The 9,325 graduates of the Class of 2019 at the University of California San Diego’s All-Campus Commencement leaned in for their last lecture. ?Following Chancellor Pradeep Khosla’s introduction, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright approached the podium on Saturday morning, June 15.
Albright emigrated to the U.S. from Czechoslovakia at age 11. A public servant for decades, she was a member of President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Council, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997, and the nation’s first female secretary of state, appointed in 1997 by President Clinton. ?
In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama for her efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and Africa, reduce the spread of nuclear weapons, and champion democracy and human rights throughout the world. ?
Now a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Albright recently concluded a 10-city American tour to promote her latest book, “Fascism: A Warning,” which debuted last year at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. ?She has authored five other New York Times bestselling books. ?
Hearing her voice brought to mind the prominence she had on the world stage years ago when she so often met and consulted with heads of state — foreign and American. Her main message to the graduates was that American global alliances are important and that we should guard against isolationism. ?
Albright remembered being an immigrant and how desperately she wanted to fit in. She understood the importance of belonging, but warned that danger arises “when pride in us curdles into hatred of them.” ?
She entreated her audience to keep its gaze on the whole world and on all the various interconnected issues that affect not only us but all of humanity.
“America’s interests are linked to the security and prosperity of our neighbors, allies, and friends,” she said before turning to the challenges facing the U.S.-China relationship, which she felt would help define the 21st century. “Your future depends on the expansion of commerce in fast-growing regions of the world such as Asia, and yet that future is threatened by the prospect of economic and military conflict, whether in the South China Sea or the Strait of Hormuz.”
This year’s graduating class was the largest ever produced by UCSD, and undergraduate enrollment — at nearly 28,000 — is also the high-water mark. Following the all-campus commencement, 10 smaller graduation ceremonies were held over the weekend for the university’s various programs including each of the six undergraduate colleges, and the Rady School of Management.?
UCSD is one of the top 10 public universities in the country. It is also the largest employer in San Diego. For more information, visit?ucsd.edu.
