一个正义事业的叛逆者 2019年7月22日星期一上午10:45.m.

亲爱的校园社区-

I recently had the pleasure of welcoming to our campus Dr. 马卡齐维·曼德拉，一位人道主义者， global activist, daughter of the late South African 总统 Nelson 曼德拉, and the 杰克逊维尔大学 2019 总统ial Global Citizen award recipient.

在世界上所有的地方，我很荣幸. 曼德拉选择了杰克逊维尔大学 to celebrate Nelson 曼德拉 国际 Day on July 18, 2019 -- the day that would 是她父亲的101岁生日吗. 全球网络赌博平台通过哈利勒·奥西里斯联系在一起，他是作家， social activist, entrepreneur, and founder of the non-profit Reflecting Freedom, who 他在监狱里待了20年. 在监禁期间，他受到了纳尔逊的启发 曼德拉 to transform his life, and he began writing letters to Dr. 曼德拉. 她写 back, and decades later, they united to make positive change for impoverished people 全球范围内.

他们的故事非常引人注目. 他们克服个人困难的动力 -- heartbreak, regret, bitterness -- and to refocus that energy into a life of service 对他人激励着全球网络赌博平台所有人. 我越了解哈利勒和. 曼德拉，越 我意识到全球网络赌博平台的任务是多么相似.

Here at 杰克逊维尔大学, we’ve been working for years to cultivate a culture of service and respect for others, and to foster open, informed dialogue on significant, 有时是很难的话题. We take seriously our unique community role as a forum for engaging in real, vibrant conversations based in reason, fact and research ——不仅仅是情感、议程和意见. 谈话可以变成辩论，但是 总是带着尊严和尊重.

We believe in opening minds -- not just filling them up. 这是全球网络赌博平台的责任 to help prepare the next generation of leaders by broadening their perspectives and 扩展他们的世界观. It’s our privilege to unlock opportunities for students 学者们学习、成长和贡献.

Within the scope of our chosen mission, and on important days such as Nelson 曼德拉 国际 Day, we honor and recognize visionaries who have devoted their life’s work to such efforts -- those who invoke necessary change that reaches around the 全球和超越自己的一生.

In 2015, we honored Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of Pepsi Co.，以及首席架构师 of Performance with a Purpose, Pepsi’s promise to do what is right for the business 通过为人类和地球做正确的事情. 2017年，全球网络赌博平台表彰了肯·伯恩斯， who, with 12 Emmy’s, two Oscar nominations and a lifetime achievement award, is one of the most influential filmmakers and prolific storytellers of all time.

Now in 2019, for only the 3rd time in our 85-year history, the 杰克逊维尔大学 总统全球公民奖. 马卡齐维·曼德拉——一个非凡的人 拥有最难得的人生旅程的人. 他是学校的典范 ideal of fostering globally engaged citizens who seek to leave this world better than 他们找到了. Dr. 曼德拉 embodies this ideal as she fights to eradicate one of the most devastating, enduring, pervasive epidemics of our time: 贫困.

According to the United Nations, 783 million people around the world live in extreme 贫困. 这是地球上每10个人中就有一个. 把它放在美国.S. 术语中, 他们每天的生活费不足2美元. Poverty exists in even the richest nations and its 影响是非常真实的. 在美国这里.S.在美国，研究表明贫困显著减少 预期寿命. Those above the 贫困 line can expect to live 10 to 15 years longer than the hundreds of thousands in our communities who live below it.

Children living in 贫困 are the most vulnerable. 他们的家庭负担不起营养 food, medical care, education, clothing, and, in many parts of the world, clean water. Each year, thousands of children in 贫困 die from preventable diseases. 尽管全球 贫困 rates have been reduced since 2000, the 贫穷循环 has proven to be inescapable for millions of people, persisting through generations.

但是，作为博士. 曼德拉 is proving, there is an effective tool to engage the fight: education. Access to education -- especially when combined with manufacturing, specialized skills, and agricultural initiatives that promote food security -- helps families break the 贫穷循环. As Co-founder of the non-profit House of 曼德拉 Family Foundation, she advocates for impoverished communities around the world, fighting to secure equal access to basic needs and teaching those in 贫困 how to generate wealth within 他们的社区. Dr. 曼德拉’s mission is to empower people and support them with real-world tools and knowledge they can use -- not just to rise above 贫困, but 为了达到一个更大的目标. 自力更生. 自我尊重. 自我的可持续发展.

She’s also a world-class connector, effectively bringing together the less fortunate 和最幸运的人. She pulls back the curtain so we can see the need first hand, 并激励全球网络赌博平台做得更多. 通过基金会，Dr. 曼德拉努力将 resources to communities so they can rise together.

Like her father, she can be persistent and stubborn. 一个有正当理由的叛逆者. 和 it’s clear her unwavering devotion to service continues to strengthen the 曼德拉 family legacy so it will endure for many generations and across continents.

From Terry Concert Hall to a standing-room-only River House, and amplified by outstanding WJXT报道. 曼德拉 shared with us personal experiences, how she overcame a childhood of unprecedented challenge, thoughts on leadership, and her vision for 更美好的全球社区. She inspired our campus community with the sobering reminder that the greatest mission we could ever hope to pursue is helping one another. It is the essence of who we are here at 杰克逊维尔大学, and who we are as human 人类. I hope you’ll join me today in reflecting on ways -- big or small -- that we can make a positive difference in the lives of others, creating a wave of kindness and generosity that will ripple throughout our global community.

带着谦卑和感激，

蒂姆成本
总统
杰克逊维尔大学
1981届毕业生