[Rhodes22-list] Education - The Last Lecture

Thu Sep 20 22:48:36 EDT 2007

Elle,

Here is a link to watch the whole lecture including intros and awards (about
2 hours):

http://wms.andrew.cmu.edu/001/pausch.wmv

Below is the article from the WSJ.

Brad

--------------------

A Beloved Professor Delivers
The Lecture of a Lifetime
September 20, 2007; Page D1

Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor, was
about to give a lecture Tuesday afternoon, but before he said a word, he
received a standing ovation from 400 students and colleagues.

He motioned to them to sit down. "Make me earn it," he said.
What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?
For Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, the question isn't rhetorical --
he's dying of cancer. Jeff Zaslow narrates a video on Prof. Pausch's final
lecture.

They had come to see him give what was billed as his "last lecture." This is
a common title for talks on college campuses today. Schools such as Stanford
and the University of Alabama have mounted "Last Lecture Series," in which
top professors are asked to think deeply about what matters to them and to
give hypothetical final talks. For the audience, the question to be mulled
is this: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last
chance?

It can be an intriguing hour, watching healthy professors consider their
demise and ruminate over subjects dear to them. At the University of
Northern Iowa, instructor Penny O'Connor recently titled her lecture "Get
Over Yourself." At Cornell, Ellis Hanson, who teaches a course titled
"Desire," spoke about sex and technology.

At Carnegie Mellon, however, Dr. Pausch's speech was more than just an
academic exercise. The 46-year-old father of three has pancreatic cancer and
expects to live for just a few months. His lecture, using images on a giant
screen, turned out to be a rollicking and riveting journey through the
lessons of his life.

He began by showing his CT scans, revealing 10 tumors on his liver. But
after that, he talked about living. If anyone expected him to be morose, he
said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you." He then dropped to the floor and did
one-handed pushups.
 [image: [photo]]Randy Pausch and his three children, ages 5, 2 and 1.

Clicking through photos of himself as a boy, he talked about his childhood
dreams: to win giant stuffed animals at carnivals, to walk in zero gravity,
to design Disney rides, to write a World Book entry. By adulthood, he had
achieved each goal. As proof, he had students carry out all the huge stuffed
animals he'd won in his life, which he gave to audience members. After all,
he doesn't need them anymore.

He paid tribute to his techie background. "I've experienced a deathbed
conversion," he said, smiling. "I just bought a Macintosh." Flashing his
rejection letters on the screen, he talked about setbacks in his career,
repeating: "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly
we want things." He encouraged us to be patient with others. "Wait long
enough, and people will surprise and impress you." After showing photos of
his childhood bedroom, decorated with mathematical notations he'd drawn on
the walls, he said: "If your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor
to me, let 'em do it."

While displaying photos of his bosses and students over the years, he said
that helping others fulfill their dreams is even more fun than achieving
your own. He talked of requiring his students to create videogames without
sex and violence. "You'd be surprised how many 19-year-old boys run out of
ideas when you take those possibilities away," he said, but they all rose to
the challenge.

He also saluted his parents, who let him make his childhood bedroom his
domain, even if his wall etchings hurt the home's resale value. He knew his
mom was proud of him when he got his Ph.D, he said, despite how she'd
introduce him: "This is my son. He's a doctor, but not the kind who helps
people."

He then spoke about his legacy. Considered one of the nation's foremost
teachers of videogame and virtual-reality technology, he helped develop
"Alice," a Carnegie Mellon software project that allows people to easily
create 3-D animations. It had one million downloads in the past year, and
usage is expected to soar.

"Like Moses, I get to see the Promised Land, but I don't get to step foot in
it," Dr. Pausch said. "That's OK. I will live on in Alice."
DISCUSS

[image: [Go to forum]] <http://forums.wsj.com/viewtopic.php?t=821>1 Readers,
if you were giving your last public address, what advice would you share,
who would you thank, what stories would you tell and who would be on your
mind? *Share your thoughts* <http://forums.wsj.com/viewtopic.php?t=821>2.
Plus, watch Dr. Pausch's full
lecture<http://www.etc.cmu.edu/global_news/?q=node/42>
3 at Carnegie Mellon's Web site.

Many people have given last speeches without realizing it. The day before he
was killed, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke prophetically: "Like anybody, I
would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place." He talked of how
he had seen the Promised Land, even though "I may not get there with you."

Dr. Pausch's lecture, in the same way, became a call to his colleagues and
students to go on without him and do great things. But he was also
addressing those closer to his heart.

Near the end of his talk, he had a cake brought out for his wife, whose
birthday was the day before. As she cried and they embraced on stage, the
audience sang "Happy Birthday," many wiping away their own tears.

Dr. Pausch's speech was taped so his children, ages 5, 2 and 1, can watch it
when they're older. His last words in his last lecture were simple: "This
was for my kids." Then those of us in the audience rose for one last
standing ovation.

*Write to* Jeffrey Zaslow at jeffrey.zaslow at wsj.com4

On 9/20/07, elle <watermusic38 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Amazing, inspiring man.
>
> Hit a bit too close to home....
>
> elle
>
>
> --- Brad Haslett <flybrad at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > This man will not be with us much longer, he is
> > dying of cancer.  This video
> > is so rich!  Enjoy.  Brad
> >
> > http://youtube.com/watch?v=4HqdnjgkExY
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