Senior Class President Address
Delivered by Maura Daly,
Class of 2007
Good morning. My name is Maura Daly and it is an honor to be speaking today as the president of the class of 2007.
It would be easy for me to remind you of the things we have learned during our time at St. Ambrose. However, my experiences and lessons are no greater than yours so I have no parting wisdom to share. Instead, I'd like to use my words to voice thanks and appreciation from myself and my fellow graduates to those here today.
The first person to thank is also a graduate, though not in the traditional sense. Dr. Rogalski will be leaving St. Ambrose after thirty-nine years — talk about a super senior. For the last twenty years he led and transformed this institution as president. He increased enrollment by 44 percent and added or renovated 14 buildings on campus. Under his leadership, almost 40 academic programs have been added.
Our class has been fortunate enough to see Dr. Rogalski finish his tenure. We thank you for your remarkable leadership, for without you, St. Ambrose would not be the university it is today. You taught us that leading by example gains more respect than any accomplishment.
We also thank you for your humility and enthusiasm. My friend reminded me of our first encounter with Dr. Rogalski. We were naive freshman, eager to start our college careers when we went to freshman orientation. Dr. Rogalski gave a welcoming address and choked up when told us he'd be graduating with us. He said, “If my hugs are little tighter, don't be afraid. I’m just trying to hang on college as long as I can.” As we walked out of Allert Auditorium, he stood at the door and hugged as many people as he could. At the time, we were amazed by Dr. Rogalski’s action but have come to regard this warmth as Big Ed's standard practice. How many other universities have a president that cheers the loudest at sports games, gives bear hugs as greetings, or answers his own telephone? We will never forget you and the values you instilled in this university and each of us.
The faculty and staff at St. Ambrose are unlike any other and their commitment to the students is paramount. We appreciate the expertise and passion that you brought to learning. A friend described a history class he took with Dr. Ryan Dye. The class was required to hold a debate and we know that most students don't love public speaking. To get them excited, Dr. Dye ran to the front of the room and did one arm push-ups while the theme from Rocky echoed in the background. Outside the classroom, the lines of student and teacher were often blurred to friendship. You knew when we were having a bad day and were there to help celebrate an accomplishment. You e-mailed or called our rooms when we hadn’t been to class in awhile. You cheered for us at sporting events and concerts. You prayed with us. Thank you for your dedication in and out of the classroom.
To our family and friends that are here today, thank you. Our gratitude for your continual support is colossal and without you we could not have made it. We thank you for listening to us gripe about our classes or roommates. More often than not you heard from us when something wasn’t going our way and we appreciate the words of encouragement and care packages. We are grateful for your interest in our course work and extra curricular activities. You were always there to notice our accomplishments and give us a pat on the back. We thank you for lifting us up when we had fallen and being our loudest cheerleaders.
Lastly, but certainly not least, we must thank each other. Over the past four years or so, we have learned as much from our classmates as we have in the classroom. It's through our own discussions and debates that we formed and changed our opinions about everything from politics to religion. We made friends from every walk of life who have given us a new perspective and helped prepare us for the “real world.”
We also thank each other for sticking by during the ups and downs of college life. We helped each other get through finals week with lots of caffeine and silly distractions. We stayed in the computer lab without complaint until 4 a.m.to finish a project that took a lot longer than we thought it would. We listened when a friend's heart was broken. We were a surrogate family when ours seemed so far away. We celebrated birthdays, homecomings, good grades, last blasts and recently, job offers.
As we move on from our safe bubble of St. Ambrose, let us take time today to personally thank those that have helped us along the way. We can take a page from Big Ed and offer them a simple but meaningful embrace. And just like Dr. Rogalski, we’ll hug each other a little tighter to hang on to college but our experiences bind us together for a lifetime. Congratulations class of 2007!