Graduation speakers selected

CEO, student to address UST graduates

By: Michael Golden and Rachel Castillo

Posted: 5/1/08

This year's graduation commencement speaker, James T. Hackett, president and CEO of Anadarko Petroleum Corp., said he will talk to the graduating students about "informed courage," while senior liberal arts major and student speaker Derek Smith will share the story of his lengthy college journey with his fellow graduates on May 17.

Hackett donated the money for the creation of the Hackett Field, which broke ground in spring 2006. Along with fellow benefactor Trini Mendenhall Sosa, Hackett will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony.

Hackett said that he wants to talk to the graduating students about leadership and definitions of success. He also mentioned the idea of informed courage-having the knowledge to make informed decisions and the courage to make decisions you believe in.

"I think courage is wonderful; I think it's one of the traits of good leaders, but in an increasingly inter-dependent world, it's terribly important that it not be uninformed courage," Hackett said.

Hackett said that his involvement with UST dates back about 10 years, after his wife, Maureen, helped put on a gala. He and his wife are both Catholic.

Hackett has been president and CEO of Anadarko since Dec. 2003 and chairman of the board of directors since Jan. 2006. Before working at Anadarko, Hackett worked for companies including the Devon Energy Corp., Ocean Energy and Pan Energy. After attending the Air Force Academy for more than two years, Hackett transferred to the University of Illinois and graduated with a bachelor of science degree. After working for a short time at Amoco Oil Co. overseas, Hackett returned to the U.S. and attended Harvard University, where he earned a master of business administration.

Hackett said that, as a CEO, it is important to have bright people around you that think differently about the world.

"The more experiences I get and the bigger positions that I am fortunate enough to be offered to hold, the more I realize how limited I am personally in being able to really accomplish magic," Hackett said.

Hackett said he was thrilled when UST President Robert Ivany approached him about three months ago to ask if he was interested in giving the commencement speech.

"Particularly at St. Thomas it will be a thrill because it's a relatively small graduating class; you can reach a little more personally and, also, because I have a such passion for the University and for Bob [Ivany] and what he is doing there, and his predecessor, Mike Miller," Hackett said.

Smith was on his way to class when he found out he was chosen to be the student commencement speaker.

"I was very proud and excited," Smith said. "I immediately called my mom and dad, of course."

Smith said he suffers from chronic depression, which has often affected his ability to get things done.

"I know a lot of my old professors will probably find it funny that I am the student graduation speaker [because] I often couldn't get in papers for their classes on time, if at all," he said. "I can't deny the irony."

Out of all of his college experiences, Smith said that he will always remember graduation first.

"[Graduation] will mean a great deal to [me], as well as my parents," Smith said. "One [is] because it is a great accomplishment that has taken me a while to achieve, and two [is] because, in 1998, my sister was killed in a car accident two months before she was set to graduate from college."