Purdue president urges graduates to continue learning

Jischke spoke to about 1,250 graduates, their families and friends during the 9:30 a.m. ceremony at Elliott Hall of Music.

This weekend marks the university's 149th commencement.

"As we gather today for this celebration, we take great pride in the fact that Purdue University's leadership in higher education has now touched three centuries," Jischke said. "In the United States, we think of that as a great length of time. But in many other parts of the world, the history of higher education reaches far deeper into the past."

He said that in the next 100 years, the world will change in ways that can't be imagined because knowledge is not constant.

"It changes and evolves, forever building and expanding on what has been known and understood before," Jischke said. "Your education is not complete with the awarding of these degrees. Indeed, your pursuit of knowledge is now just commencing.

"One of the central missions we have worked to accomplish at Purdue is to teach you how to learn, and perhaps even more importantly, to instill within you a lifelong, unquenchable thirst for learning."

Lindsey Anne Thieme of Decatur, Ind., a graduate of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, was the student responder.

Among the degrees awarded were 504 undergraduate degrees, three professional degrees, 404 master's degrees and 337 doctoral degrees.

DVD footage of the West Lafayette commencement is available to graduates and their families. Order forms for the $30 DVD are available at Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse box office or by calling (765) 494-3933.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Sources: Martin C. Jischke, (765) 494-9708

Christine L. Leasure, assistant registrar, (765) 494-6163, clleasure@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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Purdue University commencement

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