share interactive transcript request transcript/captions live captions
download
|
MyPlaylist
[AUDIO LOGO] [BAND PLAYING]
ALEX SUSSKIND: Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for joining us today. My name is Alex Susskind. And I am the senior director of Programs here at the Nolan School. And I'm excited to get the ball rolling here for our 2024 recognition ceremony. It's my pleasure-- oh.
[APPLAUSE]
It's my pleasure to introduce the amazing Dean of the Nolan Hotel School, Dean Kate Walsh.
[CHEERING]
KATE WALSH: All right. Here we go. Thank you so much, Alex. And before I begin my remarks, it is my sincere pleasure to introduce Andrew Karolyi, our Charles Field Knight dean of the Cornell SC Johnson of Business, Dean Karolyi.
[APPLAUSE]
Dean Karolyi is also a professor of finance and the Harold Bierman, Jr. distinguished professor of management. And he will be sharing his remarks with you in just a bit. On behalf of Dean Karolyi and senior director of Programs, Professor Susskind, we are delighted to welcome our 2024 graduates, families and friends, members of our community to truly one of the happiest of days-- Cornell's 156th commencement beginning.
Now, I know it has been-- I know it's been a whirlwind morning for sure, a little hot. But graduates, as you look around this room, just take it all in. Feel the love and support of every single person in this hall. In fact, now that the larger ceremony is over and it's just us, I'm going to ask all of us here to let us show you how proud we are of each and every single one of you.
[APPLAUSE]
[CHEERING]
That gives me chills. Now, I would like to recognize just a few of our student leaders and those who were honored specifically for their generosity of spirit and their leadership. So, graduates, as I call your group or role, unlike the other ceremony, I'm going to ask you to please rise. So now each year, we award what's called a Hotelie for Life Senior Prize. These four finalists and one winner exemplify precisely what it means to lead with service.
I'm going to ask them to rise. I would also like to ask-- hold your applause-- our HEC managing director and executive board members to rise. The Statler Hotel student general manager, directors and supervisors, our deans, assistants and liaison, our current or past club leaders of National Society of Minorities and Hospitality, CHS Student Chapter, Women in Leadership and Hospitality, Cuvée, Real Estate, Air and Sea Nightlife, AHLA 180, HTSO, and Hotelie Serving Society to please rise.
And any student who led an initiative or club or group in our college and Cornell, please rise, as well as anyone who worked as a teaching assistant, graduate assistant. I'd also like to ask our student athletes and entrepreneurs to please rise. And finally, I would like to ask-- I know. I mean, I'm just saying, I would like to ask any student who is a full-time working professional and/or left their jobs and families from around the world and plans to share their knowledge back home to please rise. Thank you to every single one of you for your leadership.
[APPLAUSE]
I better stop applauding. Thank you. You can sit now. [LAUGHS] It's amazing. Every year, I think to myself, this is truly a very special class. And while I am 100% every single year, this year's class is particularly magnificent. And it is not because you are undergraduates, bravely stepped into college in the most isolating and challenging of ways. And whether you planned to or not, you had to develop grit and self-reliance and fortitude.
To some of you, remember the spring semester of your first year? Leaving your dorms finally and walking to the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series class on Fridays in full business attire, only to meet our speakers remotely? You were so excited to finally come together in Statler Hall. And all of what you went through took such courage. You met the moment and then some.
And it's not because you began your sophomore year with such enthusiasm and joy, and really were one of the first classes I had seen in such a long time to deeply appreciate the opportunity to just learn with all of its messy, hybrid, in-person challenges and live with gratitude and appreciation for the moment, which may be one of the keys to happiness in life. In your quest to gain knowledge, you also acquired wisdom.
Or to our graduate students, our first ever inaugural Executive Masters of Management class, you have been maintaining full time roles, responsibilities, and businesses, all while attending classes on evenings and weekends for two whole years, giving up time with family and friends to do so. Or our students from our inaugural class of our M Squared University-- or M Squared program with Peking University, who traveled halfway around the world to be here today.
You joined our program during the pandemic. You trusted our faculty and their expertise. You studied during four-day weekends. And you left your families and jobs to come stateside not once but twice, to continue your learning. Or our Kyoto University students. You joined our Residential Masters of Management program for this past year, away from home and families and everything you knew to experience our hospitality-centered business education.
And our graduating master's student who is here today, who came to us to research, study and one day, share the knowledge, all of you joined the Nolan Hotel School to continue your leadership journey, refine your careers, return home to share your insights and make your mark. But you are magnificent. Not because you did any of those things, impressive as they are.
It is because all of you, this class of 2024, one that has walked through so much this past few years and come so far, whether you plan to or not, you led with this service mindset defined by such grace and kindness and care. During these past two years, especially, you put all of what you experienced together to define your purpose. And in doing so, you made it 100% not about you, but rather always about everyone around you.
How did you do that? You led with this sparkle in your eye, this kind of "I'm here for you" spirit. You drew all of us into your orbit. And as it should be, you, the students became the teachers. It was pure magic. The thing about leading this way is that you intuitively knew, like every profoundly impactful leader, that it's just not about you. In fact, I think the number one trip-up or indeed failure for anyone in a leadership role is letting their ego get in the way a little bit, believing their own PR, and thinking that they are the reason for their institution's success.
You understood, even as learners, that leading, whether yourself or others, is never about you. You were a class that was totally focused on the other-- on one another, on our community-- whether it was serving as a mentor to new students, graciously giving prospective students or nostalgic alumni a tour of Statler Hall, or writing over 500 thank-you notes to faculty and staff who worked so hard to make your education so impactful.
Or for our EMMH class, hosting one another in your home cities, creating lifelong memories, or for our M Squared students coming together as a class to express gratitude for your educators, for our masters and MMH students being one another's entourage and champions. I am so excited for our industry's future because all of you will be leading it forward. The future of our industry is in great and caring hands.
I remember a conversation I had with one of our alumni, Richard Baker. Richard is CEO and executive chairman of the Hudson's Bay Company, which owns retail stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as an extensive real estate portfolio. And I asked him how things were going, and he said, great, because I just hired a bunch of hotelies.
And whenever I hear something like that, I want to learn a little more. So I prodded him a little. And I said, well, Richard, you're in retail. You can hire any business student, graduate you like. And he smiled and kind of like with this smile that kind of looked like the cat that ate the canary, as if he was only sharing the secret with me. And he said, oh no, no. I always hire hotelies. They just get it. They have this it factor. This, How can I help you? way about them that I can't find anywhere else. I can teach them the rest. He experienced the magic. So he knew.
As I was preparing these remarks, trying to capture what was swirling through my heart and my mind and, hopefully, hone in on what I think matters most about our journey through life, really, I decided to see what AI and specifically, ChatGPT had to offer. So you've never done that, students, I know. So I put the words "graduation message" into my phone. And with that, about a second-- and isn't that amazing-- here's what scrolled across my screen.
"Graduates, as you embark on this new chapter, remember that every challenge is an opportunity. Every setback is a lesson. Stay curious, stay passionate, and never lose sight of the dreams that brought you here today. Congratulations and may your journey be filled with endless possibilities and remarkable achievements."
I got that in a second. Now, those are really nice words and lovely remarks, but it rings a little hollow. They're just words. They're not mine. And that misses my authenticity, what I personally think and care about, and most importantly, my connection with you. And I think that's exactly the point. As tech innovation shape our future and robots and algorithms do our mundane work, the human connection, as always, but perhaps more than ever, is the opportunity, especially if you apply the innovation in service of it.
By definition, hospitality is core to a thriving business model of any kind because it means taking care of. And successful enterprises are successful not because they leverage a deal or drive a strong EBIDA, but because they create value, add something better to our lives, and if they really do it right, make us all feel connected to one another and give us community just like we all feel right now in this hall.
At a recent Forbes Travel conference keynote, one of our MMH alumnus or alums, Mia Kuriakose, a world-renowned expert on spas and wellness, described well-being not as a day of spa treatments or performing well at work, but, quote, unquote, "as seeing one another." Well-being is seen one another. That's hospitality, and its exponential possibilities are limitless. It is that profound and powerful.
In fact, I think it's one of the best kinds of power there is, and therein lies the opportunity. As each of you begin to craft what a meaningful life means to you as you try on different jobs, pursue new and unexpected career paths, consider using hospitality to both discover and drive your purpose. Make it both your North Star as one of maybe your core values and your journey towards it.
Now, please know I'm not saying be selfless. Leading with the hospitality ethos is ironically completely selfish. Because I can say with 100% confidence, being focused on and truly seeing others in the moment will be your primary source of inspiration, your opportunity for business success, and it will ultimately make you feel so happy, whether at work or at home.
So that is my message on this happiest of days for this remarkable class of 2024. You met the moment and then some here at Cornell. Now go meet the next moment and continue to lead just like you have done these past years by showing others what "life is service" not only looks like, but more importantly, what it feels like, one connection at a time using your hospitality as your ethos, your kindness as your force, your other centeredness as your leadership lens.
Whether it's engaging with customers, clients, community members, or perhaps most importantly, team members, be focused on truly seeing the person right in front of you. I promise in your work lives and likely in your personal lives, nothing will be more rewarding or meaningful. And as you see how happy you will feel, more selfish than that.
Now I hear all the time how spectacular hotelies are. And I don't know if these wonderful family members sitting here today just gave us awesome raw material, or if it's our amazing community right in front of me who shaped who you become today. It's likely the perfect combination of both-- the stars aligned. And our faculty and staff, much like all across Cornell, are dedicated, impactful educators. But there is something in the secret sauce of these faculty sitting right here.
Here at the Nolan Hotel School, our faculty have shown you what it means to be generous, and they do that because they know how important generosity is to your well-being. And they're smiling right now because they, too, are so proud of you. But they're also smiling because like me, they're so excited for our industry's future. They had an inside preview of tomorrow's leaders that were launching today.
Our faculty and staff are extraordinary educators. And I was reading through some comments from our recent survey to help identify this year's Teaching Award winners. I thought I'd share just a few reflections students wrote about all of our faculty, because one theme stood out. So if you bear with me, here we go. Just a few comments.
She was one of the most profoundly impactful professors I ever had the honor to experience. I loved her impeccable teaching style and her ability to connect with students. An amazing professor on top of his enthusiasm for teaching, an unwavering belief that each of his students could truly master his topic-- it might have been quantitative. His commitment to our personal development went above and beyond my expectations. I could not be more grateful.
One of the kindest professors and human beings I've ever met in my life. She treats everyone with the highest respect and really cares about the student body. She is what makes the Hotel School so great. He has been the most influential professors I've had at Cornell. He teaches with a passion I've never witnessed before. He genuinely cares for his students, and he pushes them to the best of their abilities.
So caring and passionate about her work, I will forever remember her kindness in and out of the classroom setting. Very supportive and kind, his class lessons are something I'll take with me through life. I felt seen and heard as a student. She possesses a rare quality of being deeply in touch with her students. Her genuine care for our well-being extends far beyond the classroom.
She goes above and beyond to foster a sense of belonging and community, taking the time to establish meaningful relationships with each of us. He was not only interested in my professional development class, but outside of it as well. He would field any question I had and always had his door open to assist. She goes above and beyond to make connections with her students and has served as a mentor for me.
Her openness and support touched me even deeper and definitely became one of the brightest highlights for my school year and quite simply, in all caps with three exclamation points, he cares. I mean, talk about role models going above and beyond. You can see what matters most in learning and in life. And I am so proud of this faculty. I am going to ask-- I know they don't like doing this, but I'm going to ask my colleagues to stand and be recognized by every single one of you, and especially by our graduates, for the profound impact they have had on your journey. Ladies and gentlemen, our Nolan Hotel School faculty. Please rise.
[CHEERING]
[APPLAUSE]
They too can attest it wasn't easy getting here today. And here they are. Graduates, on behalf of the entire Nolan Hotel School community, the SC Johnson College of Business and Cornell University, I thank you for the generous and inspiring legacy you leave. We wish you all of the success and happiness. Wherever life may lead you, we always look forward to welcoming you back home to Statler Hall.
Now, remember, as you cross this stage in a few moments, to just savor this very happy moment and day. And as you define and live your own purpose, may many more happy days lie ahead. Congratulations!
[APPLAUSE]
SPEAKER 1: [INAUDIBLE]
KATE WALSH: I now would like to call Professor Alex Susskind back to the podium to present our degree candidates, and for Dean Karolyi to join me on the stage and welcoming them as well.
ALEX SUSSKIND: Great.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you, Dean Walsh, and thank you all. We now present our graduate class of 2024. We want to congratulate them on all of their outstanding accomplishments. And we'll start with our Masters of Management of-- I'm sorry, Master's of Science degree candidate.
Ren Ruihai. We now present our Masters of Management and Hospitality degree candidates.
[READING NAMES]
We now present our Executive Masters in Management Hospitality degree candidates.
[READING NAMES]
I would like now to present our Cornell-Peking University MBA Master of Management and Hospitality dual degree candidates.
[READING NAMES]
OK, now we present the undergraduate class of 2024.
[CHEERING]
We congratulate all of them, all of our graduating seniors on their outstanding accomplishments.
[READING NAMES]
And we have Christopher Dev, who is accompanied by his father, Professor Cheki Dev.
[CHEERING]
[READING NAMES]
[CHEERING]
And Madeline Hill, and she is accompanied by Fisk Johnson, our trustee emeritus. Thank you, Fisk.
[READING NAMES]
Sarah Smith. And she's accompanied by our trustee J. Allen Smith. Thank you.
[CHEERING]
[READING NAMES]
Got it.
[READING NAMES]
KATE WALSH: One more heartfelt round of applause for the class of 2024.
[APPLAUSE]
ALEX SUSSKIND: Gotcha. Now I would like to invite our amazing dean, Andrew Karolyi, to the podium.
[APPLAUSE]
ANDREW KAROLYI: Are you guys feeling the Hotelie spirit like I am right now?
[CHEERING]
Holy cow! What a great day. So wonderful to celebrate with you. To our class of 2024, congratulations. Yeah, congratulations!
[APPLAUSE]
Can never do enough applause. So congratulations on the achievements we celebrate today. We welcome you to the newest stage of your relationship with your alma mater. As most valued alumni, you'll remain critical numbers of our community. And we're going to continue to rely on your participation and value your voices as alumni. And that's what my message is here to you today.
How do we do this? How do we listen to you? Well, every year, we invite alumni all around the world at various events to join our faculty and staff in defining a particular theme across our signature alumni events. This year-- this year, we chose "Deeply Responsible Leadership" as our theme. You may have seen me talking about this at various events during the year.
For decades now, business leaders have been told that their responsibility was to the bottom line-- to elevate profits and returns to investors over all else. Embodied in one of my favorite Milton Friedman quotes, quote, "There is one and only one responsibility of business-- to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game."
Now, in fact, the last phrase is too often omitted, kind of shortchanging our Dear Professor Friedman. But that's a story for another day. The truth is that business and business leaders have been struggling with an understanding of what their ultimate responsibilities are for a couple of hundred years. What we are seeing today is that society is challenging us to rethink the fundamental responsibilities of business leaders. And it's, honestly, kind of hard to pin down.
In his 2022 book entitled Deeply Responsible Leadership, business historian Geoffrey Jones, he asks us to reflect on the history of deeply responsible leaders through a series of carefully-chosen case studies and research. He concludes that they are agile. They have a mindset that can quickly understand when opportunities arise. They assess situations. They use data as discipline. They formulate strategies. They make decisions, and they take bold action.
They have a growth mindset, and they strive to remove roadblocks. They are, as Dean Walsh was saying earlier about the hotelies, people-centered leaders who value inclusivity and belonging because, you know, organizations make better decisions harnessing collective wisdom. They always consider the communities in which they operate and the implications of their operations for the natural environment. And they think about all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
Is it easy to be a deeply responsible leader? Hardly. So Jones points out that balancing conflicting shareholder-stakeholder concerns amid geopolitical uncertainty, turmoil, legal risks, too hard to comply with inconsistent government regulatory regimes. They make for just a few complex and competing priorities. These are pretty lofty expectations and tall orders. But with your newly minted-- right here, newly minted degrees in hand, i believe that each one of you are up to this task.
At Cornell and throughout the SC Johnson College of business, our complex, nuanced, much debated understanding of what constitutes deeply responsible corporate leadership, what drives deeply responsible leaders, and frankly, why it all matters in the end, it's embedded in our core mission-- to develop responsible leaders of tomorrow, agile, people-centered, data-disciplined, and broadly stakeholder motivated.
Now, perhaps not surprisingly, I have a uniquely Cornellian spin on that mission. and the concept of deeply responsible leadership directly from our founding benefactor, Ezra Cornell himself. In an 1840 letter, 25 years before he founded Cornell University, and well before he had amassed his great wealth that allowed us to create this University, he wrote a letter to his son, Alonzo, where he tried to articulate how he thinks about his responsibilities in business.
He talked about the virtue in establishing what he calls, quote, "a character upon a fixed principle to do right because it is right, for the sake of right and nothing else. Every act should be measured by that rule. Is it right? Let a pure heart prompt an honest conscience to answer the question and all will be well." 1840, Ezra Cornell.
Let's all live up to Ezra Cornell's lofty vision and founding principles for our University and his pragmatic advice to his own son. We develop business leaders who are here to do the greatest good. So now as graduates, I'm going to encourage you to continue that advice forward in a truly Cornellian fashion. Put people first. Look, I'm looking at hotelies-- they know this.
Draw on the DNA of Cornell in thinking about the ultimate responsibility as a business for people, society at large, as well as the natural environment. Cornellians are community-minded. So think about collaboration and engagement first, less about zero-sum games. Three, courageously experiment with new ideas and approaches, develop entrepreneurial solutions to pressing global problems-- reducing inequality, advancing climate action, building sustainable cities, championing responsible consumption and production. Prioritize good health, decent work, and well-being.
And fourth, be inclusive. And bring that ethos to the organizations you lead. As principled business leaders, think deeply about your responsibilities and your impact. As your time at Cornell draws to a close and you embark on the next phase of your journey, remember that you're joining an incredibly supportive, loving, welcoming global community of Cornellians, 50,000 strong in the College of Business, among the alumni, more than 250,000 Cornell-wide.
Take every opportunity to engage, connect, and continue to strengthen the network that makes Cornell our college, our beautiful Nolan Hotel School, and the others here so powerful. Congratulations, and go Big Red!
[CHEERING]
- As we conclude today's celebration, I would like to express appreciation to the numerous volunteers who helped make this a special day for all. Thank you to BSI Productions for providing the sound system, to the Ithaca Brass Quintet for the wonderful music we have enjoyed today, Balfour Photography for providing lasting memories, and to Empire Interpreting Service for helping make our ceremony accessible. And also, thank the Statler Hotel for the delicious catering today.
[APPLAUSE]
SPEAKER 2: At this time, I would ask that everyone stand while our faculty and all of our graduates recess out. After the graduates recess, we ask that our graduates and guests then exit using the doors you entered and where lunch was distributed as setup for the next ceremony will begin momentarily. Please be mindful that you may be exiting to increase pedestrian traffic. And we invite you to head to the park atrium and to Statler Hall there after you exit to that way. And take photos with your family and friends. Thank you all for celebrating today. Go Big Red, and congrats hotelies!
[APPLAUSE]
[CHEERING]
[BAND PLAYING]
