美国韦伯斯特大学商学院院长本杰明. 阿坎德博士

美国韦伯斯特大学商学院院长，本杰明·阿坎德博士致辞

Life is not a dress rehearsal

Benjamin ola. Akande, ph.d.

Dean of School of Business and Technology of Webster University

Commencement address – Webster china

December 15, 2012

This year, the year of the dragon, the iconic black and white Oreo cookie celebrates its centennial. One hundred years since the chocolate wafer sandwich first went on sale in the U.S. this favorite treat is now beloved around the world with $2 billion in global sales. Second, only to the U.S.. In Oreo cookie consumption is the world’s most populous country….your country of china. But those who travel here find the cookie you consume in china is n othing like the one you eat in St. Louis. In fact, the first Oreos sold here in china “crumbled.” Consumers here were not too accustomed to Oreos as desserts and thought the treat was too big and too sweet. Kraft went back to the kitchen and came up with a culturally conscious cookie that sells and satisfies. Kraft got it right as a global business, they understood that diversity can drive and dictate the market.

At Webster University, diversity is the tie that binds our institution. As a center of higher learning, we see our role primarily to bring people together to achieve things together that they could never achieve on their own. Our students and faculty represent the world. And, our programs mirror the world we live in. We call it inclusive excellence and it means drawing from all our generational and cultural strengths.

We live in a time; we live in a place, where the popular belief is “show me the money.”So many of us have become satisfied spectators in the unfolding drama of life content to sit on the fence and settle for pacing the sidelines as casual observers, watching

the drama unfold right before our eyes. And, lately, I have found that some of these spectators are leaders of organizations, who have survived by taking the road of least resistance. They lead by following. They wait and watch to see the direction that everybody is going and then quickly get in front of the crowd the people they are suppose to be leading. There is something wrong with this picture because the drama of life demands that we all stand for something - relevance, meaningful contributions, making a difference, being the difference.

Society is searching for principled leaders, who are willing to push the envelope of human capabilities. We need more folks who are searching for a new way. I’m talking about leaders who are committed to bringing significance and meaning to others. I’m speaking about people ready to lift up their community, to leave a mark on their profession and society.

I must confess to you that I remain a hopeless optimist because I believe what china needs most are young leaders like our graduates today, dedicated to ensure that china’s future remains in good hands.

I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that this nation is ready for your generation to move it from success to significance.

And, what is needed in china today is your capacity to embrace a cause that is greater than all of you.

I pray that you will be blessed with 80-100 365 days to breath in and breath out, but let me remind you that, your presence in this world will be quickly forgotte n if you live your life as if it were a dress rehearsal.

In a worldwide survey conducted by one of the national news organizations, people were asked to name the individuals that made a difference in the 20th century. The majority of the