Convocation Address: Attorney General Lisa Madigan

Good morning, and thank you for inviting me to join you on a day when many of you join the Knox College family.

Now, in spite of the impressive list of commencement speakers that have graced Knox, personally, having done a fair share of commencement addresses, I think it is better to be a convocation speaker. Here's why:

First, everyone -- the graduates, their families and friends, the faculty and even the administration -- is secretly waiting for the commencement speech to end. You know that's true. Graduates want to hear their name called, receive their degree, and go celebrate. Everyone else is, quite frankly, usually just too hot.

As a convocation speaker, on the other hand, I stand inside, sheltering you from the sweltering sun and shielding you from the start of your classes. And no matter how interesting or exciting your classes may be, they also bring endless reading, research and writing. I have met few college students who aren't more than willing to wait a little bit longer for the work to start.

So, let's use this time to put your college experience in some perspective.

This Convocation gives us an opportunity to reflect on the proud history of Knox college ? and to talk about how you will find your particular place in this history.

The idea behind the founding of Knox College was a righteous one: In the 1830s, a group of abolitionists wanted to provide education and religious training to people they hoped would become clergy and agitators against slavery in their own right.

To fulfill their mission, this group of Presbyterian and Congregationalists from upstate New York purchased land to found a town and college here on the Western prairie of Illinois. In 1837, the Illinois Legislature granted Knox a charter.

And in the coming years, buildings were erected, funds raised, college Presidents selected, and in 1846, the first class graduated. Over the years, the College grew and the inevitable squabbles broke out among the various denominations over who should control the direction of the school. But throughout, Knox continued to teach and produce graduates who took seriously their purpose to serve.

Photo, right, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Knox President Roger Taylor talk with reporters at a news conference following the convocation.

What is remarkable about Knox is that its dedication to pursuing social justice isn't relegated to its history. Through its programs and people, Knox continues to embody a long tradition of improving not just its students, but our society and our world.

This year, Knox will inaugurate a peace corps preparation program for students who hope to work for change in countries around the world.

This year, you will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Old Main, and next year the 150th anniversary of the 5th Lincoln Douglas Debate, which took place on the east side of Old Main.

And those of you who are new students will learn first hand that Knox has a vibrant and active connection to this history.

The Lincoln Studies Center, co-directed by Douglas Wilson and Rodney Davis, continues to be at the forefront of Lincoln scholarship. Last year, Professor Wilson's book, Lincoln's Sword, received the prestigious Lincoln Prize for the year's best book on Lincoln. If you have looked at the shelves in any library or bookstore, you know there is no dearth of new books on Lincoln. Yet, this is the second time Professor Wilson has won this impressive honor.

Now, because we are here in the land of Lincoln, at a college founded by abolitionists and the proud host of one of the famous Lincoln Douglas debates, I think that Lincoln's life can serve as a great example of the power we each have to make a difference.

Since many of you recently graduated from high school, you hopefully still remember learning about the Civil War. You'll probably recall that the seeds of the Civil War were planted at our nation's birth. The divide caused by slavery started from the beginning. But to bridge this divide and save the union in its infancy, Congress crafted what was known as the Missouri Compromise -- a deal to determine, from the outset, which states would be free and which would allow slavery. This agreement essentially provided that the Northern states would be free states, and the Southern states would allow slavery.

In 1854, this compromise ended, when Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, also known as the Nebraska Bill, allowing people in the new Northern states to decide for themselves whether to be free or slave states. The Nebraska Bill not only ended the long-standing Missouri Compromise, but essentially served to expand slavery.

Now what does this have to do with Lincoln?

Well, by 1854, Lincoln had already served in the Illinois Legislature and in Congress. And he had spent the previous five years out of public office, focused instead on his law practice. But his anger at the expansion of slavery was such that Lincoln was prompted to spend much of that year traveling the state speaking out against Congress's decision.

It's worth hearing Lincoln's own words, because they speak to the strength of his convictions. Lincoln proclaimed:

Slavery is founded in the selfishness of man's nature ?- opposition to it, is in his love of justice.

Repeal the Missouri compromise, repeal all compromises, repeal the Declaration of Independence, repeal all past history, you still cannot repeal human nature.

It still will be the abundance of man's heart, that slavery extension is wrong, and out of the abundance of his heart-his mouth will continue to speak.

With those words, Lincoln gave notice that he would continue to speak for justice ?- even if it meant running for public office again. And that's what he did, eventually becoming one of the best, if not the best, president in United States history.

Lincoln's concern for the future of the nation motivated him to speak out, to take action, and to re-engage in public service. And I remind you of that bit of history because I think that's what Knox College -- past and present -- is all about.

I realize that it may seem daunting or outright unimaginable for you to look at your life in the context of Lincoln's, but bear with me because, anything is possible.

Lincoln's life was definitely not a glamorous one. He didn't come from wealth. You'll recall that Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin and was self-educated. He also suffered many losses in his public and private life. In spite of all of that, Lincoln not only persevered but changed the course of history and our country.

Now, maybe one of you has the potential to impact the country or the world in that way, but that need not be your ambition.
 
What should be your goal is to learn and engage on issues that matter to you. Then, you can use your talents and skills to help people and make a difference.

That's really the message I want to communicate to you today. That each of us, in our own way, has the ability and I would argue, the obligation to try.

I have found that if you want to have an impact, you also have to engage and participate in the life of the community around you. That engagement can take many forms. For me, participating in issues that matter has meant an interesting series of volunteer opportunities and jobs that eventually led to serving as the Attorney General of Illinois. And it started in college when I had the chance to work for one of our state's greatest political leaders -- Paul Simon.

I also had the chance to meet professors who opened my eyes to new opportunities. During my senior year, the Chair of the African Studies Department, suggested that I apply to a new program at Georgetown University, created to send graduates to South Africa to teach in needy Catholic high schools. So, a few weeks after I graduated, I flew to Johannesburg to spend a year working with black South African students during the struggle against Apartheid.
 
The South African Catholic Bishop's conference assigned me to teach at a rural high school in part of the Zulu homeland about an hour and a half northwest of Durbin. All of my students were Zulu. I taught English, algebra, earth science and history. I coached volleyball, led aerobics classes, and was the faculty liaison to the young Christian students' organization.

My classes were huge -- I had 73 students in my 9th grade English class. But my students were fabulous. They were engaged in learning. They understood the sacrifice that their families made to allow them to get an education, and they understood that to have a chance at a better life they needed to learn as much as they could.

Now, realize, that at the time, the South African government was still controlled by White South Africans. Nelson Mandela, who was later elected president in the first, fully democratic election, was still imprisoned. Black South Africans didn't have the right to vote and were segregated in so-called homelands and townships outside of the cities. The press was censored, unable to quote or even publish pictures of Mandela and others at the forefront of the liberation struggle. And most personally painful, at least every three weeks, one of my students' fathers, brothers, or uncles was killed in the violence.
 
Standing with my students and their families, I witnessed what thankfully turned out to be some of the final episodes of an unjust and immoral government. And as you can imagine, the lessons I learned were greater than those I taught.
 
When I returned home to Chicago, imbued with a great sense of purpose and passion, I wanted to continue working with young people. On the West Side of Chicago, I helped to create after-school programs to keep kids involved in their education and away from gangs and drugs. Most importantly, I saw firsthand that we don't have to leave our state or even our community to make a difference. And, these experiences convinced me that I wanted to become a lawyer and work to prevent injustice and improve people's lives.
 
Serving as the Illinois Attorney General, I have the opportunity -- every day -- to stand up for people by protecting them from consumer fraud, fighting for fair utility rates, prosecuting sexually violent offenders, and arguing on behalf of the people of Illinois before the U.S. Supreme Court.

While I was in South Africa, struggling to teach my students word problems, I never imagined that one day I would argue before the Supreme Court. Like yours will, my path has taken twists and turns. But I think that my progression shows that you never know what your future may hold. And that college will provide you with great opportunities, if you open your mind, learn and engage.

You too can have an impact and make a difference.

The great moral battles in American history didn't end with the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. It took the next 50 years to secure the right of women to vote. And almost another 50 years after that to ensure that African Americans could exercise their right to vote. Every generation faces its own moral, social, and political battles. Yours is no different.

You can get involved right now -- to elect a new president, end the war in Iraq, protect our environment, or reform immigration policies.

Over your college career, you will have many opportunities to take interesting classes, pursue meaningful service projects, and investigate career choices. Your experience here at Knox has the potential to lead you to places you never thought of.

Take advantage of these chances to learn more about yourself, your interests, and your world. And take the chance to dive in and make a difference.

Now, before I finish, I feel compelled to pass along some practical advice. Long before I thought about quoting Lincoln to you, I relived my own memories of college -- specifically from my first year.

Here are a few suggestions that might help:

First, the biggest challenge many of you will face is living with your roommate. I don't know what the practice is here, but not long after I accepted my offer to attend Georgetown, I received a short questionnaire from University housing. The questions they asked were basic: Do you consider yourself a morning person? Do you consider yourself a neat person? Do you consider it important to bathe regularly? Those sorts of things.

I assumed that by answering honestly, the diligent and concerned housing people, responsible for our happiness and well being, would match us up with people who responded similarly. So, that should have left me with a roommate who was a sweet smelling, slightly messy, night owl. Instead, I got a sweet smelling, impeccably neat, rise-before-dawn and go-for-a-run kind of person.

I guess it could have been worse.

And in spite of our differences, we truly grew to like each other. We lived together our sophomore year, and we are still friends. But not everyone on my floor was quite as lucky. Overall, for most freshmen, roommates proved to be one of the greatest challenges.

My advice here is simple: Try to be tolerant, keep your sense of humor, and remember, you won't have to live together forever.

Second, meet your advisor. Spend time with your advisor.
 
A huge benefit of Knox's size is that you're not anonymous. Now, I understand there will probably be times this is a disadvantage, but it conveniently allows you to develop real relationships with the faculty and administration. My advice: take advantage of this.

Here's just one reason why: you'll want to work with your advisor so that you've fulfilled all your requirements before your second semester senior year.

So, start by figuring out what classes you'll have to take and get the ones you really never want to take over with soon. Otherwise, they hang over you, filling you with dread and often nightmares of not graduating because you never took some awful math class -- my apologies to the math professors and majors in the audience.

Next, take classes you are interested in.

If you have any aptitude or interest in learning a foreign language, do it. It doesn't get any easier as you get older. Your mind is less flexible, and so is your time.

If you've always wanted to read British literature, or poetry, take those classes. Ten years from now, it will be much harder to find someone who wants to talk about poetry.

Whether or not you take my advice, I promise you that your years at Knox will undoubtedly be some of the best in your life. You will make lifelong friends, you will, hopefully, figure out what you want in your professional life, and you will grow to appreciate the chance you had to explore, understand, and improve yourself here at Knox. So, take advantage of the wonderful opportunities you have to pursue your ideas and interests.

Today, you become part of a larger family and tradition that has from the beginning dedicated itself to truth, social justice, and service. As you take in the exciting experiences of your first year, take some time to think about how you'll become part of Knox's proud tradition.

I encourage you to enjoy yourself this year, and I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you.

Photo, right. While at Knox, Attorney General Madigan also met with classes and, below, joined in the College's annual "Pumphandle," a traditional all-campus greeting line held every year before the start of classes.