“I initially accepted the invitation to speak here because it is such an honor and it felt good for my ego,” he said during the on April 28, 2013. “I was being recognized for all of my great achievements: Should I talk about my work as a member of the Maryland legislature, or what lessons I gleaned from my successful private sector experience? Maybe I should speak about writing a bestselling book and the experience of a national book tour? Surely this was my chance to speak about my thoughts, to share my pearls of wisdom.

“But when I started to write this speech, I struggled,” he added. “Those very thoughts conflicted with what ��ݮ���� stands for, and has taught each of you. Indeed, by extending the invitation, ��ݮ���� was teaching me that what I am trying to do in my life—to serve poor kids and their families, to perform acts of hope and love—is what matters.”

Shriver referenced stories from his father, Sargent Shriver, and his work with the , War on Poverty, , and . Looking back through letters written to him by his father, Shriver identified three key virtues embodied by his father’s life – faith, hope and love.

“Indeed, being good, when no one is looking, being good when the cameras are off and the lights are off, being good to presidents and cardinals was as important as being good to the waitresses or the garbage collectors – goodness, for him [Sargent Shriver] was more important than greatness.”

Mark Shriver is the author of (Henry Holt and Co., 2012), which describes how his father lived out his faith, hope and love in his marriage of 54 years, parenting of five children, and wide-ranging service work.

“My dad would’ve loved today, he would’ve loved the joy that permeates this day and this wonderful university. He would’ve especially loved that each of you, as traditional undergraduates, has completed at least nine semester hours of cross-cultural work. You’ve demonstrated a commitment to , to global awareness and … to the interdependence of cultures and nations.”

Shriver, who is senior vice president for strategic initiatives and senior advisor to the chief executive officer of , modeled humble gratitude to the thousands in the audience. “By asking me to stand in front of all of you—a guy who is not a political potentate or a high-ranking legal scholar, who is not a famous bestselling author—by inviting me to speak—someone who is striving to be a pencil in God’s hand—��ݮ���� has taught me—and I hope all of you—that what is truly important in life is to accept Jesus’ invitation to love and serve each other, to commit to daily acts of hope and love. Maybe even be a good woman, or good man.”

Graduating class

conferred 497 degrees and certificates: 406 undergraduate,

87 earning one of five master’s degrees (not including those from the seminary), three graduate certificates in , and one graduate certificate in non-profit leadership and social entrepreneurship.

The undergraduate class had 104 people who graduated with honors, finishing with cumulative grade point averages between 3.6 and 4.0.

The undergraduate class of 2013 bestowed a monetary gift to develop the area between Northlawn residence hall and Campus Center into a recreational area for future students.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary conferred 24 degrees and certificates: 13 , four , one , five certificates in ministry studies, and one certificate in theological studies.

To listen to the full commencement exercise visit: emu.edu/now/podcast/2013/04/28/2013-commencement/

A full gallery of photos from commencement is posted at .

Shriver  is senior vice president for strategic initiatives and senior advisor to the chief executive officer of Save the Children U.S. Programs, which works to ensure a fair start for all kids in the United States, including the one-in-five living in poverty. From 1995 to 2003, Shriver served as a two-term member of the Maryland House of Delegates. He started the Choice Program, serving delinquent and at-risk youth, and served on the coalition to create the National Commission on Children and Disasters following Hurricane Katrina.

The Shriver-Kennedy Family Tree

Recently Shriver wrote A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver, a book published in June 2012. It is a tribute to the wide-spread influence and salutory work of his father, who was affected by Alzheimer’s for 10 years before his death at age 95.

In the book Shriver focused on the three guiding principles of his father’s life – faith, hope, and love – and how these were lived out in his marriage of 54 years, his parenting of five children who adored him, and his wide-ranging service work. Sargeant Shriver was a devout Roman Catholic, who attended mass on a daily basis.

“Peace, to Dad, meant more than just the absence of war – it meant hard work to sustain peace among nations, and it also meant hard work to sustain peace in ourselves, in our families, in our communities, and in our country,” wrote Shriver.

Shriver’s mother, Eunice (Kennedy) Shriver, is the sister of former President John F. Kennedy and the late Senators Edward “Ted” Kennedy and Robert “Bobby” Kennedy. She started “Camp Shriver” in 1962, which became the Special Olympics in 1968.

Shriver’s father served as George McGovern’s Vice Presidential candidate in the 1972 presidential election. Sargent Shriver was the United States Ambassador to France and helped create the Peace Corps. He was also known as the architect of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “war on poverty.”

Mark Shriver is the fourth of five children. His siblings include: Robert Sargent Shriver III, an attorney and former mayor of Santa Monica, California; Maria Shriver, an author, journalist and former First Lady of California; Timothy Shriver, an educator and chair of the Special Olympics; and Anthony Shriver, an activist and founder of Best Buddies International, a nonprofit organization.

Mark Shriver’s Focus on Children

In the Maryland House of Delegates, Shriver was the first chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families and was appointed chair of the Children and Youth Subcommittee of Maryland’s House Ways and Means Committee.

Shriver created The Choice Jobs Program, Inc., a private non-profit that trains, places and supports former Choice Program clients in jobs, as well as The Choice Middle Schools Program, a model for keeping at-risk middle school children in school.

Shriver received his BA from The College of the Holy Cross in 1986 and a master’s in public administration from Harvard University in 1993.

Shriver resides in Bethesda, Md., with his wife Jeanne and their three young children, Molly, Tommy and Emma.

Learn more about Mark Shriver and his work