I have just delivered the commencement address to graduate students at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. I told the students that they have a vital role to play in reversing the downward spiral of a loss of trust in our main institutions of business, government, media and civil society. I used the school’s logo and its icon of a bridge to talk about the commitment to service implied in the university’s mission to “prepare people to make a difference in the global community.”
But I had a bigger message: This generation needs to be The Significant Generation — it must have meaning, influence and effect. In contrast to my own cohort, the Baby Boomers, whose focus was on self and therefore on getting ahead, I urged the students to not just go to work, but to work to make change. I told them to marry their profession to the achievement of the common good. I said that now, more than ever, some of them need to go into government and be part of its rejuvenation so that voters believe again in their leaders as honest and reliable public servants. For those going into business, the goal must be to make money while serving society. And for those entering the media, we need fair and balanced reporting designed to educate and inform.
I also urged them to consider staying at home in Connecticut. This state has bled jobs and residents, with 40,000 moving elsewhere in the past decade. With bloated deficits and hollowed-out manufacturing, the state needs re-invention. It can be a model of recovery in the footsteps of Detroit if it persuades enough young people to make the commitment to a turnaround. And they need to trust one another because we are so much better together.
Richard Edelman is president and CEO.
