Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao

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Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
USC 200^th Year Commemoration
August 11, 2001

President Palms, thank you for that kind introduction.

I also want to thank the entire USC community for inviting me here today, especially your distinguished Senator, Strom Thurmond.

Thank you also for bestowing upon me the honorary doctoral degree. I am very honored.

As you may know, several members of President George W. Bush's Administration are alums of the University. They include Andy Card, Chief of Staff to the President of the United States, and Pat Pizzella, the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management in my own Department of Labor.

They send their greetings and told me to make sure I didn't wear any orange.

USC students, faculty and staff, trustees, friends and family, alumni and graduates, the occasion that brings us together is a remarkable one. For two centuries, USC has blessed South Carolina and the nation with its rich traditions and academic excellence.

And today marks another significant milestone for the University.

Two hundred years ago, America was a youthful nation that stood on the threshold of a promising century. The age of colonization had passed. Our Founders had established a stable government and forged ahead in the experiment of liberty.

Courageous men and women led the nation into a time of great expansion and exploration.

That same year USC received its charter and the new President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, gave a hopeful inaugural address. He spoke of a world that was "advancing rapidly to destinies beyond the reach of the mortal eye."

We were a nation of new discoveries — of land, of liberty, and of learning.

Consider the last one hundred years — a time many consider the greatest century in world history.

The 20^th century opened with a 12-second flight over Kittyhawk and exited with NASA landing a probe on Mars. It began with the sounds of the first overseas telephone call and ended with 60 million people surfing the World Wide Web.

America's accomplishments — in science, technology, health care, education, commerce, and the arts — are the envy of the world.

But we know that America is still unfinished in building a more perfect union. We are still a work in progress. And this is reflected in your alma mater that proclaims, "Fair shrine of high honor and truth, thou shalt still … blaze forth as a beacon, thy mission fulfill."

So now we stand one step over the threshold of a new millennium. And the question is, what does the future hold for America and her people?

We don't need to look far to see the challenges of our time. America is in need of invigorated citizens who take on the responsibilities of being leaders in their homes, in their neighborhoods, and in their nation.

This is a challenging task — and one President George W. Bush and his Administration take seriously.

In his inaugural address, President Bush reminded us that, "If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most."

The changing economy presents new challenges. Americans want to work; yet many of the jobs created by the New Information Economy go begging because employers cannot find qualified workers. Too many Americans, I'm afraid, are unprepared to meet the challenges of the 21^st century economy.

But we do not have to surrender to the inevitable. We can give a helping hand to those who lack skills and confidence today. It is a simple idea: give people a little help — and as a result, give them a lot of hope.

When I became Secretary of Labor, President George W. Bush had one simple request. He asked his Cabinet to call upon the good hearts of the American people.

This is something that he holds close to his heart. It's part of his underlining mission to change the tone in Washington.

In the past, our national government was mired in partisan trench warfare. But President Bush believes there's another way — where we can disagree without being disagreeable — and we can find common ground.

People want results and accountability from their government. They want a responsible leadership that unites people around a common vision. And that means government should do a few things well and leave the rest to the ingenuity and good hearts of its citizens.

Whether President George W. Bush is working to reform our schools and give every child the best possible education. Or trusting in faith-based organizations to care for those in need. Or preparing America's workers for the 21^st century workplace. His initiatives come from a common American idea: that the greatness of our nation is, and always will be, found in our fellow citizens.

In all my work — from the Peace Corps to the United Way of America to the Secretary of Labor — I have never lost sight of where America's greatness lies.

It is not found in the halls of government. It is not dependent on the rise and fall of leaders, or in the size of political majorities.

America's greatness is found in the small, but significant — the unnoticed, but noble acts of our fellow citizens.

These are the grand achievements that go unmarked on the timelines of our history, but that sustain our greatness.

We all have a role in shaping the destiny of our nation. A USC education has allowed you to develop skills and knowledge that will follow you all the days of your life. You are prepared to meet many of the challenges in our workplaces and in our world.

But I challenge you to remember this: that although your education will allow you to do well, may it also enable you to do good. To be good mothers and fathers. To help a neighbor in need. And to believe that the American story is still unfolding — and that we all have a part in fulfilling its mission.

You will leave here today to drive on streets you did not pave, work in buildings you did not build, and prosper with technologies you did not invent. You will live and work on foundations built for you by others.

Don't forget to do your part.

I hope that the lasting legacy of this fine university will be a changed world, and also changed lives — people who help build a caring generation of good citizens.

Your legacy began in 1801 and is carried forward to 2001. And through all that time — through highs and lows in our history — the USC motto still rings true, "Learning humanizes character and does not permit it to be cruel."

For two hundred years, this university has turned a few years of education into a lifetime of learning. And the ideas learned in the head mysteriously become habits of the heart — good works of human progress that are repeated in every community and every occupation, from every race and background, for every citizen and nation.

My friends, we are still advancing, still observing — and shaping — the timeline of human history. And with the great work of the USC community, I am confident that 200 years from now, as Thomas Jefferson said 200 years ago, our world will still be "advancing to destinies beyond the reach of the mortal eye."

Congratulations on your bicentennial celebrations!