John Deasy, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second largest school district, delivered LMU’s Graduate Commencement address on May 6 to a gathering of graduates, their families and friends, and LMU faculty and staff. Deasy’s message centered on the transformative power of service, remarking, “One cannot be fully human, I believe, except through the act of service. By virtue of having graduated from this excellent university you are now in position to use your power and passion and contacts to help make a difference.”
Deasy, the father of an LMU alumnus, shared the story of Dorothy Day, the social activist who worked with Cesar Chavez in the fight for the rights of farm workers. Deasy said to the audience, “A full and prosperous career and a life of service are not mutually exclusive. A society must be able to rely on its best and its brightest, that is you, to affect change. You can and must be a part of the core who helps lift others out of poverty.” During the ceremony, Deasy was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by President David W. Burcham.
Dean Shane Martin of the LMU School of Education commented on Deasy’s address by saying, “John Deasy is a national leader in education and a successful superintendent of multiple major districts. Dr. Deasy’s commencement address was substantive and dynamic. He gave all of the graduates and their guests something critically important to reflect on as they enter the next phase of their lives.”
Deasy last spoke at LMU in October 2011, delivering the keynote address at the LMU Charter School Leadership Symposium.
