{"id":104808,"date":"2021-05-01T11:52:17","date_gmt":"2021-05-01T16:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=104808"},"modified":"2021-05-08T10:46:35","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T15:46:35","slug":"reckford-challenges-2021-graduates-to-pursue-purpose-not-just-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/reckford-challenges-2021-graduates-to-pursue-purpose-not-just-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Reckford Challenges 2021 Graduates to \u2018Pursue Purpose, Not Just Success\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Jonathan T.M. Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, delivers the Convocation address at the University of Mississippi\u2019s 168th Commencement at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday (May 1). Photo by Thomas Graning\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 Jonathan T.M. Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, told University of Mississippi<\/a> graduates on Saturday (May 1) to \u201cpursue purpose, and not just success,\u201d as they wrap up their journeys through college and enter the professional world.<\/p>\n

During Saturday\u2019s Convocation address, Reckford encouraged the approximately 10,000 people in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Ole Miss for the university\u2019s 168th Commencement to \u201cconsider the really important matters\u201d as they answer the questions \u201cWho are you?\u201d, \u201cHow will you define success?\u201d and \u201cHow will you find your purpose?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately success will not be measured by what you\u2019ve achieved, but by who you are, by your character,\u201d Reckford said. \u201cStudies have shown that there is very little correlation between wealth and happiness. You can be rich in so many ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cService is a doorway by which we enter so many positive places together. In my experience, serving others and connecting to something larger than ourselves is where we find true joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reckford graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he was a Morehead Scholar. He also received a Henry Luce Scholarship, which enabled him to do marketing work for the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee and coach the Korean rowing team in preparation for the 1988 Summer Olympics.<\/p>\n

The speaker said he was overwhelmed Saturday morning as he spoke before the Class of 2021 \u2013 a class of graduates marked by significant achievements, resilience and character. The Class of 2021 totals more than 5,000 graduates \u2013 3,500 May 2021 graduates, more than 700 December 2020 graduates and more than 1,000 August 2021 graduates.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chancellor Glenn Boyce speaks to the Class of 2021 during Convocation at the University of Mississippi\u2019s 168th Commencement at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday (May 1). Photo by Kevin Bain\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/p><\/div>\n

In his introductory remarks, Chancellor Glenn Boyce noted Reckford\u2019s numerous awards and recognitions, his service to the nation, and his honors and accomplishments in the humanitarian world.<\/p>\n

\u201cJonathan Reckford is a distinguished leader in the nonprofit and corporate worlds who will bring a savvy global perspective to our 2021 graduates and their families,\u201d Boyce said. \u201cI\u2019m honored and grateful that he will extend our long legacy of distinguished Commencement speakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs our graduates take the next step in their journey, I know they will be inspired by the keen insight he\u2019s gained as head of a global organization that exemplifies the notion of servant leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boyce recognized the Commencement ceremonies as the highlight of the academic calendar and expressed pride in the graduates.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday we recognize the success of our students, families, faculty and staff,\u201d he said. \u201cToday is a day to be enjoyed and remembered, a happy day for all of us. Our collective prayer for each of you is a life filled with joy, good health, successful and meaningful careers, and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Saturday\u2019s ceremony, Patrick M. Alexander, associate professor of English and African American Studies and co-founder of the UM Prison-to-College-Pipeline Program, was recognized as the 2021 Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award<\/a> winner. The honor is the university\u2019s highest achievement for teaching.<\/p>\n

JoAnn Edwards, speech instructor and director of forensics in the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, and Jacqueline Certion, former assistant director of the Foundations of Academic Success Track, or FASTrack program, in the College of Liberal Arts, were honored as this year\u2019s Frist Student Service Award<\/a> honorees for faculty and staff, respectively. Edwards is set to retire Aug. 5, and Certion died in December, but her impact continues to be felt across campus.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Greg Tschumper, chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was honored with this year\u2019s Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award<\/a>. Created in 2008, the award is the university\u2019s highest honor for faculty success and outstanding accomplishment in research, scholarship and creative activity. Additionally, Alan Gross, professor of psychology, and Jay Watson, Howry Professor of Faulkner Studies and professor of English, were appointed Distinguished Professors<\/a>, which recognizes the best faculty with sustained excellence at the university. The award was created in response to the university\u2019s strategic initiative to develop a post-professorial recognition.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Members of the Class of 2021 celebrate at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during Convocation at the University of Mississippi\u2019s 168th Commencement. Photo by Thomas Graning\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/p><\/div>\n

Flint Christian, senior class president, announced the legacy of this year\u2019s graduating class will be a gift of more than $22,000 donated to the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement\u2019s Inclusive Excellence Retention Fund.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to do a gift that could hopefully save a life of a future Ole Miss student,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In separate ceremonies Thursday and Friday evening, the university\u2019s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College graduates received their degrees, and recipients of doctoral degrees were honored at a hooding ceremony in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n

Degrees were presented to graduates from their respective schools throughout the day Saturday, and ceremonies will continue on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Reckford said the UM commencement was his first in-person event since the pandemic began more than a year ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thrilled to be able to offer you my congratulations,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a great moment for you and your families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis clearly wasn\u2019t the senior year that any of you had imagined or planned, but you are a very resilient group of college students who faced the challenges of remote learning, interrupted social lives and a daunting job market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reckford said the candidates for graduation have learned so much more than the topics covered on their final exams.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the pandemic, you figured out new ways of doing things. You discovered an appreciation of the ordinary,\u201d he said. \u201cThe shared experiences of COVID-19 have brought us closer together even as we\u2019ve been physically separated. We\u2019ve developed a deep empathy for those we love and found a calling to help those we\u2019ve never met.\u201d<\/p>\n

For additional details and a complete 2021 Commencement schedule, visit the university\u2019s Commencement website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To read stories of students from the Class of 2021, visit the university\u2019s Journey to Commencement<\/a> website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 Jonathan T.M. Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, told University of Mississippi graduates on Saturday (May 1) to \u201cpursue purpose, and not just success,\u201d as they wrap up their journeys through college and enter the professional world. During Saturday\u2019s Convocation address, Reckford encouraged the approximately 10,000 people in Vaught-HemingwayRead the story …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":104809,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[221,199],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nReckford Challenges 2021 Graduates to \u2018Pursue Purpose, Not Just Success\u2019 - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/reckford-challenges-2021-graduates-to-pursue-purpose-not-just-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reckford Challenges 2021 Graduates to \u2018Pursue Purpose, Not Just Success\u2019 - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 Jonathan T.M. 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