Imagine a career in which you personally celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of more than 335,000 young (and some older) men and women.
That's the mark retiring West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee set Sunday when he conferred degrees to graduates of WVU's final three colleges -- the College of Applied Human Sciences, the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Sciences and the Eberly Colleges of Arts and Sciences --during ceremonies at the Coliseum.
Gee offered graduates words of wisdom accumulated over 43 years as a college president at five universities -- West Virginia University (twice), the University of Colorado, the Ohio State University (twice), Brown University and Vanderbilt University -- as they took the next steps in their personal journeys.
He also reflected on his own time in higher education and how he's facing the future.
"Persisting through change to achieve success is a skill that you have honed and it will serve you well throughout life," Gee told graduates. "Of all that you learned here, I hope you remember one thing above all -- commit to your unique path and enjoy life's ever-shifting vistas along the way. Through buffeting winds, cling tightly to your sense of purpose. It is an inner compass that will point you in the right direction.
"Like our graduates, I have reached a turning point this weekend, as I preside over my final commencement at West Virginia University. "And if I -- at age 81 --believe that my best days lie ahead, our graduates have every reason to face the future with optimism."
Indeed.
For 16 years -- from 1981, when he first was hired as WVU's president until his departure in 1985, and then again upon his return to Morgantown in 2014 -- Gordon Gee has been the most excellent ambassador for the university and the state. His return to Morgantown came at the right time --and his second term as president has greatly benefited the university. From WVU's standing as an R1 Research institution to the West Virginia Forward collaboration with Marshall University and the state of West Virginia to enhanced academic offerings and so much more, Gee oversaw a truly transformational time at WVU.
As Gee noted in his departing comments, the best days do lie ahead. For the Class of 2025, remember that when challenges arise and fall back on what you learned during your time in college.
As for Gee, if as he said his best days lie ahead, we are eager to see what he accomplishes. We hope you join us in wishing him the best as he begins his next chapter.