Overcoming fears, finding courage and faith are keys to success, commencement speaker tells Upper Iowa University graduates
Some of the 2012 graduates at Upper Iowa University line up to march into one of three Commencement exercises on the Fayette campus Saturday.
FAYETTE, Iowa (May 5, 2012) – Both the fear of failure and the fear of success must be overcome to achieve success. That was the message heard by Upper Iowa University graduates during three commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 5– the 150th commencement event on the Fayette campus.
Artis G. Hampshire-Cowan, Senior Vice President and Secretary at Howard University in Washington, DC, delivered what she called the "uncommencement address....because I want to share some wisdom. I want you to benefit from one of my many life lessons. And besides, I want you to remember what I say today many years from now... advice that I hope will help you to navigate in the days ahead."
Hampshire-Cowan cautioned graduates that fear of failure can hold them back from being successful. "Because we know our human limitations, we stay in our comfort zone," she said. "This can lead to a life of unfulfilled dreams and frustrations about what 'could have been.'" Adding that fear of success can be just as limiting, Hampshire-Cowan urged graduates "to consider that your journey and success may be a testament to others on the ladder below you who are struggling to achieve, too."
Defining courage as "doing what is right and just, even when we are afraid," Hampshire-Cowan said the best antidotes to fear are courage and spiritual development. "Spending the time to develop yourself spiritually strengthens you and gives you courage," she added. "It gives you faith to act on what you cannot see but that which you hope for."
Hampshire-Cowan also called on UIU graduates to include service to others in their work, adding that service can bring success into their lives. "Focus on the work, employ a personal standard of excellence in all that you do, seek to serve and the rest comes," she explained.
Hampshire-Cowan is currently leading Howard University's effort to expand and develop the University's North Research Campus in Beltsville, Md., which is part of Howard's renewed research agenda. As Senior Vice President and Secretary at Howard, Hampshire-Cowan serves as corporate secretary of the University; manages the affairs of Howard's Board of Trustees; and for over a decade, planned and managed all official functions of the University. For seven years, she performed a dual role as Vice President for Human Resource Management which provided executive oversight of human resource management for a workforce of over 5,000. She also served as Acting President of the University.
About 700 of the more than 1,600 UIU students who were eligible for graduation this year walked across the stage Saturday. Sixty received master's degrees, with about 640 receiving bachelor's degrees.
About Upper Iowa University
Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private, not-for-profit university providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs and leadership development opportunities to over 6,800 students—nationally and internationally—at its Fayette campus and learning centers worldwide. Upper Iowa University is a recognized innovator in offering accredited, quality programs through flexible, multiple delivery systems, including online and independent study.
Contact:
Monica Bayer Heaton
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
Phone: 563-425-5773
Cell: 515-291-2070
heatonm@uiu.edu