At #Princeton26 Commencement, President Eisgruber called on graduating students to have the courage to confront challenges and stand up for the values of learning, independent thinking and integrity that higher education institutions like Princeton hold dear. “I know that all of you who receive your degrees today have earned them fully by working hard, deepening your knowledge and acquiring new skills,” he said. “Our world needs not only your knowledge and your skills but also your courage.” In his Commencement address, titled “Learning, Citizenship, and the Courage to Be Unpopular,” Eisgruber emphasized the importance of “civic and personal courage.” “We must be faithful to the standards of truth-seeking inquiry and civic responsibility even when they lead us down difficult paths,” he said, noting the courage needed “to rebut dangerous tendencies and corrosive ideas.” “Dissenting from popular opinion — in politics, in a committee meeting, or in a discussion among friends — will often feel uncomfortable. There is an inevitable temptation to remain silent so as not to hurt other people’s feelings, forfeit their affection or risk retribution,” Eisgruber said. “If we are to live up to the ideals of citizenship and scholarship, we must sometimes speak anyway.” Read his full Commencement address: bit.ly/3RJDkaL