You’re about to graduate.
Maybe you’ve spent four years waiting for it. Maybe you’ve been dreading it, because college is the last thing saving you from having to get a real job. Maybe you never thought you’d actually make it.
Well, congratulations. Here you are. But what should you expect on your day of days?
Kees de Kluyver, dean of the University’s Lundquist College of Business, can fill you in — he’s been through plenty of graduation ceremonies.
He received his undergraduate degree from Holland’s Nyenrode Business University in 1969, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Oregon in 1970. He earned his master’s degree of business administration in 1971, followed by his master’s degrees in science. Since 1975, De Kluyver also held a doctorate in operations research from Case Western Reserve University.
“Typically, every college has its own graduation ceremony,” de Kluyver said. “It so happens that, in our case, we (in the business school) have four ceremonies. We have an undergraduate graduation, which usually attracts between three and four thousand people and is held in the old basketball stadium. Then we have a graduation for the MBA program, which has a smaller, more intimate feel to it and another ceremony for the Masters of Accounting program, which has a very separate identity. Finally, there’s one in Portland for our Executive MBA program.”
As the University’s business school’s new dean, he’s the head honcho when graduation rolls around.
“I think I may have to miss the one for the Executive MBA, because it’s off-schedule and I’ll be abroad, but all the other ones I will be attending in full academic regalia.”
De Kluyver has some advice for seniors on their special day.
Step one: Live in the moment. You are the star of this show.
“It’s a time where we recognize people individually, so one of the reasons these proceedings are a little bit long-winded is because if you graduate from our college, you will be called on-stage, and you will be handed your diploma individually. And in the case of the Lundquist College of Business, you’re even given the microphone if you want to say two sentences’ worth to friends or parents. This is in direct response to which students say they want, what parents have indicated that they take memories away from, and it just lends meaning to the whole ceremony.”
Step two: Be proud of what a fine individual you’ve become.
“A lot of people experience two or three marriages, but they don’t go through two or three undergraduate degrees. The pictures that you have are often displayed forever at the house, whether it’s your house or your mother’s house. The friends that you make here at the University are likely lifetime buddies, and later on, you’ll see them at reunions. I think this is a milestone worth celebrating — you have done something significant. It’s the beginning of a new chapter in your life.”
But don’t ever rest on your laurels — knowledge alone won’t make ends meet. De Kluyver will remind you that a college degree is an opportunity, not a guarantee.
“I tell students that jobs will not come to them. They will have to go and find them. Sometimes you have to volunteer before you get the job. Employers are impressed when graduates are willing to make that kind of investment.”
Maybe you plan to travel the world to expand your horizons after graduation. De Kluyver says that’s a fantastic idea.
“We’re living in a global world, and the earlier students get exposed to a lot of different cultures, different ideas, the more successful they are likely to be down the road. I lived in New Zealand for five years. I’ve taught in South Africa; I’ve taught in Japan; I’ve taught in Hong Kong; I was born in the Netherlands and. for the last ten years. I’ve been teaching summer courses at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. I love the exposure and the broad, international group of friends that I have.”
Step three — perhaps the most important of all: Don’t get a job you don’t want. De Kluyver suggests that you follow your dreams.
“Focus on something that you’re passionate about, because just doing a job simply because it makes money is ultimately not going to be very satisfying. If you’re not really happy about what you do, it’s not going to sustain you — you have to feel right about what you’re doing. I read an interesting statistic the other day: when I graduated, the expectation was that I’d have something on the order of three to four jobs in my lifetime. Today, that number is fourteen. Fourteen. These can be jumps that cross not just organizations, but industries and areas of competency. So if it seems the right thing to do, if it’s exciting, if it fits your value system, take a chance and do it sooner rather than later. It’s much harder to take a chance once you’ve got three kids and a mortgage. Right now you’ve got a wonderful situation — you can explore.”
Jacob Rian Mcneal
Special Sections Reporter
[email protected]