• Student Affairs
• BRANDEIS HOME

Ron Kendler

            Families, friends, faculty, staff, administration, and most importantly, members of the class of 2009: welcome and congratulations. I say “us” most importantly not in a selfish way, because, after all, today is our day. All of the flowers, food, and photographs are for us. We have worked hard, be we undergraduates, MAs, MSs, PhDs, MBAs, BKs, RBGs, WBRSs, CARSs, WSRCs, so on and so forth; today is our day to celebrate.

             And it’s going by fast. Honestly, today is kind of a blur. Fittingly enough for a college graduation ceremony, it almost feels a little intoxicating. Author Robert Penn Warren once wrote that meaning is never found in an event itself, “but in the motion through the event.” Today, we move past Brandeis. But we’re moving so quickly-- in a few years, heck, even in a few days, we may struggle to remember the details of today. So I ask a simple question to help us slow things down and make them a little more permanent. What is Brandeis?

             I sound silly asking that. Any one of us could provide the textbook answer, with key words such as “liberal arts”, “research”, “non-sectarian”, “social justice.” We’ve heard it. Today, that description falls a little short. And if there’s one thing that a Brandeis education has taught us, it’s that sometimes you need to look beyond the textbook definition.

             So we look for Brandeis in the institution: in the halls of Olin-Sang and the labs of Gerstenzang. Coming from Slosberg’s pianos, Pollack’s easels, and Gosman’s training rooms. We search our all-star faculty and devoted staff. But that’s still incomplete. What is Brandeis? Brandeis is family.

             To understand how, let’s contextualize. Most of us graduates here today are young. We are, give or take, in our twenties. And as much as today is about us, it’s also about the world around us. We have come of age in a tumultuous time. We have seen wars follow peace, unparalleled wealth and intolerable poverty. And in today’s world, especially at a place like Brandeis, it’s been hard to ignore.

             So in such times, we seek comfort. We find it in those who are up in the rafters today; those who have supported us for all of our lives. Today, we thank you. It is your day as much as it is ours. But we also find it here, in our Brandeis family. Like any family, we want Brandeis to be proud of us and we want to be proud of Brandeis. Like any family, things aren’t always peaches and sunshine.

             But like any family, we know that here, there is always someone to talk to. I ask all of you to think. Think of one person who belongs to this school in some way, shape, or form-- he or she can be a teacher, staff, student, graduating or still enrolled, with whom you feel comfortable. With whom you have grown close. Whom you can trust. I’m confident that there are far more than just one.

             Some of us came to Brandeis because we were able to see that before we even applied. Something about the demeanor of a tour guide or the attitude of a professor giving a sample lecture. But in a lot of ways, you can’t pick up on those things when you come here as a high schooler, and many of us didn’t know about how Brandeis is a family until we became part of it.

             We are fortunate to live in a country that possesses so many high quality universities and colleges. These days, you can go to a lot of places and get a great education. But you can’t go anywhere and be sure that you’ll find the same down-to-earth, personable support system of friends, educators, and employees that exists here. The individuals who teach, research, and work at Brandeis have gone beyond their basic duties to form meaningful relationships with us. Our friends here put us before themselves, and compete with themselves rather than with us. 

             That’s what Brandeis is. Brandeis is found in the 3:00 AM conversations throughout residence halls. In the student who fervently protests genocide, or his or her peer who invests equal energy in making people laugh or giving to the community. In learning. Brandeis can be found in the staff member who works over time to make a real contribution to our campus, be it in our many programs or our facilities. It can be found in the faculty members who teach us so much in the classroom, but who also travel to your home when you have lost a loved one.

             I didn’t truly learn that lesson until sophomore year. My mother passed away after battling cancer. In a time of inexplicable grief, my father, brother and I were surrounded not just by loving relatives and friends, but by Brandeis classmates, advisors, and educators. By people who were compassionate. Who understood. You can’t get that everywhere.

              It was then that I realized how Brandeis is a family. But it has been since then that I have realized how closely Brandeis is connected with the outlook that my mother had on life. She was the type of woman who knew what she believed in, and always stood up for it. A fighter.

             When I was growing up, mom would provide pieces of poignant, though sometimes clichéd wisdom: sayings like “strike when the iron is hot;” the idea that people should be treated with respect, no matter how much you disagree with them; the advice that she gave me during the early weeks of my very first semester here: “if you do what you love, you will succeed.” Nowhere have I seen actions that exemplify these words as I have at Brandeis.

             She also, in my favorite piece of advice, told me to “never discuss politics on a first date.” That one... well, it doesn’t hold so true here. But I remember visiting Brandeis during high school, and how both of my parents, neither of whom had ever been here, talked about what they sensed at this university. Mom said that “something about this place, about the people here, feels right.” Like a lot of mothers here, I’m sure that she would now tell me “I told you so.” 

             Mom was able to see what I couldn’t. She saw the culture of Brandeis. The spirit of Brandeis-- a quality education and commitment to social justice, is found in the institution. But the culture of Brandeis-- a genuine community that cares about and supports one another, is found within ourselves.

             This culture is not coincidental. It is forever tied to our spirit and our founding mission. The idea that a quality education is not “too good” for anyone simply because of their gender, ethnic, religious, or socio-economic background manifests itself in a group of people who know that there is always room for another opinion, another new idea, another way to change the world.

             So as we leave, we know that both this spirit and this culture exist here. And it would be a  tremendous waste to just leave it here. The truth is, not everywhere is like Brandeis. But if we keep the values of this community in mind and spread them beyond the borders of 415 South Street, we can ensure that they will not only stay with us, but will benefit countless others.

            Just because we’re saying farewell to our Brandeis family doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to emphasize the values with which it has imbued us. We can take the Brandeis family culture to our own families, to the workplace, to our further education, and show the world what it means to be a Brandeis graduate. It is our duty to ensure, that in our next phase of our journey, the lessons and experiences that we have been so privileged to see here will matter every day, not just on our day. That they will matter to everyone, not just to us. 

            A certain lawyer from Louisville once remarked that, in an argument “we are won by [the] tone and temper; by the manner” of an individual. Let us abide by the advice of this university’s namesake, and look to this world with the aware and active tone, temper, and manner with which this university has provided us. Let us make our families, both at home and at Brandeis, proud.

 Thank you and congratulations once again to the Class of 2009!