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in Academia
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The Talk is Inspirational
In the Groves of Academe
of TheColumnists.com
At a time of commencements on college campuses across the land, herewith a sojourn into academia.
At the ceremonies for Business Administration graduates of the University of Miami I heard a memorable speech from an exceptional man. He was Leonard Abess, a 61-year-old banker.
No ordinary banker. He was the man singled out by President Obama during his speech at the University of Michigan in February for an extraordinary act. Abess, head of the Citizens Bank of Florida, sold a majority stake in the bank and shared the proceeds--$60 million--with 399 current staff members and 72 former employees in November, 2008.
Abess was invited by Michelle Obama to
be a guest at the state of the union speech. He heard Obama honor
him for the inspiration he provided with his act of sharing.
Obama noted that Abess “didn’t tell anyone, but
when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, 'I knew some
of these people since I was seven years old. It didn’t feel
right getting the money myself.'"
Abess, delighted, gave a thumbs-up to Obama.
At the U. of Miami ceremonies, Abess, speaking to more than 600 graduating seniors (I was there to honor my grandson, David Reznick) reflected first on his own career. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970 amidst the tumultuous events of the late 1960s. His own experiences ranged from jobs in broadcasting, candle making, publishing and real estate before taking over the bank.
He traveled to the Himalayas. He founded environmental education and research initiatives in locales ranging from the Miami Country Day School to the Brazilian Amazon. His philanthropy includes many Miami area and Jewish organizations.
Abess said the graduates should first learn who they themselves are in order to make an impact in the world. “I believe you make the world a better place by making yourself a better person. It is important that you learn who you are. It is harder to change as you get older. You don’t want to reach my age [61] and find yourself reading poems like, ‘If I could live my life over again’-because you cannot.”
He said, “You need to go out and change the world. You need to make it a better place. Forty years ago our speaker told us what we should do, but he didn’t tell us how to do it.”
As I write these words (I was unable to get a copy of the full speech) they don’t quite capture the feeling we had sitting in the audience listening to Abess. He was inspirational, eloquent. My wife teared up, calling it, “The best graduation speech I ever heard.” (But I should add that she is an easy mark, sobbing during the most godawful syrupy movies).
The U. of Miami affair took place in the school’s big-time basketball arena. There was a 50-piece upbeat band, large television screens at the side of the speaker’s platform and some comic high-tech high jinx to entertain the crowd. A few days later I experienced a low-key, tranquil affair on the lawn of Pennsylvania's Haverford College, down the road from where I live. In the bower of ivy-covered, tree-shaded school buildings and with a four-piece brass group playing baroque music, some 200 graduates heard several speakers.
Bob Herbert, The New York Times columnist, was honored. He was introduced by mathematics professor Joshua Sabloff as a “voice of reason, a paragon of veracity and principle.”
Herbert urged the graduates to slow down, for their own benefit and society’s. He decried multi-tasking and an obsession with technology. “The time wasted sending 100 e-mails about nothing,” he said, “could be time spent holding one person’s hand. We need to reduce the speed limits of our lives; we need to savor the trip.”
Another school, Hofstra University, blew a chance to strike a blow for academics. The opportunity presented itself when the newly-hired basketball coach resigned in the wake of being arrested for drunk driving. .
I immediately thought of my friend Michael D’Innocenzo, the long-time popular history professor, an outstanding athlete as a youth, still one of the top sportsmen on the Hofstra faculty. What a glorious message it would send to the nation if Hofstra set the example of having an honored, capable faculty member as its coach rather than another jock.
I was about to urge the Hofstra people to consider Mike when I learned that in his whimsical way he already had presented himself. I came into possession of a note he addressed to Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz.
Some excerpts:
“At yesterday’s faculty meeting several colleagues who knew that I once was described as ‘White Magic’ (based on Earl Monroe’s ‘Black Magic’ nickname before he became ‘The Pearl’ with the Knicks) asked whether any one was considering having me take over coaching the men’s basketball team.
“I’m probably not on your short list, but you might consider:
“I have 65 years of basketball experience as a player and a coach (this puts me in league with John Wooden in terms of longevity at least).
“I would be willing to coach Hofstra’s team as a dollar-a-year man (beyond my teaching salary, which I would maintain, along with my courses).” [The deposed coach, Tim Welsh was reported to have been given a $600,000 per-year, five-year contract.]
“Such an appointment might garner decent publicity in the media-giving meaning to ‘student-athletes’, especially having a 75-year-old elder as their leader” [a person selected by the America Historical Association for its Distinguished National Teaching Award in 2008].
He did not mention that his parental coaching helped his son, Zach, become a standout player for Wheatley High School.
Mike D’Innocenzo received this response
from president Rabinowitz:
“LOL. Thanks. I needed that.!”
My contacts tell me LOL means “lots of laughs.” So the prez didn’t take D’Innozenso’s bid seriously. Instead, to get out from under further attention to the situation, Hofstra quickly promoted one of the new assistant coaches, a stunned Mo Cassar, to the head coaching job. Probably not at Welsh’s salary, but certainly for a lot more than the thrifty dollar-a-year it would have had to pay Mike D’Innocenzo.
Imagine: History professor/basketball coach Michael D’Innocenzo at Hofstra! It could have been the start of a glorious return to academic sanity.
©2010 by Stan Isaacs. The Stan Isaacs caricature is ©2001 by Jim Hummel. The photo of Leonard Abess is courtesy of www.rollins.edu. This column first posted May 24, 2010.
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