Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 18, 1990 TAG: 9006180115
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELLIE SCHAFFZIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"There's always room for an accountant," Shropshire said, citing the demand for graduates with such skills. He also noted the value of degrees in areas such as computer science, management and marketing. He called good executive secretaries "heroes and heroines," saying they are "as hard to find as a needle in a haystack."
Going through the list of majors the students had chosen, Shropshire explained why each one promises the students a bright future.
He said the graduates are entering a world of opportunity, where fast-paced changes constantly open up new possibilities. "If you don't believe me, read the Wall Street Journal," he said.
The 90 graduates gathered at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Salem for a ceremony that was "as conservative as any graduation you'll find in Virginia," said Employment Center Director Wes Thompson.
Shropshire is a 1966 graduate of the business college, and although he knew back then he wanted to get into politics, he knew little about the subject.
Shropshire told students he began his career by addressing a letter to the entire General Assembly, because he didn't know who to contact for a job. The person who received his letter had done the same 50 years before and had sympathy for Shropshire's situation. He gave Shropshire a job as a clerk to the Virginia Senate.
Shropshire then set goals for himself, having even higher aspirations each time he accomplished the goal at hand. He told the graduates to do the same.
"If I can do it, I know you can," he said, admitting that he owed some of his success to luck. He said the graduates could succeed with the skills they have alone.
He told the graduates that in the course of their careers, they should "never stop learning." Shropshire, 45, went back to William and Mary College four years ago to get his Masters in Business Administration.
Although he knew the older students among them would stand out somewhat on a university campus, Shropshire advised all the graduates to continue to take advantage of the educational system. The gray-haired Shropshire said he was once mistaken for a member of a senior citizens' group which was touring the William and Mary campus. He had been standing among his fellow students, but was pegged as an elderly tourist, nonetheless.
"They thought it was funny. I didn't," he said.
Women students dominated the part of the ceremony recognizing outstanding students. Among those honored were single mothers who had managed to juggle work and school while maintaining grade point averages of 3.8 and 3.9.
by CNB