About 135 graduate students and 600 undergraduates received degrees in three commencement ceremonies Friday night and Saturday. Some were elated, as this young woman demonstrates. (Photo by Bryan Tebbenkamp)

WARRENSBURG, Mo.--The 735 students who graduated from the University of Central Missouri this past weekend heard Pres. Aaron Podolefsky pitch-hit for U.S.Sen. Claire McCaskill, who had to cancel her visit due to a weekend Senate session in Washington,D.C.

Podolefksy said "I’d like to offer a few pieces of advice that might be relevant to you on graduation day.

First, as you chart your path in life, keep in mind that you cannot lay out a precise destination, let alone the route by which you’ll get there. Think of life as a trip from New York City to San Francisco.

"You can get on Interstate 80 in New York and get off in San Francisco – but what a dull trip that would be. Every roadway has exits and detours that offer opportunities for new experiences. Don’t be afraid to try some of them. There are many possibilities and contingencies, and how you approach these opportunities may have a greater impact on your destiny than your original plan.

"As the great sage, and New York Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra, is reported to have said: 'When you come to a fork in the road, take it.'

"Second, be sure to create time for reflection and quiet thinking. .. Unfortunately, we’ve become a multi-tasking society that takes little time to ponder and reflect – to stop, as they say, and smell the roses. Be sure to fill your life with joy, love and beauty. When you are old, like me, it is those things you will remember.

"Third, and this is essential, always strive to do what is right – not merely what is popular. Fundamentally, strive to be a person of strong moral character: to act with integrity, to take responsibility, to be concerned about those people less fortunate than you, to act and to speak with kindness and compassion, and to stand for your convictions. Do not underestimate the importance of personal resilience.

"Fourth, and last, leave the world a better place. Nearly 50 years ago, a fresh young president, John F. Kennedy, challenged my generation to 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.'

"We were a generation concerned about civil liberties, women’s rights, and the plight of farm workers. We wanted to spread the idea of democracy and self-sufficiency through the Peace Corps. We were also a generation that drove a wealth of improvements to our everyday lives, from homes in the suburbs, to washers and dryers, to multi-car families, and to computers and cell phones.

"But we didn’t understand the unintended consequences for our world. We have not been responsible caretakers of the planet Earth. Whether your concern might be the health effects of pollution, dependence on foreign oil, or the warming effects of carbon emissions, we all have reason to do better.

"That is why this university has launched a major project that will reduce our carbon footprint by 32 percent, which is the equivalent of taking 1,700 cars off the road.

"My generation did not know the unintended consequences, but you do. And I ask that you take seriously your responsibility as global citizens. As a number of people have said: “Be good ancestors, and leave your children and grandchildren a better world.”