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Saturday, June 15, 2013
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
GRADUATE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
Held at:
Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center
National Harbor, Maryland
Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication
accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings.
This transcript is being provided in rough-draft format.
CART Services Provided by:
Natalie C. Ennis, CSR-CA, RPR / CI and CT
Realtime Captioner / ASL Interpreter

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(Applause.)
>> DR. POWELL: Good morning. I am Dr. Karan Powell, executive vice president and
provost of the American Public University System. It is my great pleasure to serve as
your master of ceremony today and welcome you for the commencement for the class
of 2013.
(Applause.)
Please stand for the presentation of the colors and the playing of the national anthem.
Gentlemen, please remove your caps at this time. Color guard, present the colors.
(Applause.)
>> DR. POWELL: The invocation will be delivered by university chaplain reverend and
Dr. Lindenmeyer.
>> DR. LINDENMEYER: Let us take time to pray and be thankful.
God of us all, who authors our life journey, you know the tremendous quest each
graduate endured in order to be at this long-awaited time and place. Thank you, lord,
for their persevering dedication to accomplishing their dream, and for their families and
friends, without whom this moment would not be possible. May your spirit encourage all
here in the coming years to be lifelong learners and teachers who inspire and help
others to also harvest the potential you've planted within.
Creator God, help everyone gathered here, no matter their age or education, know that
they have the ability to truly make a difference in this world.

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We also pray for the thousands who are not here, both graduates and students. May
any obstacles in their lives be overcome by the strength in knowing that we are the
community of the American Public University System, and together we can help
everyone to one day achieve his or her vision.
Amen.
>> DR. POWELL: Thank you, Dr. Lindenmeyer.
Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.
At this time, I would like to introduce our distinguished colleagues on the platform. I
would ask they stand as I introduce you. Starting at my immediate right: Our president
and chief executive officer, Dr. Wallace Boston; our commencement speaker, Mr. John
Pereira; delivering our graduate student honors address, Ms. Carol Jeffers; Reverend
Dr. Lindenmeyer.
>> DR. LINDENMEYER: Our chaplain; chairman of our board of trustees, Mr. Ball;
chairman of our board of directors, Mr. Chris Everett.
In the second row, serving on our board of trustees, lieutenant general Richard Trefry;
Major General Robert L. Nabors; Dr. Katy Marre; Dr. Katherine Zatz. Serving on our
board of directors: Major General Barbara Fast; Ms. Jean Halle; Mr. Tim Landon. To
my left on the platform is dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Dr. Linda
Moynihan. Dean of the School of Business and the School of Management, Dr. Chad
Patrizi. Dean of the School of Education, Dr. Conrad Lotze. Dean of the School of
Public Service and Health, Ms. Constance St. Germain. Dean of the School of Science

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and Technology, Mr. Daniel Benjamin. And Dr. Joseph Campus, standing in as the
dean for the School of Security and Global Studies.
Senior vice president Academic Operations and our Macebearer, Dr. Gwendolyn Hall.
In the next row, executive vice president and chief operations officer, Dean of Library
and Education Materials, Dr. Fred Stielow. Dean of the Center for Teaching and
Learning, Dr. Chris Reynolds. Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Patricia Campbell. Dean
of Program Development, Dr. G. Wynne Berry. Vice president for Curriculum and
Instructional Technology and Design, Dr. Richard Schilke. Vice president of Institutional
Research and Assessment, Dr. Jennifer Helm. Vice president of Faculty Management,
Dr. Donna Scribner. Vice president of Retention, Dr. Ron Kovach. Faculty emeritus,
Dr. Jim Smith. Vice president for Research and Development, Dr. Phil Ice. And our
university registrar, Ms. Lyn Geer. Seated to my far left are the program directors and
faculty directors and faculty from our various schools. Directors, faculty, staff in the
auditorium of American Public University System, please stand. Thank you for all that
you have done for our students and our graduates.
(Applause.)
Please be seated.
In the spirit of appreciation, I now ask spouses, loved ones, parents, children, and
friends of the graduates to please rise. Graduates, thank them for their support during
your work on your degree.
(Applause.)

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Please be seated.
At this time, by have -- we have a very important award to present. The James P. Etter
Award for Creativity and Innovation. To present this award, I again introduce the
chairman of our board of trustees, Mr. Frank Ball.
>> MR. BALL: Thank you, Dr. Powell.
I am pleased to present an award that was created in honor of the American Public
University System's founder and first chancellor, Mr. James P. Etter. This is the
American Public University System's James P. Etter Award for Creativity and
Innovation. This award is presented to an individual who clearly thinks out of the box;
someone who has the drive and passion to turn dreams into reality. This award is given
annually to a member of the APUS community. It can be awarded to a student, a
faculty member, a member of the staff, or even a member of the board.
Jim Etter, for whom this award is named, is a person known for his capacity to see what
is with clarity and ask, what else is possible here? What if we tried a different
approach? How do we know it wouldn't work? Let's try it and see.
The very existence of APU is evidence of the power of the right question, the
imagination to create what might have seemed impossible, and the drive to push new
things forward. Jim Etter has that exceptional gift, as does today's award winner. I'm
honored to present this year's award to Dr. Phil Ice, currently serving as the university's
vice president of Research and Development, focusing his research on the impact of
new and emerging technologies on cognition in the online learning environments. His
work has covered the use of technology mediated feedback, adopted at over 50

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institutions of higher education in five countries. Phil has conducted over 200 peer
reviewed and invited presentations and workshops, as well as authoring more than 50
articles, book chapters, and white the papers related to the integration of emerging
technologies and learning analytics in E-learning. Phil served as principal investigator
on a $1.05 million grant to explore online retention patterns across six institutions. His
work has earned him three Sloan-C effective practice of the year awards, the
AliveTek/DLA innovation on online distance learning administration award, and the
United States distance learning association's award for leadership in distance learning.
In recognition of Phil Ice's creative and innovative approach to online learning
environments, I am pleased to present Phil with the 2013 James P. Etter award for
creativity and innovation.
(Applause.)
>> DR. POWELL: Thank you, Mr. Ball, and congratulations, Dr. Ice. To give the
President's address, I am now pleased to introduce our president and chief executive
officer, Dr. Wallace Boston. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Dr.
Boston.
(Applause.)
>> DR. BOSTON: Good morning. Welcome, everyone. Congratulations, class of 2012-
13. I'm glad to see so many of your faces here today to celebrate this tremendous
milestone in your lives. Many of you have traveled great distances, including from Iraq,
the Netherlands, Zimbabwe. For my talk this morning, let me take you back to the 12th
century when the world saw the development of the first universities. Three of them in

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Paris and Oxford. At these original three universities, three academic distinctions were
bestowed upon the students. The first, scholar, was bestowed on a student who
completed enough coursework on a certain topic that he was capable of carrying on a
conversation on the topic. The second distinction, bachelor, was for students who had
completed a bit more coursework, essentially student teachers. Timely, the most
illustrious, was the mastership. At the original three universities, the master was
required to have completed enough coursework to exhibit a level of understanding
suitable to teaching the content to scholars and bachelors. The master's degree
evolved to show different attainment of knowledge and skill. In France, for example,
bachelor of arts could be learned with little more effort than passing a basic public
examination. The master of arts could be earned after two years of study in philosophy.
In England, the mastership of arts degree was so important that one could not enter civil
service without one. It was not until the 1850s at the University of Michigan that the
United States saw its first master's degree granted. The master's degree of today
represents a tremendous accomplishment and one not taken lightly.
First, despite the U.S. master's degree being more than 150 years old, in earning your
master's degree, you have accomplished something that only 10% of the U.S.
population has earned. Make no mistake: The population of the United States is
seeing increases. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that between 2012 and 2012 the
population holding a master's degree climbed by 5 million, a 43% increase in those ten
years. This does not detract from the significance of your accomplishment. It speaks to
your degree, in understanding that the world is changing and becoming increasingly
competitive.

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Second, speaking of a changing world, let's consider how your alma mater has changed
with it. American military university accepted their first cohort of 22 students seeking a
master's degree. The internet was in its infancy. Those students used textbooks and
syllabus, connecting with the professor by phone once a week. Our courses evolved
and so did we. We began utilizing the internet to conduct classes. From those first 22
students back in 1993, we have grown. Today we have more than 21,000 graduate
students pursuing degrees in 90 programs, to management, to information technology,
from space studies to sports management, and from Homeland Security to humanity
it's. You are among 3,358 students who earned their master's degrees over the last 12
months, which is the largest group in our history. You are also each unique and stand
apart from traditional students in so many ways. Your ages range from 23 to 74. Your
accomplishments are just as meaningful, regardless of your age. You are defenders
our country, representing every branch of the U.S. military. Many of you manage
deployments and duty changes while working towards your degrees. You are mothers,
fathers, wives, and husbands, managing all the responsibilities. Many of you have
balanced children's sporting events with your own homework and likely spent many
hours making sure each responsibility held your attention. Not only have you received
your diploma; you have set a stellar example for those most important in your lives.
You are working adults. After working a full day, you return home, oftentimes focusing
first on the children, then settling in on an evening of study and coursework. You are
role models and sources of inspiration to hose those around you. You are an inspiration
to me. Congratulations again. God speed.
(Applause.)

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>> DR. POWELL: Thank you, Dr. Boston. Early this morning, we honored graduates
and faculty for their academic achievements and their teaching excellence. We now
acknowledge you here. When your name is called, will the award recipients please
stand. The class of 2013 Academic Scholar Awards were presented to Jake Hale,
Laura Hurt, from the School of Education to Michael Messick. From the School of
Management, Tiffany Gardner. From the School of Public Service and Health, Jessica
Lengerich. From the School of Science and Technology, Laura Batts. From the School
of Security and Global studies, Patricia Vinson.
(Applause.)
Congratulations.
At this time would all graduates who received academic honors please stand.
Congratulations to you as well.
(Applause.)
Now I would like to invite the recipients of the outstanding faculty awards to stand. We
recognize excellence in teaching and learning. The awards were presented to Ms.
Lowell, School of Arts and Humanities; Mr. Gregory Harms, School of Business; Dr.
Susan Foster Ebbs, School of Education; Mr. Steven Cooke, School of Management;
Mr. Michael Pittaro, School of Public Service and Health; Dr. Shirley L. Vigil, School of
Science and Technology; Dr. Kate Brannum, School of Security and Global Studies.
We recognize one outstanding new faculty member and one overall outstanding faculty
member of the year. Outstanding new faculty member, Dr. Nicole Burtchett, and Dr.

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Stacey Little, outstanding faculty member of the year. Please join me in thanking them
for their excellence and congratulating them.
(Applause.)
Consistent with recognizing excellence, today we honor one of our graduates who is the
recipient of the class of 2013 President's Award. Dr. Boston, I invite you again to the
podium to present this award.
>> DR. BOSTON: The President's Award for outstanding graduate student of the year
goes to Ms. Carol Jeffers.
(Applause.)
Carol Jeffers earned her master of arts in Emergency and Disaster Management from
American Public University System earning a 4.0GPA. She has been on both the
President's honors list and the dean's honors list as a Golden Key Scholarship recipient
and is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, Epsilon Pi Phi honor
society, and Delta Epsilon Tau International Honor Society. She resides in Florida,
where she worked for the Florida Department of Health. She developed St. Croix
Rescue and works with the community emergency response team and teen CERT. She
has been a board member of the Carnegie Literacy Advisory Board. Carol Jeffers has a
longstanding commitment to education, and I am honored to invite her now to receive
her award and give the student honors address.
(Applause.)

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>> MS. JEFFERS: Have you ever noticed how a single seemingly simple act can set
you upon a path to great adventure, change the direction of your life, or bring you full
circle? Good morning. Faculty and staff of AMU and APU, fellow graduates, family,
and friends. Thank you for the honor and opportunity of presenting the commencement
address on this pivotal day of our academic and professional pursuits. For many of us,
the ceremony and celebration of this day comes at a price beyond that of physical
currency. In pursuit of this graduate degree, we walked a tightrope between working,
caring for our families, and meeting assignment deadlines. I say to all of us,
congratulations!
(Applause.)
Thank you to American Public University System for the opportunity of pursuing a
quality education on our personal time from anywhere. Thank you to our family and
friends for your sacrifices and contributions. Thank you, fellow graduates, for being the
foil against which we polished theoretical arguments, expanded our knowledge, and
gained new friendships.
In the terminology of emergency management, today is a blue sky day, where
everything is going as planned and all is well. In fact, today may even be your perfect
day, and I have the opportunity to keep you in stitches with witty remarks, or bore you
with staid and sonorous commentary, or somehow say wondrous things that may
become words of wisdom throughout the ages. Sorry. I have no such lofty plans.
Instead, I hope to share with you the life lessons that bring me here before you today. I
trust that you will find something which will make a positive difference for you, provide

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some words of encouragement for someone who needs it most, and foster or rekindle
your passion for a worthwhile cause.
First, let me set the stage upon which these lessons occurred and caution you.
Although some of this story is saddening, it is a tale of triumph. When I graduated from
the University of Tulsa in 1986, I made the monumental decision to delay medical
school and return home to fully recover from a challenging pregnancy and delivery that
nearly ended my life. Twice more I have returned to pursue that dream, but each time I
chose family and community over my desire to further my education. The first time in
1990, I returned to help rebuild St. Croix from the devastation of Hurricane Hugo. The
second time, in 1993, was cut short when my son received a major head and eye injury,
with a lacerated retina and cranial slow bleed. As a result, he lost much of his natural
vision and had to relearn everything from keeping his balances and walking to
academics.
I accepted that what he would have is a new normal, and I was determined that he
would recover as best as he was able and he could get a college degree. Oftentimes
through endless weeks of therapy, nights of homework, and study sessions, I was so
frustrated. Other times I just hugged him and cried. But I never gave up and I never let
him give up. Life lesson number one: Leverage the circumstances of disappointments
and defeats into opportunities.
At 16, the first six act of choosing the University of Tulsa for my undergrad studies set
me on a pathway leading to a winning poem entitled: “Let Service Lead the Way.” I
presented this proposal for improving the respect, care, and comfort of senior citizens in

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the Caribbean nations at a CARICOM summit in St. Kitts, British West Indies, and it
helped to shape the related policies in the region. At that time, I did not know that four
years later my second act of delaying medical school and returning home to St. Croix
would continue my path to commitment to community service. Within months, I became
the first female volunteer in the newly formed civil defense rescue squad and slammed
up against the distrust of a community that did not understand the squad's purpose and
the West Indian cultural stigma that a woman's place is in the home, not doing men's
work.
Members knew basic first aid and CPR. The team's assets consisted of a dilapidated
civil defense jeep which was as likely to not start as leave you stranded. We had lots of
hand tools and elbow grease. These challenges fueled my determination to bring the
squad up to international standards and obtain funding. I had to work tirelessly to earn
a promotion which would just as easily be revoked upon a whim. I say with all
seriousness, and some humor, that I am the most promoted and demoted officer in any
organization.
(Applause.)
Painful as it often was, I never allowed the Saturday appointments, abuse, or threats to
deter me from striving for best practices critical for improved services to the community.
Finally, we became the primary EMS and rescue and safety operations training center
for the Caribbean through southern command. Additionally, having developed the
urban search and rescue program for CARICOM and seen the team in action for the
2007 Cricket World Cup, I have come full circle.

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Life lesson number two. And there are only three of them, I promise. When your way is
blocked, forge new paths. Some days I feel like a complete failure for not obtaining my
medical degree. On those days my mom reminds me that I did the most important thing
of all. Being a single parent for a very special son who has become a fine young man
because of the care and support we gave him. When against all odds he went off to
college, I became eager to return to my studies. However, I needed to remain available
and supportive to my son. I applied to pursue my master's degree to augment my years
of field experience, and I decided I must make a 4.0GPA and graduate with honors for
several reasons. Because I am your typical type A perfectionist; to prove that I can to
myself; and, all right, I will admit it, to also give me a firm leg up should I make a final
attempt to attend medical school.
Life lesson three: Never give up. You would think after all the obstacles thrown in my
life, this would have been easy sailing. I had major surgery along the way and two
months after that, two vehicles ignored a red light and slammed into us. Completing my
coursework was agonizing as I worked through severe pain, medicine fog, partial
paralysis, therapy exhaustion, and several accident-related surgeries. I clung with faith
and desperation to my determination of making that perfect score, 4.0. At one point,
everything became too much. I could not take classes for some time. However, I
refused to give up. Despite the odds and obstacles, I was able to meet my goals.
And that brings me back to my son. Because this story, although entwined with mine, is
really about how he has inspired me. He has clung with tenacity of will to survive and
succeed even when failure seems inevitable. And he has done so with the calmest of
spirit, a ready smile, and a willingness to excel to his best ability at every task he is

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assigned. You see, because of the learning challenges induced by his head injury, he
has been pursuing his bachelor's degree for the last 12 years. Today I stand before you
as a fellow student who persevered, and a mother of a son who persevered for 12 years
and is now a graduate, sitting in the audience alongside my mother, who started the
passion for service, caring, and tenacity in us.
(Applause.)
Today is a blue sky day. As you climb your ladder of success, reach out and lend a
helping hand, a word of encouragement, or share a winning strategy to someone who
may need the strength to continue on. APU and AMU has done all of those things for
us, and many people did it for my son. Find a worthwhile cause and be willing to do
what it takes to make it successful.
Class of 2013, never give up.
(Applause.)
>> DR. POWELL: Thank you, Dr. Boston and congratulations Ms. Jeffers. We are
fortunate today to have as our commencement speaker Mr. John Pereira. Mr. John
Pereira became the CIA's first Chief of Corporate Learning in January 2012. In this role,
John is focused on developing an environment in the CIA that better links learning with
performance, challenges old assumptions, has strong outreach opportunities, and
increases the speed with which lessons learned are applied and disseminated. Prior to
assuming his role in January 2012, John served in the front office of the Directorate of
Support. First as the deputy director and then as the director. Over the course of his
public service career, John has worked with the CIA and the Department of State,

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affording him extensive overseas opportunities. He received his bachelor of arts in
journalism from the George Washington University. He has attended post-graduate
courses at both the Kellogg School of Management and Georgetown University. He is
currently a member of Harvard University's Learning Innovations Lab and the
conference board's executive council on talent and organizational development. He is
an ex officio member board of visitors for the National Intelligence University. We're
happy and blessed to have John here today not only because of his impressive career
experiences, but because he's committed to finding innovative approaches to learning.
Something we respect and admire.
John and his wife have four children. Three sons currently in college and a daughter
who recently started high school.
It is our honor to have such a distinguished guest with us here today. Ladies and
gentlemen, please help me welcome Mr. John Pereira.
(Applause.)
>> MR. PEREIRA: Good morning, everyone. This is great. Bright lights, video
cameras, thousands of people. Just what CIA guys love.
(Laughter.)
This is a great day. It's a great day for a number of reasons. First, it's beautiful outside.
Second, what you have accomplished here is truly a big deal. There are a number of
remarks that I plan to make, but I want to start with the most important, and that is for
the graduating students, I offer you my most sincere and heartfelt congratulations.

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To the friends and family who joined you in the endeavor, I'm going to ask for you to
give them a round of applause. Those not graduating.
(Applause.)
Now, students, think of how you got here. Think of who helped you. And think of those
people that just gave you a round of applause. Let's hear it for them.
(Applause.)
These guys win. Look, there are lots of you back there and these guys are louder. You
will have another chance.
I'm honored to be part of this graduation ceremony. Thank you, Dr. Powell, for the
invitation and kind introduction. I congratulation Dr. Boston and his team for helping
make the American Public University System what it is today. Truly a performance
leader in learning. I'm amazed at the advances, how deep they are and how quickly
they're being made. And I believe, frankly, that you are leading the way in terms of
global learning models. As future alumni, that will be increasingly important to you.
I also don't want to miss this opportunity to thank those of you who are either active duty
military or first responders. Can I see a show of hands? First responders, active duty?
(Applause.)
So my sources tell me that over 6,000 of today's graduating students are currently
serving in the military. I've had the honor of visiting many of our bases overseas. All of
them across Iraq and Afghanistan. I've met military colleagues across the U.S. I've met

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with a lot of first responders. Without fail, I leave those engagements more impressed,
more positive, and more optimistic than I arrive. So thank you very much.
As Dr. Powell mentioned, I am John Pereira. I currently serve as the chief of Corporate
Learning at the CIA. You won't read a whole lot in my bio. It's kind of a CIA thing.
(Laughter.)
So let me fill in a couple of details. Among the many things you won't read is the range
of assignments I've had at CIA over the last 30 years. I have spent a lot of time
traveling, both living and visiting. I've been in places where we acknowledge our
presence and I've been in other places. During my service, though --
(Laughter.)
I have to leave that vague.
What I do see I see every day, particularly in this new role, is the need for continuous
and disciplined learning. I believe frankly learning is like giving yourself a constant
upgrade. What we're celebrating today is a clear advantage over those who do less.
My role is to briefly try to suggest how you fold your achievement and the strength of
this institution into your professional lives. I have found that it helps to have a very clear
personal definition of learning. Some have a very narrow definition of learning, seeing it
as what happens in training or in the classroom. That's part of learning, absolutely, but
that's not all of it. There are some who have that huge broad definition of learning.
Everything you do is learning. Frankly, if I spill coffee on myself, that's a coordination
issue, less a learning opportunity.

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At CIA, we have what I call a sort of advancing definition of learning. Here's what it is.
Learning provides a vision of what might be possible. It helps us shape our own future,
and it gives us the speed, skill, and knowledge we need to counter rapidly changing
unpredictable threats to our national security. I would suggest that definition has
portions that are also for you. Vision of what might be possible. Shape your own future.
Speed, skill, and knowledge. For us there are three broad categories of learning.
Learning for action, in action, and from action. In meshing those experiences, what you
study, what you do, and the lessons you take from that, you increase your value. You
increase your value as an officer or as a person. You increase your value to your
family. You increase your value to your nation. And however you personally describe
learning, there's some key elements that I think we probably would all agree are
important. I will offer four of them.
First, learning is passion. You've got to love what you do and get really, really good at
it. If you're already good at it, get better. If you're not that good at it and you're not
enjoying it, because of your dedication to learning, you've given yourself an advantage.
You can find something new. To optimize that passion, I would suggest you look to
those things, look for those things that fuel you from the inside. Far more rewarding and
far greater personal value those things that really drive you as a person rather than
worrying about what looks good from the outside. The intrinsic value of loving what you
do has far greater rewards in the long run. And frankly I saw a fair amount of that last
night, when I had a chance to talk with some of the students. What I saw is a great love
of what you're doing now. So that's something you want to keep in the front of your
mind as you go forward.

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Also, I'm going to share with you something that I say to all new CIA officers. To keep
that passion alive, make sure that you fully engage in whatever you do. That
engagement thing is really what makes the difference. It's the difference between
influencing outcome and waiting for an outcome. It's a difference between being part of
a mission and having something happen to you. And it really does increase your
passion. I will give you just a small example. For those of you who have been to CIA
headquarters, either on your own or otherwise --
(Laughter.)
We have an aircraft. Let me see. Has anyone been to CIA headquarters? Now tell the
truth. Has anyone used Google earth to see what we look like? Okay, because it works
for this. So go on. No, I didn't instruct that. We've got an A-12 ox car, a plane sitting
on our compound. It flew at 90,000 feet at over 2200 miles per hour, which makes it a
really, really good spy plane. The A-12 is part of our heritage and we now have one on
the compound because of the passion of a single officer, a wonderful young lady named
Toni. A lot of us in CIA have one name. It's Toni. What she did is she knew our
heritage, she knew the importance of this. She worked hard. What we have now is a
connection to our past. We have a connection to our planned mission. People walk by
every day and understand a little bit more about our past. And that's important. That
deep passion is something that's helped CIA literally since the Cuban missile crisis. It
will help you as well. So learning is passion.
Second, learning is truth. By that I mean it's both acquiring truth and attaining truth, two
slightly different things. Acquiring truth is about a strong intellectual curiosity, wondering

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not just what is the answer today, but what will the answer be tomorrow. Attaining truth
is more personal. It requires you to know yourself. Know who you are. Know what is
important to you. Know what fuels you. Frankly as a group of graduating students,
you've already demonstrated service he is and excellence. The CIA mission values
include service and excellence.
The third is integrity. Integrity is not something graded on a bell curve. It's kind of a
pass/fail thing. It's something that is the difference between what you do and why you
do it. It's about aligning your actions with your beliefs, your truths. And letting both of
those reinforce each other. You will have moments when you are contemplating or are
directed to take action out of alignment with your beliefs. What you do at that point will
be a learning event. That's why they call it frankly a moment of truth. So learning is
truth.
Three, learning is action. I cannot overstate the importance of action. Think about it.
Everything that has ever happened that has moved our world forward is the result of
action. So learning without action has very little meaning. And I note not all action will
be successful. There will be action you take that is not successful, but taking action is
important. And if you take action that's not successful, learn from it and take more
action.
In the immediate post 9-11 world, the CIA in particular took a very wide range of action.
Now, we based our action partly on experience and predictive analysis. And frankly
partly on current knowledge. At that time, there was a fairly low degree of predictability.
In some cases, the action that we took then has been questioned and frankly should be

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questioned because through that we as a nation learn. Which leads me to my last
point.
Learning is reflection. Ultimately, all that passion, all that truth, all that action have to
lead to something. And you can determine how well it leads you through reflection. I've
become almost an extremist on this point. Learning provides the opportunity for growth,
for solving problems, for creating a vision of what might be possible if you take the time
to reflect. That's how you prepare for tomorrow. What I tell our new officers, it's a little
bit like backing up your hard drive and updating your apps mentally at the same time.
What you know and the tools required to do it is your reflection. Your experiences will
accumulate faster than you realize. So reflection can often be as simple as asking a
couple of easy questions. What about what I just did is important? Is there a better way
to do it? What does it look like tomorrow? Those questions constitute full reflection to
me.
So those are the four key factors of learning. Passion, truth, action, reflection. And I'll
circle back to the main point, which is that learning gives you an advantage. The
achievement we are celebrating today does indeed give you an advantage. But it
doesn't end today. This is one of the many key events along your personal learning
path. So what do you do after today? You keep learning. Find those from whom you
wish to learn more. Learn from people like Steve jobs, who suggested to a group of
graduating students just a few years ago, and I quote, "Have the courage to follow your
heart and intuition."

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Learn from your colleagues. I have something on my desk that a junior officer sent to
me that says: In times of change, learners inherit the earth while the learned find
themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. We are in
times of change. Learn from those close to you. When I was contemplating taking a
very senior job in the CIA and feeling unprepared, my father said to me, I have learned
more than I realized. Everything I've learned leads to the next job. I took his advice and
it made a big difference. Learn from Carol. Learn from her life. Take these
opportunities to learn and decide what is meaningful for you.
I will give you two examples of things that are meaningful for me. The first San
operation, of which you are familiar. In an interview, our former director was asked if he
had seen Zero Dark Thirty. Have you seen it? His answer: That's just a movie; I lived
it.
I had the great honor of living with him, including the very moment when we learned the
operation was successful. For me that has deep meaning.
Second, I carry with me, I mentioned I speak a lot to armed officers. When I speak to
them as a group, I have a photo that I carry. The photo was taken at our headquarters
one year after an attack on a base in Afghanistan where seven officers were killed. It's
a picture of a flag at half-staff in front of our building but it reflects a moment of great
meaning for me. We've had that flag at half-staff way too many times since 9-11. And I
want to be reminded of that fact.
So each of you has had and will continue to have meaningful experiences that shape
who you are. That's the essence of learning. But don't mistake learning for a passive

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event. I'm going to give you one more quote, and I promise this is my last. Unless I
quote Carol, because that was really good. Here's the quote by Abigail Adams:
"Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to
with diligence."
So to wrap this up, I have to share with you one of the things from the commencement
speaker's handbook. You are not expected to remember your commencement
speaker's name. That's a rule. Unless it's the current sitting president. Then you're
always going to refer to "that guy." You know, that guy from NASA or that high tech
CEO woman from San Bernardino. Whatever it is, it's "that guy."
In addition, you only will remember one line. So here's the one line that I would like you
to remember from that CIA guy.
(Laughter.)
Learning is future possibility. So continuous learning means endless possibility. By
graduating here today, you are giving yourself the clear advantage. And please, by all
means, keep it up.
Congratulations and thank you.
(Applause.)
>> DR. POWELL: Thank you, John, for sharing your passion for learning and the
inspiration and invitation for us to live a life of learning. Thank you.

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The graduating class of 2013 consists of those who could label themselves as teachers,
parents, service members, veterans, volunteers, among other valued roles. Our
diversity inside and outside the classroom makes us strong in times of adversity. Not all
members of this graduating class have reached their academic dream. Mr. W. Arthur
Roberts was a retired teacher and administrator, having served students for more than
35 years. He passed away in August while completing his master of arts in military
studies with a concentration in Civil War. Arthur was a passionate Civil War history buff
and an expert on the military maneuvers of the war. He frequently participated in
reenactments, furthering his strong passion for preserving the history of the Civil War.
We are honored to have with us his wife Cynthia, two daughters Christine and Angela,
and his son Andrew. Andrew is seated with the School of Security and Global Studies
and will be accepting his father's master of arts in military studies degree post usually
during the conferral of degrees by our president.
At this time, I would ask us to pause for a moment of silence to honor Mr. Roberts as
well as the memories of all of our fallen students.
Graduates, it is an honor that you can be here today to celebrate your academic
accomplishment in person. As you know, you represent just a portion of the graduating
class. Therefore, we have a special message from some members of the class of 2013
who could not be here with you. Please direct your attention to the screens.
(Video.)
>> Congratulations class of 2013. Today we honor your accomplishments.

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>> I can't make it to the graduation, but I will be thinking of everyone. I will be
continuing on at APU for my master's in psychology. I wish you the best.
>> Hello class of 2013. I'm in the United Kingdom. I'm graduating with a master's in
National Security Studies. I wish I could be there with you all to congratulate you and I
wish you the best of luck in your future endeavor.
>> I'm James. 58 years old. Probably the oldest-ever graduate. I'm speaking to you
from Budapest in Hungary. I have the distinct pleasure of graduating with a student
body distinction. I wish you all the best.
>> I live in Magnolia, Mississippi. I received my master's degree from American Public
University System School of Management. To you all, keep pushing. And to APU,
thank you.
>> Hello. This is Victoria. I am located in Columbus, Ohio. I'm graduated with a
master's degree. Unfortunately, I cannot be at my graduation ceremony because my
youngest daughter is graduating at the same time. I wish all of you the best of luck. I
hope that our paths will cross again.
>> I'm a class of 2012 graduate. I am in the Great Lakes area. I recommend that
everyone take advantage of all the resources that the military offers, GI bill and tuition
assistance. It's a good opportunity to get your education. Congratulation, fellow
graduates.
>> Congratulations class of 2013. I just completed my bachelor of arts degree in
Transportation Systems Management. I'm active duty Air Force serving in Egypt.

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However, I will still be celebrating along with all the other graduates June 15. Thank
you to AMU for allowing the opportunity to pursue a degree online. I made it. I hope
you go far in your academic achievements. Peace.
>> Congratulations class of 2013.
(Applause.)
>> DR. POWELL: Now for what we have been waiting for. At this time I am pleased to
present the American Public University System candidates to you, Dr. Boston. Will the
master's degree candidates please come forward by school to receive your diploma.
(Applause.)
School of Arts and Humanities.
Master of Arts in Military History.
Master of Arts in Psychology.
School of Business.
Master of Business Administration.
Master of Education.
School of Management. Master of Arts in Management.
Master of Science in Sports Management.
Master of Arts in Transportation and Logistics Management.

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School of Public Service and Health.
Master of Arts in Criminal Justice.
Master of Arts in Emergency Management.
Master of Arts in Legal Studies.
Master of Public Administration.
Master of Arts in Security Management.
School of Science and Technology.
Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management.
Master of Science in Information Technology.
Master of Science in Space Studies.
School of Security and Global Studies.
Master of Arts in Homeland Security.
Master of Strategic Intelligence.
(Applause.)
>> DR. POWELL: Master's degree candidates, please rise. Dr. Boston, these
candidates have fulfilled all requirements for the respective master's degrees, and it is
with great pleasure that I present them to you.

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>> DR. BOSTON: Thank you, Dr. Powell. Upon the recommendation of the faculty
onboard of trustees, I confer upon each of you the master's degree, with all of the
privileges and responsibilities thereunto. Congratulations.
(Applause.)
Graduates, you may now symbolize your graduation by changing your tassels from the
right side of your cap to the left side. Congratulations.
(Applause.)
>> DR. POWELL: The University Systems board of trustees, board of directors, faculty
and staff extend our congratulations to you, our graduates and now our alumni on the
achievement of your educational goals. We have been privileged to support you in your
endeavors. We wish you only the best in your future. We thank you, the families and
friends of our graduates, for the support you have given to them, and for being present
at this celebration. Our commencement ceremony is now concluded. I ask our guests
to stand at their seats until the platform party, faculty, and graduates have recessed
from the ceremony hall. Have a great day.
(Applause.)