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Former President Bill Clinton was in Rochester Friday to deliver a commencement address at the Golisano Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship.
Fifty-five students graduated from the school’s two-year business and entrepreneurship program. In addition, 10 students graduated from the institute’s new one-year artificial intelligence and business program.
In his address, Clinton discussed artificial intelligence, citing “The Coming Wave,” a book by Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI.
“(The book) said, ‘(AI) is going to happen whether you like it or not. It’s gonna be good, and it’s gonna be bad.’ So, our job is to minimize the bad and maximize the good,” Clinton said. “I happen to think that one of the things that will maximize the good is what you’re doing here. Why? Because you are learning to make practical, positive use of a new technology that we still don’t fully understand the total reach of.”
In closing, Clinton advised students to consider how, looking ahead, they can “keep the score,” a theme he touched on throughout the address, drawing on memories of his grandfather.
“When I’m gone, I want people to ask three questions that can be honestly answered yes,” he said. “Are people better off when you quit than when you started? Do children have a brighter future? And are we coming together instead of being driven apart? If you can answer yes to all those questions, the rest is just background usually.”
Before hearing from Clinton, graduates were addressed by the institute’s president, Ian Mortimer, and founder Tom Golisano, as well as some of their classmates: Giang Nguyen, Brandon Kasperkoski, and McKinley Egenhofer.
“Graduates, we will surely miss you. But like parents, we are looking forward to watching you improve the next generation of business leaders, educators, and other individuals … you’ll have an impact on throughout your journey,” Mortimer said. “The greatest gift that you can give to Tom and us is to pay it forward.”
Nguyen, Kasperkoski, and Egenhofer discussed their experiences at the institute, while Golisano reminisced about his initial meeting with Clinton, a dinner at the former president’s home in Chappaqua where they discussed the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative.
“I am thoroughly proud to be part of it,” Golisano said. “For eight years, I helped; I helped the organization financially. And guess what? It did all that work with no taxpayer money.”
Golisano also fondly recalled other meetings, noting Clinton’s cordial nature and his terms as president.
“I didn’t vote for him. But I will tell you, if he ran today, I would not just vote for him, but I would help,” he said.
Also in attendance were Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres—a team he acquired from Golisano and two minority partners—and Tim Shriver, the Special Olympics Chairman and last year’s commencement speaker.
David Wazana is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and a member of the Oasis Project’s second cohort.
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Do you really have to take the students day of graduation on a political “ride”?
I’d like to congratulate them for their efforts and thank Mr. Golisano for his contribution toward education. Nice touch to get former President Clinton to address the graduating class. That’s all that needed to be said, Mr. Robinson. Keep your political sniping to yourself.
Always amusing to recall that the holier-than-thou party that wanted to impeach and convict Clinton for allegedly lying about his relationship with Lewinski and allegedly obstructing justice, sits on their hands year after year when it comes to the activities of Donny J.
We ought to have a rule that one should respond to the issue. Not bring out the political bashing. That goes for both sides. Some minds are simply polluted with political thought and void of seeing the good.