is difficult to find a career more rewarding than that.

Law enforcement careers have changed dramatically since the first police officers began walking a beat in Boston in 1838  -  168 years ago  -  driven by technological advances and a changing world, but the basics of good police work remain very much the same as they have always been.

Good law enforcement starts with good people - people who understand the needs of their neighborhoods and communities - people who truly care about helping others - and people who are FAIR.  The human element is as important today as it always has been, and I am certain you are up to the task.

You are embarking on a career of public service, and you will be very public role models - GOOD or BAD.  Strive every day that you have this job not to just meet these expectations, but to exceed them. 

You came here in search of skills, strength and knowledge.  You leave today on a journey that will test those abilities.  I am sure that I speak for everyone in attendance today when I ask you to use your abilities to lead, rather than follow; to strive rather than settle; to remain true to your beliefs rather than compromise them. 

You are coming of age and you are now free to pursue your dreams.  You are also now responsible for that pursuit. That last term - responsible - is a stumbling block for some in our society, but it is a vital concept. 

Playwright George Bernard Shaw put it succinctly "Liberty means responsibility - That is why men dread it most."

The problem with responsibility is that it is difficult. Responsibility means long hours of hard work gathering the information you need to make wise choices.  And responsibility means having the inner moral strength to always do what is right, even when those around you make other choices. 

We all hope you will become leaders on whatever career path you take.  True leaders are difficult to come by, but I trust that the well-rounded education you have received will serve you well. 

Along with responsibility, another factor that will serve you well in your future pursuits is the quest for excellence in all that you do.

Excellence is not an object.  Excellence is a way of life. Excellence is not something we can check out of the library, pick up at the store or find on the Internet. 

Excellence is earned, not acquired.  We can buy excellent things - but they will not transform us into excellent people. 

Excellence only comes after a lengthy period of hard work, and it can slip away if we grow complacent.  It springs from our efforts to strive for the very best, to maintain the highest standards, to pay attention to the smallest details and to hold ourselves responsible for being the very best that we can be.

Excellence is a daily commitment to whatever it is that you are doing. It is a compelling, constant desire to do things as well as they can possibly be done.  Vince Lombard once said that, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field."  Commit yourselves fully and with passion.

Excellence has a high price, measured in personal effort.  There is no easy way to be the very best.  Instead, it requires practice, patience and persistence. The daily drive to do everything slightly better than you did yesterday is what will continue to move you onward and upward.

Excellence means exceeding what others expect of you.  Excellence is the difference between the customary and the extraordinary.  Take the common things in life and work to do them uncommonly well. You will be noticed.

Excellence means never settling for "good enough."  As hard as you have worked to get here, and as hard as you may work in the future, there will still be ability and skills within you that lie untapped. 

You all have the opportunity to grow in ways that we cannot imagine today.. but in order to grow, you must have imagination and a commitment to excellence.

Growth, like excellence, is a self-development project.  It requires desire, but it also demands plenty of hard work.  Desire is your mind's way of exploring what is possible, but is important to harness that desire and use it to fuel your growth.

Many people who fall short of their goals do not fail because they lack knowledge.  Instead, they fail because they do not work intensely enough to develop that knowledge. 

I challenge you to stretch your imagination beyond the world of "what is," to contemplate the world of "what can be."   Dedicate your energies to making that world a reality.

Many intelligent adults restrain themselves in thought and action not because of real boundaries, but because they limit themselves.  They cease to grow and thrive because they have chosen not to.  They limit their own capacities and possibilities - and they also limit their happiness.

Leaders do not leave their growth and development to chance, and they do not allow themselves to be limited.  Instead, those who reach the highest level of success are driven to tap into seldom used reserve of strength and ability that we all have.  Be daring enough to accept yourself not as a finished product. but as an ever-growing bundle of possibilities.

Challenge yourself regularly to do the unimaginable - challenge yourself to lead.

Taken together, a quest for excellence, a desire to grow and the drive to lead will serve you well as you embark on life's journey. 

Andrew Carnegie once addressed a graduating class much like yours.  He closed by making a point about doing your best to contribute to society:
 
"Do your duty and a little more," he said, "and the future will take care of itself."

That advice rings just as true today.

Make full use of your time and talents. Do not settle for less than you are capable.  Do not cruise through your work. Do not wait for others to tackle the hard tasks, and do not rely on others to inspire you.

Life gives back to you exactly what you put into it, so, do your duty, and a little bit more, and you will shape your future.

I can't help but be reminded of a t-shirt I once saw:

"If you ain't the lead dog. the scenery never changes!"

Be the lead dog -- make the scenery change -- and best of luck on your life's journey!