Louis B. Susman, the former United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, delivered the commencement address at Connecticut College in 2012. Having attended his daughter Sally's graduation from the same institution in 1984, Susman brought a unique dual perspective — both as a distinguished diplomat and as a parent who understood exactly what the families in the audience were feeling. Susman affirmed the value of the graduates' liberal arts education, noting their impressive senior theses on topics ranging from sustainable agriculture to human trafficking. He then pivoted from validation to urgency, making clear that the world's challenges — economic, environmental, and social — demanded their immediate engagement. His message was that education is not just personal enrichment but a call to service.