[MUSIC]
Welcome and congratulations to the GSB class of 2020.
Welcome also to families and friends, we're so
happy to have people join us from everywhere around the world.
This is not the graduation weekend anyone anticipated although honestly,
I don't miss wearing my academic regalia in the hot sun.
But perhaps it's appropriate, the class of 2020 has been a pioneering class,
a class that will not be forgotten at the GSB.
And so once again,
we break new ground, the GSB's first virtual celebration of graduates.
When you arrived I asked you, what did you want to learn?
What kind of community did you want to build?
What kind of leader did you want to become?
I hope you have at least partial answers to those questions.
As I told you, the GSB would be awesome, I hope it was.
I told you there would be adversity and opportunity.
None of us foresaw the scale, a global pandemic, and
a national and global uprising against racial injustice.
The last few months have revealed our vulnerability, the fragility of human life
and the many ways in which we can inflict harm on one another.
They've revealed our inner dependence.
The extent to which we rely on the work and support and love of others.
They've highlighted challenges that existed before the pandemic.
Society to polarized inequities too wide.
Reservoirs of trust that we need today were depleted, in government,
in organizations, in experts, in our fellow citizens.
Which brings me to you, you are graduating at a momentous time.
I'd like to ask the question, what does the world need from you?
You are going forth with many advantages.
You have Stanford degrees, the skills to succeed in any endeavor, a strong network.
You've shown your leadership skills at the GSB.
You're positioned for professional success, and I hope you achieve it.
I also want to say, don't let that be enough, I encourage you now and
as you go through your careers to think hard about your metrics for success.
There'll be visible and tangible measures, the money you make,
your investing track record, the stock price of your company.
I hope you'll measure success by the way you treat others and
the opportunities you create for them, whether that's individually or
by helping to narrow inequities and bring people together.
Remember that business is both a powerful economic force and
a powerful societal force that gives business leaders great influence,
be leaders of business and leaders for society.
I want to finish by quoting to you some words from former
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
In 1932 in the depths of the Great Depression,
which was another momentous time he spoke to graduates in Atlanta, Georgia.
And this is what he said to them, still resonates today.
We need enthusiasm,
imagination, and the ability to face facts, even unpleasant ones bravely.
We need to correct by drastic means, if necessary the faults in our economic
system from which we now suffer, we need the courage of the young.
Yours is not the task of making your way in the world, but
the task of remaking the world, which you will find before you.
You too are graduating at a time when it's important to face facts bravely,
to correct flaws in our system, to rebuild.
I know each of you has the capacity not just to make your way but to rise high,
don't leave it at that, help rebuild in the way that raises others.
Set yourself the task of remaking a better world around you.
That's what will set you apart.
Next, we're going to show a video of your GSB experience which I hope captures
how transformative and maybe how awesome your time at the GSB has been.
[MUSIC]
>> This is not a normal year, we've been looking at each other on screen and
occasionally from a distance of six feet or more.
As you know, Stanford is a special place, the beauty of the campus,
the ability to learn from brilliant faculty, the culture of collaboration and
optimism, and most of all the people.
During your time at the GSB you've gone from being a set of individuals to being
a class that's held together by bond that even social distancing cannot diminish.
The pandemic has shown how much the world needs leaders for
society, who make decisions based on data and reason, who act boldly,
who demonstrate compassion and inspire others, you are those leaders.
We are counting on you to bring your ideas, your experience, and
your passion to whatever you do and wherever you go.
[MUSIC]
>> Congratulations to the Stanford Graduate School of
Business Class of 2020, I am so proud of all of you.
What you have accomplished Is remarkable.
You have put yourselves on a journey towards making a big impact in the world.
Simply put, you are the absolute best of our future leaders.
Now, I know this is not exactly the graduation you were all expecting.
At the same time, today's adversity makes your class a truly historic one.
And for now, congratulations on your incredible achievement and
welcome to the GSB alumni family.
[MUSIC]
>> This is the end of your time at the GSB.
But as Orlando just said, it's the beginning of your time as GSB alumni,
the next stage of your relationship with the school and your classmates.
I look forward to the time, hopefully soon when I can welcome you back to campus
with Orlando, and your families and friends for traditional commencement.
In the meantime, I'm so proud of what you've accomplished and
what your future holds.
[MUSIC]