Friends. Family. Learning. Integrity. The Arts.

The Arts. Take the opportunity, at any place and time, to tell your family and friends and co-workers and strangers you meet on the street, especially the politicians who govern this state and nation, and the administrators who run this university, about the importance of the arts and of your degree in Theatre and Film.  Don’t let anyone tell you that your degree didn’t teach you work skills.  You’ve got work skills.  You’ve also got an education. Campaign for support for the arts in this state and on this campus.

I have two parting wishes for you.  One is that, once you graduate, that you do something wild and crazy that you can remember for the rest of your life.  The second wish is that, whatever you do in your life, you’ll do it well, that you’ll do it because it has meaning for you, but also because it will help others, whether you’re entertaining them or teaching them or encouraging them or just helping them figure out how to tie their shoes.

Image: from 2016 UGA commencement by interim associate dean Martin Kagel