1. Community College of Philadelphia
Commencement Speech
Alan Ladwig
May 4, 2013
Thank you Dr. Curtis. Good morning graduates, faculty and staff, parents,
spouses, significant others, children of graduates, veterans (thank you for your
service) and whoever the rest of you are.
There are two reasons whyI was honoredto be part of your ceremony today. My
Masters degree is in Higher Education so I always jump at a chance to engage
with the academic community. Secondly, my family is community college
certified. As you heard in the introduction, I am a graduate of Elgin Community
College, in Elgin, IL. It gave me a chanceto save some money and get a better
handle on what I wanted to do once I went on to Southern Illinois University.
My wife Debbie attended Montgomery College a community college in the
suburbs of Washington, D.C. However, when she took classes there it was after
she already had a four-year degree. A graduateof the University of Maryland, she
was a special education teacher for five years before she decided to pursue a
new vocation in the field of information systems. Montgomery College provided
the classes, especially in mathematics, that enabled Debbie to go on toreceive a
Masters degree in Information Systems from George Washington University.
I imagine many of yougraduates had fun last night celebrating today’s milestone,
while others of you are anxious to get started just as soon as you have your
diploma in hand. Never one to stand between a student and a drink, let’s get this
party started.
Speaking of parties, if time allows I may try to teach you the words to the
Washington Redskins fight song, “Hail to the Redskins.” Then, you will be able to
sing along with me the next time Washington comes to town and beats the
Eagles!
The Community College of Philadelphia is a shining example among the nation’s
1,132 community colleges. Over 13 million students attend community colleges
each year. Forty-three percent of U.S. undergrads attend two-year institutions.
More than half of the students who receive Bachelor degrees in science and
engineering and one-third of Master degrees were awarded to students who
began their post-high school education at community colleges.
Despite these statistics, community colleges do not always receive the
recognition and attention they deserve. For a variety of reasons there is an
inaccurate perception that an education from a two-year college is less valuable
than a degree from a four-year university.

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However, a number of important activities over the past few years have shined a
bright light on the value of community colleges and why they are vital to the
nation and future economic success.
In October 2010, the first-ever Summit on Community Colleges was held at the
White House. In opening the summit President Obama asserted that two-year
institutions are more important than ever to the nation’s competitiveness. He set
a challenge to produce an additional 5 million community college graduates over
the next decade. The President noted that two-year colleges are the “unsung
heroes of America’s education system.” They “may not get the credit they
deserve,and may not get the same resources as other schools, but they provide
a gateway to millions of Americans to good jobs and a better life.”
To support the challenge to produce the additional graduates the Administration
identified $2 billion in funds to bring more students into community colleges and
provide a higher quality of education. I was glad to see your institution team with
other community collegesto receive a grant of $20 million through this program
managed by the Department of Labor.
In creating their Completion by Design competition the innovative Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation also set a priority on improving community colleges.
Their $35 million, five-year initiative is designed to help low-income young adults
complete their education at community colleges more quickly, and with a greater
chance of success.
In June 2011, the National Governors Association recommended that governors
leverage community colleges to help build a STEM-skilled workforce within their
states. Their report sighted the importance of STEM in a global economy
increasingly focused on high-growth, technology-driven occupations.
Then in December 2011, the National Academies of Sciences convened yet
another summit in Washington, D.C., titled Community Colleges in the Evolving
STEM Education Landscape. Participants at this summit recognized the
importance of community colleges in preparation of the STEM workforce and
highlighted the value of the National Science Foundation’s long time Advanced
Technological Education Program. A number of their recommendations are now
being implemented throughout the government and education system.
Based on these examples, and many additional studies and reports,there is a
clearly a growing consensus that community colleges have an ever increasing
and important role to play in the nations education system in general and for
STEM education in particular. I believe this recognition bodes well for those of
you receiving your degrees today and you should feel confidant that you are
going forward well prepared for your next step, what ever that may be.

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Now let me switch gears and talk just a bit about the space program as
implemented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – NASA.
While attending Elgin Community College the notion of one day working for the
world’s premier space organization was not among my career ambitions.
Nonetheless, space became my passion and has been the focus of my life for
the past 43 years. In between three tours at NASA – which is where my wife and
I met – I actively engage in other space projects through corporate and
entrepreneurial companies, media organizations, and non-profit education
groups.
Space is the inspiration for my art works and Debbie and I once maintained a
world-class space toy collection that now resides at a museum.
Knowing how attached I am to space explains my most recentpet peeve. That is,
when I meet someone new and they discover where I work, too often they reply,
“Oh, its too bad NASA is out of business.” This response is more than anecdotal
and dozens of my colleagues have had similar encounters.
For 30 years, launches of Space Shuttles were the primary public face of
NASA.Once the orbiters were decommissioned, people wrongly assumed the
entire agency had nothing else to do.
I’m here to assure you – NASA is alive and well and we are reaching for new
heights for the public good.
Earlier this week a study by the Office of Personnel Management determined
that, for the third year in a row, NASA has been recognized as the Most
Innovative Federal Agency. This past DecemberNASA also received the Best
Place to Work in the Federal Government Award.
True, we are temporarily without the capacity to launch astronauts into space on
an American vehicle and we have to pay the Russian Space Agency to ferryour
crewmembers to the International Space Station. Thisis a temporary condition
that will soon be remediedas we implement a robust agenda of innovation,
discovery, and exploration.
We have just announced plans to capture an asteroid and transfer it to a lunar
orbit. This mission will support an integrated exploration plan to accelerate a
human mission to an asteroid. At the same time we are pushing the boundaries
of human space exploration with the development of a new heavy lift rocket, the
Space Launch System, and the Orion crew capsule to enable humans to explore
farther than ever before, including future missions to the Mars.
For the past 12 years, astronauts, cosmonauts, and crewmembers from our 17
partner nations have continually inhabited the International Space Station. It is

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orbiting overhead at this very moment. Our focus now is to fully utilize its
capabilities as a national laboratory where we can conduct scientific research,
Earth observations, test cutting edge technologies, gain insight on human
physiology as it relates to long-term stays in space, and engage students and
teachers through educational opportunities.
We are enabling the development and growth of a U.S. commercial cargo and
crew space transportation industry with companies such as Space X, Orbital
Sciences, Boeing, and Sierra Nevada. Thirty-eight launches are planned over the
next three years that will deploy NASA science satellites and deliver cargo to the
Space Station. The launches will occur from facilities at the Kennedy Space
Center in Florida, the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, and Vandenberg Air
Force Base in California. That’s a lot of launches!
In the area of science, we are developing or operating 96 spacecraft.Our Earth
Sciencesatellites monitor the planet as a system and provide essential research
and datato meet the challenges of Global Climate Change.
Determining the content, origin, and evolution of the Solar System and the
potential for life elsewhere in the Universe is the major goal of our planetary
science program. Who wasn’t inspired by last years landing of the Curiosity
Rover on Mars? If you thought it was sporty to attempt to land the rover on the
surface with a never before tried cable system, wait until 2020 when we do it
again!
In 2018 we will launch the James Webb Telescopethat will send back even more
stunning images than the Hubble Space Telescope has been doing for the last
two decades. The Webb telescope will unravel the mysteries of the universe,
explore how it began and evolved, and search for life on planets around other
stars. I love space, but even I can’t get my mind wrapped around the concept of
a telescope the will be able to see “back to the beginning of time!”
And, let’s not forget the first A of NASA, aeronautics. Among my favorite NASA
programs, our aeronautics research has a direct impact on the lives of all of you
who fly and take to the nation’s friendly skies.We are developing innovative tools
and technologies to improve air traffic management and designingaircraftthat are
safer, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient.
Based on this very brief overview I hope you see, that we are anything but “out of
business.” For less than a half cent of the Federal budget, NASA is advancing
aeronautics and space activities for the benefit of American taxpayers; improving
life on Earth and protecting our planet; and strengthening U.S. economy through
science and technology investments.
I believe there will be numerous opportunities in the space arena for today’s
graduates at agencies such as NASA, the National Oceanographic and

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Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Defense, as well as in the
growing commercial space sector with legacy and NewSpace companies.
Community Colleges are admirably represented at the NASA. Almost 2,000 of
our civil service employees earned Associate Degrees, representing 11% of the
workforce. Two-year institutions are also well represented among affiliates of
NASA’s National Space Grant Consortium, a collaboration of colleges and
education organizations across the country. Of the 672 academic institutions that
are members of Space Grant, 17% are community colleges. I’ve been working
with Linda Wallace to explore the possibility of having your institution become a
member of the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium.
Meanwhile, the average age of our workers at NASA is 49, very similar for the
Department of Defense, and there is an expectation of significant retirements
from baby boomers over the next three to five years – including my own
departure at the end of the month.
With robust opportunities not only in space, but also in the STEM job market, and
with STEM workers earning 70% over the national average, it seems like the
stars are aligning to offer exciting opportunities for today’s grads.
Now let’s turn to my last topic – a couple of suggestions to consider as you take
your next step.
My first bit of advice is to discover what it is that “lights you up.” Find a passion.
Your working career will be so much more enjoyable if you follow your bliss and
do something that you really enjoy. Find what for you is compelling, focused on
service to others, and a source that generates infectious enthusiasm within you.
You may be surprised how your passion will be revealed. For me, it came after I
met the father of two college friends. While a student at SIU I was introduced to
Col. John Whiteside whose first words to me were: “Hi we’re going to New
Wolds.” He introduced me to the excitement and possibilities represented by the
exploration of space. He drafted me as an inductee to one of the country’s first
space advocacy groups, the Committee for the Future.
I had been a humanities’ major, but my work with the Committee brought me into
contact with leading scientists and engineers and extraordinary people from a
multitude of disciplines. Eventually the knowledge I gained and the professional
relationships I established revealed a new passion within me that led to NASA
and a fascinating career in space. My experience with Col. Whiteside exemplifies
the other piece of advice I’d like to pass along.
As you continue in your careers seek out mentors. Find a person or persons that
you admire and look up to who are willing to assist you develop your potential.

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Mentors can help you reach higher to achieve your dreams and enable you to
accomplish things you’ve never done before.
A good mentor will help you assess education and career opportunities,
encourage you to take responsibility for your life, and help you chart a path
toward personal fulfillment.
I benefitted from more than my fair share of mentors. When I arrived at NASA I
quickly became associated with Dick Wisniewski, an engineer who helped me
navigate the agency’s bureaucracy. He practiced tough love and never let me
flounder in self-pity or complain when I didn’t feel appreciated. His counsel
helped me climb the career ladder much quicker than had I been left to my own
devices.
If you are a guy, don’t overlook that value of affiliating with a female mentor. Dr.
Carolyn Huntoon a scientist who eventually became the Director of the Johnson
Space Center took me under her wing early in my NASA career when I was
trying to put high school student experiments on Space Shuttle missions. The
head of Life Science at the time, Carolyn helped me negotiate the complex
process to turn winning student proposals into flight-ready experiments.
An especially favorite mentor was three years younger than me,Dr. Sally Ride,
the first American woman to fly in space. Dr. Huntoon introduced us after the
Challenger Space Shuttle accident when Sally came to NASA Headquarters to
lead a long-range planning study. Since putting up with bureaucratic baloney of
Washington wasn’t among Sally’s strong suits, Dr. Huntoon felt I could be an
asset to help her survive at Headquarters. The relationship led to a friendship
and professional collaboration on five different projects both inside and outside of
NASA.
My career would have been much different had I not had the fortune to encounter
such a fabulous network of support. A firm believer in “get a mentor, be a
mentor,” I activelymake myself available to interact with the next generation of
space advocates who are just getting started in their careers.
Where will you find these wise sages and fountains of wisdom? It will vary. You
may find them through mutual acquaintances, on the job, or hear them give a
speech that resonates and speaks to your own passion. Don’t be bashful and
don’t be afraid to approach a potential mentor to ask for advice.
If there is one thing you take way from my remarks today, let it be my
recommendation that you seek out mentors of your own. I guarantee the value of
such a relationship will serve you well throughout your careers.
I believe that today’s graduates have much to look forward to and that our
education systems and our culture of innovation and ingenuity will deliver eye-

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popping accomplishments and fantastic new ways of doing things we can’t even
imagine today.
There’s no reason you can’t be part of such break-though achievements.
Why shouldn’t one of you participate in the White House Grand Challenge
Initiative to help solve important economic and societal problems?
Why shouldn’t it be one of you to write a record-breaking play on Broadway?
Why shouldn’t on e of you become the National Poet Laureate?
Why shouldn’t it be one of you to create a new culinary rage?
Why shouldn’t it be one of you to make a significant breakthrough in information
systems for a new application of 3-D printing?
Why shouldn’t it be one of you to discover a habitable planet in another solar
system?
Why shouldn’t it be one of you to be the first person to set foot on an asteroid or
on Mars? After all you represent the Mars Generation.
As I read in a Tweet just the other day, “Don't tell me the skies the limit when
there are footprints on the Moon...and tracks on Mars.”
So don’t be afraid to dream big and reach for new heights. Take the college
motto to heart – take the path to possibilities. Stretch well beyond your comfort
zone and your standard routines. You’ll be amazed at what you might accomplish
and where you might end up.Just
Why shouldn’t you?
Congratulations graduates – See you in Orbit!