Speeches

High Point University Commencement Remarks

Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company
High Point, North Carolina
May 8, 2010

As prepared for delivery

President Qubein... esteemed Faculty and Board of Trustees... honored Class of 2010... proud friends and families -- I am deeply honored to be with you on such a momentous occasion.

I should also mention that I owe this opportunity to a good friend and partner of The Coca-Cola Company, Dr. Tom Haggai. Dr. Tom -- as many of you know him -- is a long-time member of High Point University's Board of Trustees. He is here today with his lovely wife, Buren. Thank you, Dr. Tom. I'm glad I listened to your wise counsel.

Could there be a more inspired setting than this? A beautiful spring morning. A gorgeous campus. The anticipation of an exciting new chapter opening in so many young lives.

Class of 2010, this is your day. Celebrate it! Relish it! And never, ever, forget it!

But not before thanking your parents, guardians and other family members. Your success is indeed a result of their great success in raising and nurturing such outstanding young men and women. If I could ask our parents, guardians and family members of the Class of 2010 to rise for just a moment -- we owe you a big salute. Class of 2010 -- please join me in congratulating your wonderful families.

Parents and families -- I can relate to all the thoughts swirling through your heads today. Just three years ago, I was sitting proud in a setting very much like this one, watching my daughter receive her bachelor's degree diploma from Tufts University. And two years from now... knock on wood... I'll be doing the same for my son who is studying at Columbia University.

Today, your loved ones have accomplished something that is rare and honorable indeed -- a degree from High Point University. This university community and the classic liberal arts education today's graduates have received will serve us all well in the years ahead.

Class of 2010 -- I'm convinced there's no better trait that you can bring to your life and career than the passion to "learn how to learn " -- something High Point University has taught you so well.

It's now estimated that the rate of human knowledge is doubling every 5 to 10 years. For many of you, it's very likely that by your 30th birthday you will be working in industries and professions that don't even exist today.

No question, the world you are now entering is radically different than the one your parents and I stepped into all those years ago. Back when I was in college, The Beatles had not yet broken up. Bono was an American pop singer married to a lady named Cher. The guys who started Dell and Ebay were just toddlers. And the founders of Google, Facebook, and MySpace had not yet been born.

Okay, I'm dating myself, but you get the point.

You are entering a world that is paradoxical in nature. Enormous challenges on one hand... and even more breathtaking opportunities on the other hand. In the next few years to come, your generation will lead a billion new people around the world into the middle class.

Despite the economic woes of the day -- and believe me they will pass and probably sooner than most expect -- despite all this, the world is going to grow $20 trillion dollars richer by the year 2020. The world will also become more urban as people flock to cities in record numbers for jobs and a better way of life.

In fact, between now and 2020, the world will be adding an urban population greater than the combined size of Charlotte and the Triad area -- every 18 days. New lifestyle and demographic patterns will paint a portrait of a world that is more youthful... a world that is also living longer... that's more affluent... mobile... and activist in mindset than ever before.

So what does this mean for the Class of 2010? To put it simply -- we need your leadership and your ability to make a positive difference each and every day from this moment on.

Over the course of my career, I've had the good fortune of working on every inhabited continent and have been introduced to hundreds of different cultures. I've met some truly remarkable people -- people like Dr. Qubein and the great faculty, staff and counselors that make up this academic community.

And I've noticed a common thread that runs through all great leaders. Great leaders have an uncanny ability to adapt... to embrace something new ... and make it better.

Think about your own experiences here at High Point University. Think about the changes you've seen. The improvements. The new facilities. The growing enrollment. That doesn't happen by chance or in a vacuum. That's the result of committed leadership.

All of the great leaders I've met during my life are tireless in their persistence... and unwavering in their beliefs and values. They possess a quiet confidence -- a strong belief in themselves and their greater community.

We've all heard the story of Abraham Lincoln. Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections... he twice failed in business... and suffered a nervous breakdown... and countless other setbacks.

Now, let me tell you the story of someone you probably never heard of before. He came from the rural South. He studied medicine, chemistry and pharmacy in college. After college, he established a wholesale-retail drug business. His new career was interrupted by the outbreak of war. He enlisted in the Army and was severely wounded in battle.

After the war, he resumed civilian life in a world that was undergoing massive social, political and economic change. In fact, it was arguably the most turbulent era in American history. Determined to adapt and thrive in this new world, he started no less than 18 different businesses in just over a decade. Only a few were modestly successful. Most were failures.

Despite his many setbacks, he bore an insatiable curiosity. He was what I would call "constructively discontent" -- never satisfied with the status quo. He always strove to improve and learn from his experiences. He never abandoned his values. Above all, he had an unwavering faith in a better tomorrow.

So maybe it's only appropriate that on this very day -- May 8 th -- 124 years ago -- he struck it big. Very big.

In his little laboratory in downtown Atlanta, he mixed up a batch of natural ingredients... condensed them into a syrup... and took that syrup down to a local pharmacy where he added carbonated water to it.

By now, I think you know where this story is going. May 8th is the birthday of Coca-Cola -- a day John Pemberton, the man I spoke of, graduated from fledgling chemist to one of the world's greatest inventors. He took his persistent will to achieve and created the world's most beloved beverage and most recognized brand.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you all rush out and buy chemistry sets and try to invent the next Coca-Cola. Believe me, I don't want the competition! But I do believe the intellectual curiosity and values you've groomed at High Point will be your lifeline in a rapidly changing world -- just as they were for Dr. Pemberton in the years following the Civil War.

So too will be the relationships you've established here and the lessons you've learned in stretching yourself far beyond your comfort zones. What you're earning here today is more than just a diploma certifying that you've passed all of your degree requirements. You've earned much, much more. You've earned entre into a life-long community of friends, mentors, counselors, partners and colleagues. An extraordinary and diverse community, I might add.

Having said that, let me quickly offer three final bits of advice.

First: hold close these deep relationships you've nurtured at High Point and let them serve as models for the way you engage with all the new people that will enter your life in the years ahead. Relationships will be at the heart of your future success.

Second: never lose your ability to move through different cultures and adapt to change. The diversity of the world is represented right here on this campus. The state and national flags that line the Promenade tell an incredible story. Your ability to work across cultures... and geographic borders... and differing points of view... will be essential.

And third: give as much back to the world as you take. Our world grows more inter-dependent by the day. We are only as strong and as enduring as the sustainable communities we help support.

The great diversity of this university with its tradition of community engagement and its mission of seeking tolerance and truth -- will serve you well in the years ahead.

When I look out at the Class of 2010 -- when I listen to the great faculty and leaders of this university -- I can't help but think the future of our world is in great hands.

You came to High Point for a classic liberal arts education. With this gift you are now ready to reach the highest points . Don't ever let anything get in your way.

My sincerest congratulations to each and every one of you... your families ... and to this remarkable university.

Thank you.