Introduction:

It is my pleasure to introduce the commencement speaker for these exercises.

It's a pleasure in particular this summer because we have an outstanding member of our faculty, Dr. Lou Pelton.

Dr. Pelton is an outstanding member of our faculty who has made many many contributions to your education and to the betterment of this University.

It's of singular importance that this past year he served as the Chair of our Faculty Senate.

Singularly important because that is the highest honor that our faculty can bestow on a colleague to elect them to really serve the leadership of all of our faculty.

He's an Associate Professor in the College of Business Administration in the Department of Marketing and Logistics.

He's internationally known as an expert on global marketing channels, on marketing ethics, and on relationship marketing.

He's conducted research and training for companies in Asia, Australia, Europe and South America as well as in the United States.

He received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Baltimore, and followed that with an MBA at Texas Tech and then a doctoral degree in Marketing from the University of Mississippi.

He joined our faculty in 1994.

His service while here at the University includes inaugurating the University's first business and merchandising study abroad program in China.

In June he took 30 students to Hong Kong and China's Guangdong Province (formerly Canton) to tour the manufacturing operations of JC Penney, Fossil, NCH, and other companies with headquarters here in the North Texas region.

The students interacted with the local business and government leaders to explore ways in which culture impacts global marketing.

He's lead students on study abroad trips to Malaysia as well, and he's lectured at many universities in the US and abroad, including City University of Hong Kong, the City University of New York, the National University of Singapore, Texas A&M University, the University of California at Berkley, University of Queenlands, and University of Oklahoma.

In fact I'm wondering when he has time to lecture here. He's so busy.

But he represents our University so very well and we're pleased and proud to share him with these other institutions.

He's the senior author and editor of several books, and these books have been translated into both Spanish and Chinese languages and are distributed in eighteen countries.

He's published more than ninety articles in the top-tier journals in his field, and he serves as the editor of the Journal of Marketing Channels.

I've mentioned that he was Chair of the Faculty Senate this past academic year.

What I didn't say is that's a tremendously time-consuming job, because in that position you literally represent all of our faculty here at the University; all of our faculty.

He's had and earned numerous teaching awards, including UNT's J. H. Shelton Excellence in Teaching Award.

It's with very great pleasure that I introduce to you your commencement speaker for Summer 2004, Dr. Lou Pelton.

[applause]

Dr. Lou Pelton speech:

Thank you, President Pohl, for the very kind words of introduction.

Yes, I've done a lot of stuff, but frankly the stuff is not much different from what I'm made of, from what all of you are made of.

I mean there's the stuff that we have that we get from our parents, our friends, our family and our foes.

And there is the stuff that underlies our personal convictions and commitments in life.

And then there's the stuff that we never want to encounter ever.

And hopefully, the next few minutes won't be in that category.

So distinguished colleagues, distinguished guests, and most of all, UNT graduates who are proud and prepared in the Class of 2004.

You know, among our oldest graduates, or maybe I should say the most experienced graduates here today, is a member of the Baby Boomers.

I'm a professor in marketing, and we're very interested in generational differences; how we define ourselves.

The Baby Boomers,a product of America's largest population explosion, and in fact, many of your friends and family are indeed members of that category.

A fellow who's among the oldest of our graduates, another baby boomer like myself, will recount the band The Who stuttering "People try to put us d-down just because we get around. Talking about my my my generation."

Well, Townsend was hailed "the spokesman of his generation" and frankly the lyrics are quite different from Limp Bizkit's take on "My Generation".

But I don't think the message is all that different.

I think a lot of what they are saying is fairly ubiquitous and holds a lot of charm across each and every generation, and a lot of prescriptive guidance as well.

Each generation is a product of the formative experiences and those formative experiences define who we are.

They mold our preferences and our belief systems.

They define our attitudes and our lifestyles.

I hope today's milestone here at the commencement embodies the formative experiences that you've had as a student at the University of North Texas.

Each generation is impacted by our preceding generations, and we in fact impact ensuing generations.

Most of you are what we call "Gen Y'ers" - in fact the children of Baby Boomers.

Not all but many of you are.

They call you the "Echo Boomers", the second largest population explosion.

The "Millennium Generation".

The moniker I like best, that defines a lot of what you've accomplished today, is "Generation Next", because you can have an inimitable impact on the future of not just you as an individual, and your generation as collective, but generations to come.

Talk about your generation.

Well, there was the Oklahoma City bombing.

Columbine shootings.

Dot.coms boom and bust.

The urgency of a 9.1.1. call redefined by the insurgency of 9-11.

The O.J. trials.

The Rodney King riots.

The Clinton impeachment.

Kosovo war.

The Persian Gulf invasion.

SARS.

Mad cow disease.

Enemy nations supplanted by borderless terrorism.

Indeed you've lived through a lot - Echo Boomers.

So are you a generation destined for disaster?

I think quite the contrary.

Because like each generation before you, you've learned the perils, and you'll capitalize on the promises for a brighter tomorrow.

You - those of you sitting down here - - are the most techno-savvy, market-wise generation in American history.

You, as "Generation Y'ers", are the most ethnically and culturally diverse generation, in U.S. history.

And yes, with a little bit of help from some professors and friends and family, are the most educated and skilled generation in America to date.

But watch over your shoulder, because "Generation Z" is our next generation, and will be even more qualified than you.

You know, the historian Daniel Boorstin asserted that "The greatest words ever written on the maps of human knowledge are `terra incognita' - unknown territory."

And indeed that is a great deal of uncertainty that you'll confront as you depart out of here.

Twain (that's Mark, not Shania) asserted, "Forecasting is an imperfect science."

However, it doesn't take Doppler radar to forecast that Generation Next will witness some unprecedented events.

You will witness a Cuba without Castro.

You will witness the most dramatic transformation in global sourcing of products and people in the history of the world.

You will witness another flood of democratization which will wash away the reigns of authoritarian regimes throughout the world.

You will innovate technologies and pharmacology that will enhance the world's quality of life.

You will see the disillusion of the ever-growing European union as we know it today.

And finally, it will be your generation that will elect the first woman president of the U.S. and the most diverse Congress in American history.

So, I have just a few humble requests from you, as you set a path for future generations...

Number One:

Please champion ethnic and cultural diversity.

Fight the despots of discrimination.

You know, this year marks a half-century of integration at UNT.

It's been a hard, long, but sure fight.

As a university, as a state, and as a nation we've come too far to ever go back.

So whatever your philosophy or your faith, if you worship in a church or a synagogue, in a mosque or a temple, leave the door open.

Make your house a haven for those in need.

Let's not let the close-mindedness of exclusion cheat us of the opportunities of inclusion.

Diversity broadens our perspectives and enriches each and every life.

Numero Dos, Number Two:

Please make your voice heard.

As students, you certainly did it in my class.

But Jackson (and again that's Andrew not Janet) suggested in matters of conscience, a single vote is a majority.

Make those around you know what you stand for, and make the world listen to what you won't stand for.

Whether Democrat or Republican, Green Party or Independent, more than two-thirds of voters agree about one thing.

The most important characteristic of leadership is integrity and morality.

So don't sit on the fence or you'll ultimately be fenced in.

Exercise your freedom of speech, and be a strong force for your convictions.

And finally, Di San, Number Three:

Please don't forget where you come from.

Throughout your journey to this point to the here and now, to confer the degree for which you attend this ceremony, remember the support of your loved ones.

Whether it was emotional support or financial support, they've stood beside you all the way.

Maybe we should recognize all the people out here who stood beside us.

[applause]

"Home is where the heart is."

But from this day forward, UNT will adorn your diploma.

Don't just hang it on the wall.

Wear it on your sleeve.

Keep the Mean Green in your spirit.

For richer or poorer, for better or worse, this is always going to be a home for you.

So, let me close with the poet from my generation.

The Boss (that Springsteen, not Hugo), he sings in "Thunder Road", and he says "I'm pulling outta here a winner."

Well today, each and every one of you in the Class of 2004, you're pulling outta here winners.

So, buckle up.

Shift into gear.

Look both ways.

And mind the signs along the way.

And, most of all, enjoy the ride.

Have a safe and prosperous journey.

Thank you.

[applause]