Text of President Dekle's Speech at the Spring 2020 Pledge Ceremony
It is the year 2020, the start of a new decade. Those of you who were around in the last century may recall there were some interesting predictions made about 2020, including:
- That robots would be doing our laundry by now
- That we would be vacationing on the Moon
- That people would be living to be 150 years old by now
Well, it is now 2020, and of course, we have fallen short of these predictions. Nonetheless, we are well on our way to transforming how we live and work. Soon, words and concepts such as deepfakes, federated learning, splinternet, e-sports, DeFi, mobile food preparation, predictive shipping, neobanks, negative interest rates, sovereign digital currencies, remote talent, platform governance, and precision healthcare will be the norm.
Therefore, it is important that you use your time at AUN to learn how to learn because your ability to navigate this new world will vitally depend on your ability to become a continuous lifelong learner and to continue your education long after you leave AUN.
Stallions, you are starting a new chapter today, at AUN, and I have some predictions for you in 2020:
- You will be challenged inside and outside the classroom
- You will make new friends
- You will develop and grow in unimagined ways
Your AUN education is your passport to this future. Do something at AUN that your future self will thank you for. As Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai said, "Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow's reality." Stallions, the 2020s are here, and the population of Earth is projected to surpass 8 billion during this decade, and you will lead us. I have confidence that as you take the AUN pledge today, you will internalize what it means to be a member of our AUN learning community.
New students, you are welcome – you are now members of our learning community, the Stallion Nation.