New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks spoke to the graduating Class of 2011 about making commitments and their correlation with happiness in an uncertain future in his keynote address during the University's 60th commencement ceremony. According to BrandeisNOW, the ceremony, which was held May 22 in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, was attended by about 8,000 students, family members and faculty. As one of this year's six honorary degree recipients, Brooks received a degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. Executive Assistant to the President and Assistant Secretary of the Corporation John Hose described Brooks as an "oasis" of both reason and humor at the ceremony.

Brooks began his speech humorously. "As I look out on this audience, the first thing I realize is that the Rapture must actually have happened yesterday," said Brooks. "because, from the looks of it, America is now 50 percent Jewish."

He later gave advice for the graduates' futures while reflecting on their pasts.

"Young Americans today live the most supervised childhoods in American history," said Brooks. He referenced cartoon images of the "Tiger Moms, Über-moms and Helicopter Parents" who raise their children to be well-rounded and extremely accomplished.

"So, by the time these Über-mom kids will apply to college, they will have cured four formerly fatal diseases, started three companies, done environmental awareness training in Tibet and competed in the Olympic trials in some completely obscure sport like fencing or competitive yoga," joked Brooks.

"Over the past 15 years of your life, you have been funneled through a set of rigorous and supervised institutions. The paths have been marked out; the grades you had to get and the tests you had to do well on," said Brooks. "But, starting today, or in a few years when some of you leave graduate school, you will shoot out into a world that is unprecedentedly wide open, with an unmarked variety of lifestyle options, a global variety of places to live, an incredibly diverse number of careers, most of which you have never even heard of."

Brooks said to graduates that they are entering a "new, unmarked, un-institutionalized phase of life" where they will most likely move from job to job and location to location, sampling different careers and lifestyles.

"While you do this, by the way, your parents will be going slowly insane," joked Brooks.

Brooks contrasted recent graduates to those of 1960, who, Brooks said, did four things in rapid succession: received degrees, became employed, married and bought homes-all before their 30th birthdays. Brooks later referred to this period of time as "hunting for commitments," which he said requires "extraordinary skill."

"You can't just commit to the first thing that comes along," said Brooks. "But you can't wait and miss your opportunities. You have to struggle against the signals of your culture and commit to serious things that will give your life significance."

Brooks brought up marriage as an example, deeming it as the most important commitment in one's life. "I tell educators they should compel every student to major in marriage. Students should be compelled to take courses on the psychology of marriage, the literature of marriage, the neuroscience of marriage, the history of marriage."

In addition, Brooks said that graduates should commit to solving a problem. Brooks referenced poor management, diseases like Alzheimer's and high scholastic drop-out rates as challenges to solve.

Brooks told graduates that instead of answering posed questions and completing given assignments--such as in the structured world--they will have to find their own questions and assignments on which to work.

According to Brooks, a Brandeis education gave graduates both an academic education as well as an emotional one, about which he said, "Learning is the byproduct as you search for pleasure" among professors and classmates.

Brooks also spoke about happiness and its relation to material wealth and making commitments.

"Once you hit the middle class, getting richer isn't going to make you that much happier," said Brooks. "The relationship between friendship and happiness is strong."

Brooks challenged his audience to enter into "the commitment hunt" in the upcoming years, saying that happiness is achieved by engaging in such commitments.

"Most of us are egotistical and most of us are self-concerned most of the time, but it's nonetheless true that life comes to a point only when the self dissolves into some larger task and summons," said Brooks. "The purpose in life is not to find yourself. It's to lose yourself."

Before Brooks spoke, University President Frederick Lawrence, who conferred the honorary degrees, also addressed members of the graduating class on their futures, posing the question of whether it is "realistic to be optimistic."

Lawrence gave two reasons for students to be optimistic: one being the "training" students received at Brandeis and the other being the connection students hold with each other and also with the University. Lawrence said that the training students receive at Brandeis extends beyond the academic scope into all parts of campus life, including the emotional and risk-taking aspects. On connections, Lawrence said that there is a paradox in feeling connected to other people or locations. "The paradox is this: Places do not belong to us, but we belong to places. You will always belong to this place, to its values and what it stands for," Lawrence said.

The graduating Class of 2011 included 777 undergraduates, out of whom 644 graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees and 133 graduated with Bachelor of Science degrees. Out of the undergraduates, 173 graduated cum laude, 176 graduated magna cum laude and 65 graduated summa cum laude. In addition, 782 graduate students received master's degrees and 88 students received doctorates.

Charlie Kivolowitz '11 said that he thought Brooks was "surprisingly funny. . I was very impressed," he said.

Annie Jennings M.A. '11 said of Brooks, "He was so funny but serious at the same time. He was really inspiring."

Jane Becker '11 said, "I thought [Brooks] was excellent. I confess that I hadn't known who he was, but I really enjoyed his address. I think there can be a lot of wisdom in humor. I appreciated that he was really funny."

-Fiona Lockyer, Andrew Wingens and Nashrah Rahman contributed reporting.