How one Man’s Experience of Milking Cows in Vermont led to an Academic Excellence

Last Thursday, the Allan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School at Johnson & Wales University held its 24^th Graduation Ceremony. For me, it’s was my fourth experience, as I have attended four universities on three different continents where I have met so many friends from around the globe. This time, I was awarded with an MBA in Hospitality Marketing, which I am very proud of. Although some academic rituals, which are common in such ceremonies are familiar to me, there is one experience that I love the most: listening to the commencement speech.

Traditionally, this speech is a privilege given to high ranking professors with a great academic record. This individual attempts to provide the audience with reasons why their school is great and how well respected their academia is outside of the school classrooms; though it is with high probability that this individual never left school. As a result, lately, this speech is honored to people outside the academic world, which the university government found as of having significant contribution to the industry, in which the major school program is, relates to. In simple words; commencement speeches became interesting, and worth listening to.

While graduating from Cesar Ritz, Switzerland, I was listening to Dr. Wolfgang Petri, the founder of the school, who was the pioneer in his field. The man devote his life to the school, which he built by acquiring the rights and prestige name of Ritz family, a Swiss Hoteliers family with roots in the area of the Visp, in Valais. When he came up with the idea of teaching in English in his small international school back on 1970, the Swiss Academic Counsel of Higher Education threatened to close his school and take away the right and license to award the Swiss Higher Diploma which was an essential license and a professional tool to manage a hotel in all German speaking Europe. He went on to teach behind closed doors, and he won the battle. Today, his school has 4 campuses in Australia, USA and 2 in Switzerland; the official language of the schools is English. It excellence in hospitality teaching is second only to Cornell, NY. Practically, Dr. Wolfgang changed the Swiss.

Graduating from Washington State University with my Bachelor I have heard distinguished professor from Seattle, who tore up his speech notes and went into spontaneous talk about love. Dr. Schlesinger is a world known historian and a writer, who led many research on American, as well as European history. He is a well know scholar and considered as an expert for the Renaissance and Medieval time in Europe. When he taught me, he was 86 and said he has plans for the future. At his commencement speech he gave us true advices about happiness and love. He claimed people who love their work, are happy and unfortunately are minority. Thus, it is very important that we find a work that we love, however Dr. Schlesinger had warned us, never to love our work more than our families. Then was Dr. Umbright, a Director of Graduate School in WSU whose speech was so boring that I can’t recall a sentence. The distinguished Finance Professor, who is today the Dean of the School of Business in Tri-Cities Campus, in Seattle, actually had people falling asleep while delivering his commencement speech. It was worse than taking a class with him.

But by far, the greatest and funniest speech was given this Thursday by James Claude Lehouiller, recipient of an honored PhD Degree in Hospitality Management. James is the president of DiLeonardo International Inc; the world’s largest architectural design firm for hotels, resorts, conference centers and restaurants around the globe. He oversees the firm’s offices in United States, Dubai, Hong-Kong and the Philippines. With a $7 billion capital worth, his company had designed 1400 hotels world-wide. In his commencement speech, he talked about his experience of milking cows in his father farm, in Vermont.

Using his funny experience and hurdles time as a kid, he taught us about his recipe for success; persistence and adding value. If we do what we have to achieve our goals; in persistence and high dedication we would get there. On top of it, James suggested, we should make sure to add value to our communities, to our world, while achieving our individual goals. While milking cows at the age of seven he had many time received a “good” a wet tail slap from an angry cow. According to him, there are only few worse things than having a wet cow’s tails slapping you on your face at 3 am at the cold winter of Vermont. But he had to go on. He was persistent, and learned to complete the task in hard time.

While traveling, as a president of such company, Mr. Claude Lehouiller sleeps in lavish hotels and eats fine cuisines. Nevertheless, such experiences added no value for his life or career and goal executing strategy. What adds value to his life and refine his strategy were the places and more importantly the people he met along the way, and became friends. In return, he is committed to pay back to communities and design a social responsible culture in his firm. For that, I appreciate James and loved his speech. Once again, someone remind us of the importance of good friendships. I always knew there are some good people in Vermont’s farms…