Former U.S. Vice President and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore gave the keynote address at Carnegie Mellon's 111th commencement ceremony May 18, 2008. Gore underscored the need to act toward a solution to climate change and expressed confidence in the graduates' ability to make a difference in the world.
"There is an African proverb that says if you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We have to go far, quickly," said Gore, with a mixture of humor and earnestness. "And we need your help to do it."
Carnegie Mellon President Jared Cohon also surprised guests by introducing Professor Randy Pausch, whose famous "Last Lecture" has moved audiences around the globe. In an inspiring speech, Pausch expressed his love for the university where he went to school and also teaches. He urged graduates to follow in his footsteps in working toward achieving their childhood dreams.
"It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our death bed. It is the things we do not. Find your passion and follow it," said Pausch. "And if there is anything I have learned in my life, you will not find that passion in things. And you will not find that passion in money. Because the more things and the more money you have, the more you will just look around and use that as the metric — and there will always be someone with more. That passion will be grounded in people."
Commencement videos are available in multiple formats online:
Watch video of Jeffrey Bezos — founder of Amazon.com, who was awarded an honorary doctor of science and technology — address audiences at the diploma ceremonies for the Tepper School of Business and School of Computer Science.