Ottawa, Wednesday, September 7, 2011

I would like to welcome all of you to Carleton University.

It is so satisfying to see a room full of young minds, ready to take the plunge into a new and exciting world.

In 1979, I was named vice-chancellor and principal of McGill University; I should say I was a very young and naive principal.

I was then asked to give a short, warm and inspiring acceptance speech, and so I went with what I thought might work: stand up to speak, speak to be heard, and sit down to be appreciated.

That first month, we were dealt a series of Draconian budget cuts. But Hydro-Québec was offering lavish capital grants to replace non-electrical appliances with ones using cheap hydroelectricity. We leaped at the gold and, among other things, replaced the paper hand drying dispensers in all of the university washrooms with electric hand dryers.

Proud of this brilliant and decisive leadership, I went to inspect. The first washroom was the men’s room in the Engineering building. Before my wondering eyes was a sparkling white machine. But even on this first day, some graffiti had been scratched above the depressor button. It read: “Press this button for a short, warm, inspiring message from your principal.”

In fact, I myself was so enamoured with university life that I almost never left; as a student, then a teacher, then an administrator, I spent most of my life and career in universities. I was 69-and-a-half years old when I was asked to step outside the school and join the public service as governor general of Canada. That is not to say that you will choose to make university your way of life, but it is certainly a place of great opportunity.

And what a school you have chosen!

For nearly 70 years, Carleton University has stood as a great centre of learning and innovation. Its alumni have spread out across the country and the world, lending their skills to business, art, science and public service—Carleton alumni even contribute to the governor general’s office each and every day! No matter where they are, though, all graduates utilize what they learn here to benefit so many.

After all, the university experience, at its core, is about evolution: how can we be better students, better teachers, and better citizens?

In 2017, Canada will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the same year that Carleton will mark its 75th anniversary. These milestones are perfect opportunities to ask ourselves to define the country we want, to chart a course of how we can get there, and to give thanks for what we hold dear.

So I ask you today, as you begin your studies at Carleton University, to be mindful of what is important.

As a university president for many years I used to tell new students the following story.

A professor stood before his class with a number of items in front of him: a large empty jar, some rocks, a box of pebbles, a box of sand and a can of Coke. When class began, he picked up the empty jar and proceeded to fill it with the rocks. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up the box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. Again, they agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up the box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up whatever space was left in the jar.

The demonstration, he explained, was like life. The rocks are the important things—family, your partner, your health, your children, and, yes, even your education—anything that was so important to you that if it were lost, you would be devastated. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like a house or car. The sand is everything else, the little things in life.

If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. There will always be time for the little things. Take care of the rocks first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

There was one last item on the professor’s desk. One brave student asked, “And what about the can of Coke?”

The professor smiled and answered, “Never forget to share a cool drink with a friend.”

It is you, the students of today, who will have a monumental impact on our future. Our country’s greatest resources include the generosity, creativity and ingenuity of our people. For generations, Canadians have been making world-changing discoveries and giving freely of themselves to benefit others, thus affecting the world around us. And now it is your turn to leave your mark on Canada, to enact change and to build a country of which we can continue to be proud.

Whatever you study, and wherever Carleton takes you, I cannot wait to see how you will create a smarter, more caring nation, where we can all work together for a common good.

I will close by sharing three pieces of advice that you can follow to accomplish any goal you may have:

Learn. I cannot stress enough that learning happens over a lifetime, and that we must pursue knowledge whenever and wherever we can.

Volunteer. Discover your communities and help out those in need; you will not be disappointed with the results.

Innovate. Think and dream big, because Canada’s future will depend on how well we conceive and implement new ideas, concepts and technologies.

In the words of George Bernard Shaw, a famous British author: “Some people see things as they are and wonder ‘Why?’ We dream of things that ought to be and ask, ‘Why not?’”

Thank you.