When Charles F. Wilkinson delivers the main address during the winter commencement exercises at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Saturday, he will advise the new graduates that their educations are too valuable to be used only for earning a paycheck.
Wilkinson, a distinguished professor of law at the university, is recognized as a champion of the American West through his decades of writing and legal work, and he would like the students to dedicate themselves to what he calls "this sacred place."
"I believe university graduates of today have tremendous amounts to offer communities in the West," he said in a recent interview. "I hope they will choose to become real citizens of the West, develop an ethic of place, a love and commitment to this land. The West deserves it."
Wilkinson said that since his own university graduation 25 years ago, the population of the West has shot up from 17 million to 60 million people, a surge of growth that brought social changes "we couldn聮t feel back then." Today聮s young people, however, will leave their classrooms better prepared than ever "to apply their knowledge and understanding to the unique problems" of the region.
Wilkinson is the Moses Lasky Professor of Law at the university, and has been named a Distinguished Professor, one of only 20 in the state-wide system. His primary specialties are federal public land law and Indian law, and he has written numerous articles in law reviews and popular journals and has authored 10 books. He is currently completing his latest book, "Fire on the Plateau: Conflict and Endurance in the American Southwest," an examination of the Colorado Plateau through his own personal journeys.
Some 1,799 students will receive their degrees on Saturday, Dec. 19, in the 9:30 a.m. ceremonies at the Coors Events/Conference Center.
Copies of Wilkinson聮s address will be available through the office of News Services at 303-492-3113.