More than 3,400 students completed their degree requirements from West Virginia University in May.

This year, new graduates and their families enjoyed a more personalized graduation experience, celebrating studentsacademic achievements during an Honors Convocation and 13 separate school and college ceremonies May 11-13.

WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. was the keynote speaker at the Honors Convocation Friday, May 11. His inspirational speech shared highlights and memories from his 12 years as WVU s leader. Hardesty will retire in September as the institutions longest serving president.

We all seek meaning in our lives, and we seek a sense of belonging and meaning where we work,Hardesty said in his remarks.I hope you will settle for nothing less than a career and a life that gives you that sense of meaning. Over the years, I learned to appreciate the value of a WVU degree. It launched me on my way to a meaningful and profoundly enjoyable life.

Hardesty is a graduate of WVU , where he was student body president. He also holds degrees from Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship, and Harvard Law School.

To view a complete transcript of his speech, go tohttp://www.wvu.edu/Administration/speeches/convocation_51120078.htm.