Opening Convocation - September 1, 2002
Expectations, Standards and the Desire to be the Best
Thomas DiBiagio, Esq. '82

I would like to first thank President Durden and the faculty of Dickinson College for inviting me here and giving me the opportunity to participate in Dickinson's convocation ceremony. It is wonderful to be back on campus once again.

As you begin a new year and new experience at Dickinson College, it is appropriate that we think about expectations, standards and the desire to be the best. Having the freedom to convey any message, why have I chosen these thoughts at this time and for this moment?

Being the best begins with expectations and a desire to succeed. This desire must arise from a commitment, discipline and passion to discover the strength inside you and to reach further than you ever have before.

This desire must also arise from the courage to dream and develop a sense of what is possible For years, other people have vested their expectations in you. For example, through their many sacrifices, your parents have brought you here today. They have a natural and resulting expectation of you.

But now, we should move beyond the expectations of you to the expectations in yourself. Simply setting expectations and having a desire to succeed is not enough. Inextricably intertwined with ambitions are standards. As federal prosecutors circle around several former businessmen who have given new meaning to the term executive privilege, we must recognize that ambition is simply not enough.

When we speak of standards, we mean a moral clarity. This moral clarity must be grounded on a fidelity to a common set of core values-honesty, discipline and personal responsibility. These principles must be more than academic. I realize that it is not as easy as it sounds. Because life is played on the field of raw practicalities rather than the ideal, and accusation, insinuation and insult often defer the infinite difficulties that accompany moral clarity.

I acknowledge that it will entail a level of risk and sacrifice. However, being the best requires individuals to make hard judgments in the details of the lives they actually lead. Living a principled life is often not an easy book to pick up. But once you do, it is also not an easy book to put down.

Finally, there is an underlying conceit to what I have just said. The truth is, I am not revealing or advocating any original thoughts to this venue. I have simply, once again, reaffirmed the objective truths and compelling beliefs of this institution and its sense of underlying character and judgment.

What I have just described are the values that have been taught, and then taken away from this institution for generations. Over the years, men and women have left this campus and, accepting no excuse of limitations, have taken this character and judgment and moved this country forward-whether it be in operating rooms, newsrooms, the courtrooms or the classrooms. Knowing that life often means struggle, sacrifice and obligation, these men and women have discovered their essential nobility and have changed a nation.

There is no better moment than now and no better place than here to again define ourselves by setting the expectations and standards to be the best and begin to reflect in the details of our lives the character and judgment of Dickinson College.