TWC ARCHES Spring 2013

the communities that you will call home. It has prepared you to be
leaders for the future. You should face the challenges ahead with a
renewed faith in the value of the degree you are receiving and the
doors that will open for you because of your education.”
Dawson also emphasized the impact higher education and a
lifelong commitment to learning can have on young graduates.
“In the end, it is my belief that education is more about your
excitement for learning than it is about the grandest buildings and
finest technology available,” Dawson said. “Faculty members that
create an academic environment that fosters the engagement of
students are those who truly excite you to learn. You’ve had that
experience here. You’re better for that and you will continue to
learn because someone ignited that flame in you. You will be a
lifelong learner not because it is required of you but because it is
essential to make you feel complete.”
A sense of urgency was the one item, other than a diploma, that
Dawson hoped his listeners left commencement with that evening.
“I hope you have a sense that you have achieved a milestone in
your life,” said Dawson. “Tonight is a point in your life’s journey
that will always have meaning for you and your family. It’s an
“I know you’ll leave here with a sense of satisfaction
about what you have achieved but I hope you also
leave here with a sense of urgency about what you
can do now to make a difference.”
~ Dr. B. James Dawson
occasion for celebration and
a time to examine your plans
for the future. It should also
be a call to action. I know
you’ll leave here with a sense
of satisfaction about what you have achieved but I hope you also
leave here with a sense of urgency about what you can do now to
make a difference.
“Give back to your alma mater. Give into yourself and into your
world. Give your great ideas, your many talents, your unyielding
energy, to make this society and our world more productive, more
compassionate and a place that reflects what you believe in, what
you have learned and the differences this institution has made in
your life.”
The last bit of wisdom Dawson left the new graduates was borrowed
from author Mark Twain.
“It was he who said always work like you don’t need money, fall
in love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobodies watching
and live life like it’s heaven on earth,” said Dawson. “I can think of
no better way to challenge you to live your lives as you depart from
Tennessee Wesleyan College.”
www.twcnet.edu 5