The Honorable William Webster, former Director of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, addressed the Class of 2008 at the fifth annual Commencement Exercises of The Institute of World Politics on June 6, 2008. He was joined in recognizing the Institute’s graduates by Mr. Owen Smith, Chairman of the IWP Board of Trustees; Dr. John Lenczowski, Founder and President of the Institute, Dr. Marek Chodakiewicz, Academic Dean; and Dr. David Klocek, Faculty Chairman.
The Institute awarded Judge Webster a Doctorate of Laws honoris causa for his decades of service to the nation and to causes higher than himself. A veteran of the U.S. Navy during the Second World War, Judge Webster served as a U.S. Attorney and later a Federal judge prior to his appointments as head of the FBI and later the CIA. Since his retirement from public office in 1991, he has continued to be involved in causes related to statesmanship and intelligence, particularly the balance between security and civil liberty.
In his remarks, Judge Webster praised Dr. Lenczowski and the Institute for the school’s stalwart defense of America’s founding principles. He reminded the graduates to “make a place in your lives for service, for duty, for quality, for honor, for steadfast trustworthiness, and I can tell you that it will reward you in your work and your life tenfold. These qualities will lead you away from seeking fame and fortune – although they may come to you – but more importantly they will give you an opportunity to pursue your highest aspirations. For a better and a safer world: that is why you have studied at IWP; that is why you have made your contributions.”
Faculty, friends, and family gathered to witness fifteen students receive Master’s degrees and five students receive Certificates of Graduate Study. Salutatorian Aaron Linderman thanked the school and its instructors for the unique education he and his classmates received at IWP (valedictorian Bryan Hill was unable to attend the ceremony because he is presently in Taiwan studying its language and culture).
To conclude the ceremony, Lawrence Buckley (IWP Class of 2007), president of the Institute’s Alumni Association, welcomed the Class of 2008 to the ranks of IWP alumni.