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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville continued 2015 Spring Commencement exercises for the 2,212 eligible graduates Saturday in the Vadalabene Center on campus.

SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe bestowed degrees upon Graduate School, School of Business and School of Nursing students Friday night, and followed Saturday morning with the Graduate School and School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB).

Furst-Bowe advised the graduates to be patient and flexible. “ Don’t expect your career trajectory to be a straight line, even if you think you’ve got things plotted out to conclusion,” she said. “As you start out, have a plan, but be ready to change it often. That initial plan is very likely simply a rough outline of what’s to come.

“Take every opportunity to build on your experiences and improve your personal brand. Bear in mind this experience may not necessarily come from the job offering the highest salary.”

Chancellor emeritus David Werner and SIUE alumna Kay Werner served as the featured speakers. David Werner was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. He served as SIUE’s sixth chancellor from 1997-2004.

David Werner’s message was to serve others through your work as he pointed out business leaders who built companies, created jobs and enriched the lives of others.

“Don’t yield to the temptation to take a job you really don’t enjoy,” he said. “Unite your avocation and your vocation. Unite what you like to do with what you must do to live. 

“Make your joy your work and make your work your joy. If you succeed in doing that, your work will, as Robert Frost once said, play for mortal stakes. You will lead a happy life and, equally important, you will enrich the lives of those around you.”

Kay Werner, David’s wife, received the University’s Distinguished Service Award. Kay earned a specialist degree from the SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior. She retired as the manager of Information Technology at the SIUE East St. Louis Center.

Kay talked about the importance of serving through volunteering. “Service is a collaborative effort where people share their passions, their faith, their time, their talents and their treasures on behalf of others,” she said in recognizing all of those who helped with her various community projects.

“I know that you are grateful to those who got you here,” she continued. “In the end, none of them gets a bonus check. You are their bonus, and this bonus is always full of potential, the best use of which is in service to others.”

Eric Robert, who earned a master’s in business administration, was Friday’s student speaker. He told the story of his grandmother Beulah Robert, who earned a master’s in education from SIUE at the age of 51. She became a schoolteacher in her hometown of Red Bud.

“She taught each of her students that one of the best skills in life is a love for learning and doing hard things,” Eric Robert said. “Most importantly, she made sure each kid knew that it doesn’t matter where you came from, but it matters tremendously where you choose to go. Over two generations of children, who passed through Beulah’s classroom, went on to start life in a better position than their parents, and most of them went on to do the same for their kids.”

The Saturday morning student speaker was Kirstie Chase, who received a bachelor’s in exercise science from the SEHHB. 

Chase focused on motivation and inspiration, not only in the past, but also for the future. “As a learner, the opportunity to address you reminds me that I am on the same path - always learning,” she said. “Reminding me that my personal growth will come from the challenges I undertake, the people I serve, and the motivation I can absorb from others and generate within myself.”

The Saturday afternoon ceremony featured the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) to be followed at 5 p.m. by the School of Pharmacy, College of Arts and Science graduate students and the School of Engineering.

Kiley Herndon, who earned a bachelor’s in both applied communication studies and English, was the student speaker for the afternoon session. “If we learn and try to understand the world around us, we can connect to humanity,” she said. “We must avoid the apathy that comes with the everyday drone of “other” defined success. We must engage with each other. We must engage with our happiness. We must engage with consuming knowledge and, most importantly, we must connect.

“I want you all to leave graduation knowing that you can choose to be an active participant of life, and that success will find you.”

Emily McMahill, who received a doctorate in pharmacy, closed the day by discussing the pursuit of happiness. She quoted Roy Goodman, “Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.” 

McMahill recognized that the graduates must prepare for the next milestones in our lives. “Each of us have envisioned a next step that is unique to our dreams,” she said. “Some of us may be going back to school, others are preparing for a job, and some of us are still searching for what comes next.

“Although looking forward to important occasions such as these is a natural part of life, don’t neglect the happy moments along the way.”

Photo: Narbeth Emmanuel, retiring SIUE vice chancellor for Student Affairs, congratulates a graduate at the Spring 2015 Commencement exercises.