it is a huge honor to be here with jack geary, whose generosity to georgetown is inspiring. there may be a lot of land in texas but as mark twain said, we are not making it anymore. hundreds of acres of protected greenery will grace this town in perpetuity. until recently, my familiarity

stepping on the steel in front of the chapel, and now the world waits. said, as a young member of the clergy, officiating at weddings, he would give a couple 24 rules for marriage. as time went on he reduced it to 12 recommendations. [laughter]

after a while, he offer them one suggestion. try to be polite to one another. [laughter] it is presumptuous to give advice to 291 people whom you do not know, even though you would like to. here are a few suggestions. based on a news story you may have seen. early this year, the octopus inky escape from his tank in the new zealand aquarium. he been saved from a trap in 2014 and taken to the aquarium for treatment. as he recovered, a ring -- a marine biologist pointed out if he were not adequately stimulated, inky would get bored. one night, he decided to expand his horizons. he squeezed all eight lakes through a hole in the top of the tank, scamper across the floor, and slide down a 165 foot point that put him on track to hock bay and freedom.

the next day his trainers found his roommate alone in the tank. suction marks on the floor. a clean break. i no farewell note. this story is easy to love for reasons that correspond to think, create, connect. it is also a good news story and this is a good news day, so let's start the octopus tutorial. he had a mission and purpose. he used stealth, working at night, and relied on his in -- instincts. note, he did not telegraph his plan or his progress by a social

media. [laughter] [applause] nor did he ask anyone to like it. he literally kept his head down and focused on the prize. inky gets an a for thinking. the fact that we know his story illustrates the power of creating. not that long ago, what happened in an aquarium halfway around the world would not be known in georgetown, texas until someone had mailed the news clipping from the paper. as a result of creativity our world is joined in real-time by modern technology. the news coverage included quotes from research scientists worldwide emphasizing the intelligence and ingenuity of octopi. one expert described in octopus in the united kingdom who would leave his own tank at night, slither across the floor, snack on the resident fish, go back to his tank and when the keepers

arrived he looks like the poster child for innocence. [laughter] another expert described the octopus who figured out how to unscrew the lid to a jar. experts were not surprised by his caper, all because the research that marine biologists conduct independently is part of a database that can be kept by anyone, anywhere, anytime. we take this extraordinary capacity for granted. technology allows your department to hold classes with counterparts at other campuses. sharing the resources of each and the larger capacities of big research universities. as chelsea pointed out, 3-d printing is now a reality. the 2015 brown symposium focused on 3-d printing a concept that not long ago seemed only credible and spielberg movies.

the southwestern professor is already recognized in this amazing field focusing on sculpture and regenerative medicine and area she knows is already creating the remarkable. back to our tutorial in the third point. inky is now a free man. he's connected with his home, the ocean. he is presumably hatching new plans. his escape printed one reader to comment that he no longer eats octopus since he is quite sure the species is so smart they will someday rule the world and have an accurate record of all the humans who ate them. inky is a reminder that it is important to celebrate good news -- there's quite a lot of the other kind. today is a banner newsday and on many levels illustrates the power of connecting. the seniors had the good fortune

of connecting with southwestern when deciding where to continue your education. here you are encouraged to connect across all learning paths. mathematics and sciences arts and humanities. you leave here with treasured connections to classmates, professors, coaches, and the georgetown community that will be continual sources of strength. in six months you will connect with one of the central events of american democracy, a national election. for many of you it will be the first time that you exercise the right to vote. you will with participatory democracy and with the chance to on the knowledge that will make you an informed citizen. one of the many privileges of working for the commission on presidential debates is the international program that dr. berger referred to. for more than two dozen years we have received requests from emerging democracies to help them start their own debate.

the reason is that they have watched hours. they see them as central to the democratic process. they believe it's amazing that americans think they have the right to expect political candidates to exchange opposing views about their positions on major issues. they think it is astonishing this can take place in a civil and fair manner and that anyone who would like to watch or listen can. the fact of international network is the happy result of connectedness. not that long ago small governmental organizations from jamaica and nigeria come a argentina and bosnia, sierra leone, ukraine and 20 other countries would never have connected to make a difference in their quest for stronger

democracy. keep their hopes in mind as you navigate the next few months. they aspire to democracy is open as ours. they aspire to elections that do not get rescheduled at the whim of a candidate or influence by state owned media outlets that tilt the accuracy of information. plus technology makes it easier than it has ever been to know the facts about issues and candidates for every office on the ballot. thinking that you know is not enough. we all have automatic mental filters based on our own experiences that affect how we perceive and analyze information. each of us brings precooked points of view and we each give different weight to different parts of that information. our analyses and arguments are affected by these filters which means we can end up talking past each other. one of my favorite teachers says we first have a duty to understand another person's argument on his or her terms before responding or criticizing which means listening carefully before dismissing.

trying as best we can to remove the filters and engaging in a respectful debate. this is thinking, creating, connecting. exercise these skills this fall. it is easy to follow the crowd and be swayed by group reaction of a especially when they can express themselves relentlessly on various media. think for yourself, create your own knowledge base. connect to the democratic process as an individual, as a pioneer, as a pirate. the contentious nature of the campaign has a lot of people wringing their hands but if you want to see contention remember southwestern's history. this is a country where resilience and resourcefulness have prevailed. let's return to inky. if you feel discouraged, remember the power of making a plan. use the skills you are born with

and never estimate -- underestimate the importance of physical fitness. take advantage of the technology available. there is no excuse to be uninformed. whether it is about the election or the fastest path to the drainpipe, if you think, you can create. if you can do both, you can connect. congratulations on a job well done. congratulations to family friends teammates and roommates, the southwestern kitchen staff and grounds crew, and building a maintenance gang at security team who worked long and hard to make today shine. congratulations to the university faculty and the high school students, coaches and librarians and music teachers who helped shepherd you to southwestern. thank you for letting me be part of the day.

[applause] >> c-span's 2016 look at commencement speech continues. we're joined by dr. edward berger, president of southwest university in texas. yourteresting choice for commencement speaker. tell us about the thinking that went into asking her to speak. >> first of all, i cannot think

of a better candidate to speak about elections. secondly, our focus at southwestern university is on making connections. there is no better way to make connections than through a presence election when there are political and social applications, psychological -- brown, did she talk about what may be ahead for the debate in the fall? guest: she did not foreshadow that, though we expect both presidential and vice prejudicial debates in the fall. everybody tod really actively listen. she was pulling on many of the tenets of southwestern which is to think on your own, and make the connections that you need to

distracted bybe the noise that is social media and other individuals, but really try to make your own decisions and think carefully and thoughtfully. host: how was her speech received by the graduates? guest: they loved it. we lined up at the end of the ceremony and walked through. i was standing across from her. her -- of them think thanked her and said how much they appreciated her words. i had faculty say with one of ,he best commencement speakers which is pretty good because be are the oldest institution in texas. host: what is the process like for you? our students involved in selecting the speaker each year?

reengage our community through faculty, staff, students, and, at the of the day, i make the invitation. you said southwest university is the oldest institute in texas. tell us a bit more. guest: i appreciate the opportunity. it is a small, presidential liberal arts institution, similar to many found in the northeast new england area. if you're thinking about a small liberal arts institution, but hate the snow, you have to come to southwestern. our first charter goes back to 1840. celebrating our 176 year. it is the place where people are challenged to not just think butt subjects and ideas,

think through them and have a truly impactful education. i am a mathematician by trade. i know most of our students will forget the calculus. i saw in your biography that you have written a dozen of books or so on mathematics and you also do a podcast on higher education. guest: that is right. ed.s called higher it is a sunday afternoon thing online. i geter state and together and tool around with on education.eas .e have a lot of fun with it

puzzlerffer a meath every week. host: thank you for joining. >> i campaign 2016 bus continues to travel around the country. recently, it stopped in several.etts to visit seventh graders for their honorable mention video. honoro made a stop to eighth graders and their winning video. james elliott one for his video, "lgbt writes, stop the discrimination."

to our partners for helping to coordinate. you can view all of the documentaries online. at 2016n's look commencement speeches continues now with former president bill clinton. he' spoke at loyola marymount university in los angeles. this is 20 minutes. [applause] pres. clinton: thank you very