Harlan Kirgan
LSUE’s graduates were urged to keep growing by commencement speaker Dr. Kim Hunter, state commissioner of higher education, on Friday.
Hunter addressed the ceremony for 147 summer and fall graduates, which was said to be the largest number in 20 years.
The ceremony recognizes students who earned degrees and certificates in the summer and fall semesters.
Reed, who grew up in Lake Charles, was appointed commissioner in April after serving as executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
“You will graduate from an institution that, I’m certain, has challenged you, has stretched your thinking, has expanded your horizons and prepared you ...” she said.
Hunter said she is an advocate for the 240,000 students enrolled in public and private colleges and universities in Louisiana.
“We know that in this knowledge economy the high school diploma is the floor, not the ceiling. You need more kills, more competencies, more education than ever before. The premium on education is very high,” she said.
Education is transformational for families and communities, she said.
“We know that when students graduate their children are 80 percent more likely to go to college. So, the ripple effect of the education in our state is great,” she said.
Reed said the graduates should “keep going and keep growing. You are not just preparing for that first job, you are preparing for the fifth job and tenth job ...”
When she graduated from LSU, Reed said her grandmother urged her “to keep going.”
An education brings opportunities, she said, but added it results in responsibilities.
“We hope that you recognize that being educated means willing to serve, it means reaching out to others, it means making your world better than you found it,” she said.
Reed also urged the graduates to become champions of their state and education.
“You will learn you don’t always get to pick your team ... but know that it is important to collaborate to recognize diverse ideas and people as an asset,” she said.
Following the ceremony, Reed said the state’s challenge is to get more students through college for stronger families and economy.
Reed said the Legislature is being asked to provide an additional $100 million for higher education.
While higher education funding has stabilized the last two years, Reed said it “has weathered the largest disinvestment in higher education in the nation and as a result we have shifted the cost from the state to the students and families.”
The budget request for higher education is focused on affordability and innovation.
Reed is the only female in the country currently serving as a state higher education leader who has led higher education in more than one state, an LSUE news release stated.
Reed served President Barack Obama’s administration as deputy undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education and led the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Reed chaired Louisiana’s higher education transition team in 2015 and served as the State’s policy director. Reed also served as chief of staff and deputy commissioner for public affairs for the Louisiana Board of Regents and executive vice president of the University of Louisiana System.
Reed received a doctorate in public policy from Southern University, a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from LSU.
She was introduced at Friday’s ceremony by Mackenzie Comeaux of Basile, who is on track to become LSUE’ s first dual enrolled student to earn a high school diploma and associate degree this spring.