Temperatures rise and snow disappears as we approach the Ides of March. In no time at all, graduation will be here for thousands of young people in our state from the UW System and our technical schools.
They are filled with hope for a bright future they richly deserve. They have studied hard, worked several jobs, borrowed lots of money, leaned on families for support, sweated through countless exams, remained alert through hundreds of lectures, worried about majors and minors, and crossed their fingers while they waited for their grades. After all that, they deserve to have a state welcoming them into the mainstream of activity.
So how are we preparing their welcoming party? Well, we have a few problems. While they should be able to look to us for inspiration and leadership, frankly, we need their ideas and leadership. We made lots of promises to their generation, but unfortunately we have had our gaze diverted.