Will D. Carpenter, a 1952 agronomy graduate of Mississippi State, delivered the 1999 spring commencement address to more than 1,900 graduates. Following a distinguished career as a chemical manufacturing executive with Monsanto Co., he currently is co-chair of the Science Advisory Board of the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. In the late 1980s, he gained worldwide recognition as founder of a Chemical Manufacturers Association committee that advised U.S. negotiators at an international conference to ban chemical weapons. In 1992, Carpenter was co-recipient of the Hilliard Roderick Prize in Science, Arms Control, and International Security, presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The text of his address follows.

Carpenter exhorts graduates to be 'perennial freshmen'

What an honor and pleasure for me to be here today. My family's association with this great institution started in 1904 when my father began his freshman year, and continues today with Patrick Sullivan and Kathleen Thornell, my sister's grandchildren. Four generations, and the fifth one will be here in a few more years.

My objectives for the next few minutes are somewhat modest. All of us understand and appreciate that years of effort were required to get you graduates to this event. There is little possibility that I can add a great deal more to your accumulated knowledge of several years in the next few minutes.

I will offer a few suggestions and make some observations that may help you avoid some of the scar tissue that my peers and I have accumulated. From time to time, I have found myself in situations best described as the pig that engages in discussions with the cook about the menu for a ham and eggs breakfast-one has more than a casual interest in what happens as a result of those discussions! My remarks are intended to provide you with a more desirable recipe in the event you have the role of the pig. If some of my comments are of value to some of you at some point in time, then I'll give myself a passing grade for the assignment today.

As you enter a new phase of your career and your life, it is appropriate that you conduct an inventory of your resources and assets. Certainly now is not the time to leave them unrecognized or unused. You are moving into a tough, competitive arena, and you can use all the help you can get.

You should be aware that you are leaving an institution whose graduates take with them a reputation for outstanding work ethics, a strong set of moral values, integrity, and a firm commitment of loyalty to country, institutions, and people. More and more, organizations and institutions are relearning the value of those standards; that they should actively look for people who demonstrate those values, and place trust and responsibility in the hands of those people. In other words, you start with an asset that is too often unrecognized or unappreciated.

The obvious lack of those values in so many places in our society at the national, state, and local scenes makes an institution such as ours and the people of that institution (YOU-the graduates!!) more highly valued and appreciated. You should understand that your degree from Mississippi State provides you with more than certification of your capabilities in a given field of study. You start with a reputation that is yours to maintain or lose. Do not underestimate how well off you will be for the rest of your life if you live by those attributes of the Mississippi State reputation. Make sure you capture these values by your conduct and actions.

This leads me to the next point. Most of my classmates and I spent our careers with a single organization-industry, government, academia, or self-employed. Without making a judgment on right or wrong, this will not be the case for most of you. The odds are that most of you will have several employers. The relationship between you and your employer will probably be different than that of my generation. This change is not the only one. A rapidly changing technology arena and equally rapid changes in economics and business climates require understanding and action on your part.

There is something you can do. My conclusion is that it is absolutely essential that you have a firm, long-term base to which you can relate-more than ever before. This means you should establish and maintain close ties to Mississippi State, for selfish purposes if for no other reason. By doing so, you will have a network to stay in touch, you will have a knowledge base to keep you current and to be aware of "watchouts" and opportunities, and to maintain, enhance, or change your skill base that can become obsolete too quickly.

There will be no better base to keep than MSU. Besides, you might know the person who can get you tickets when we're in the Final Four or for the SEC Football Championship! When you couple that with the outstanding goals and objectives for Mississippi State as listed by Dr. Portera and his team for every part of MSU, maintaining your relationship here is one of the smartest things you can do.

You should begin now to establish comfortable lines of communication with Mississippi State University. It's a win-win situation. Just as growth of an investment grows at an accelerated rate, so will the value of your continued relationship with this institution. When I saw the objectives of Mississippi State sent to me by Dr. Portera, and to appreciate what plans for the future are being implemented now, it is obvious you will be with a winner.

Time and time again, you are told: change is the key; be able to cope with change; initiate change; and change is accelerating. Let me add: I believe that. However, let me point out that you must have values, standards, and ethics that are enduring and which will enable you to succeed in a changing world. You, as a Mississippi State graduate, are prepared for this. Your continued relationship with your university can be a major factor in your future in a changing, competitive world. This institution can be both a source of those enduring values as well as the changing knowledge base.

My final suggestion may be the most difficult for some of you to accept. It is very important that you do not misinterpret the significance of your graduation and today's recognition. This is not the first milestone in your career, nor will it be the last. High school graduation, B.S. or B.A., master's, Ph.D.-all certainly deserving of recognition. It took me longer than it will take you to understand that those accomplishments all started from the status of being a freshman or the equivalent. At each one of those milestones, there were people, friends, and colleagues of mine who turned off the learning switch with the accomplishment, and then they stagnated for the rest of their lives. What a shame; what a waste. It must not happen to you! Tomorrow, virtually every one of you will be a freshman again as surely as if you were headed for freshman English, chemistry, or biology-and that's good.

Let me tell you now, most of us at one time or another have had the wrong impression about becoming a freshman. We should do our best to become a perennial freshman. The opportunities will certainly be there. Many times, you won't even have a choice-a new job; a new assignment; a new location. You will be a freshman many times in your personal lives as well-a family, children, responsibilities. The list is as long as you want to make it.

There are only two requirements for becoming a successful perennial freshman. The first is that you need to recognize there is a never-ending need for the learning process. The second is developing a love of learning. Both attributes will serve you well.

Let me cover just a few of the advantages of being a perennial freshman. First, you demonstrate to the world and, more importantly, to yourself, that you have the capacity for growth. Second, you give yourself the greatest opportunity to reach your full potential, to achieve goals beyond your expectations-and even your hopes! Finally, being thrust into a new environment, accepting new challenges, taking on new responsibilities, is almost guaranteed to give you continued intellectual growth and maturity. Usually, emotional and ethical growth and maturity follow.

Most of you are leaving the university. A university is designed and operated to create a learning atmosphere, and certainly this helps the perennial freshman. You will be going into an unstructured environment for learning. Because of this, you must take pro-active measures to maintain the learning process. No one will make you do it. There will be many distractions and difficulties to overcome. Make sure your continued learning process gets your highest priority. Both formal and informal opportunities will come to you.

As I see your preparation, your accomplishments, your potential, a small, private thought comes to me. It has no impact on you, but I'll share it with you. "Thank goodness, I don't have to compete with you." And, you will compete well, not just with each other, but with your equivalents from Hong Kong, Sidney, Glasgow, Rome, New Delhi, etc.

You will never be better prepared to do just that than you are today. As you renew your search that you began here, I wish you every success. Today's event is far more important than just a celebration of what you have done. It is a clear, firm recognition of what you can do and what you can be. Congratulations and Godspeed.