Immelt to address Hamilton College; Boston College

It’s back to school for GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt this weekend. He’ll address the Hamilton College Class of 2010 on Sunday, May 23 at 10:15 a.m., with a live webcast of the speech available by clicking here. On Monday, May 24 at 10 a.m., he’ll deliver the commencement speech to the Boston College Class of 2010 – which can also be viewed live by clicking here. As Jeff jokes in his written remarks to the Boston grads: “I know what you are thinking. Of all the potential college commencement speakers in the world, how did we get the CEO of GE?” After listing a few potential answers, he explains: “If none of these reasons grab you, I would merely say: unemployment is high and GE will hire 2,000 college grads this year. That should get a round of applause from your parents.”

Class acts: Gasson Tower on the campus of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts is seen here.

Among the messages that Jeff plans to leave with the newly-minted grads at Hamilton College, which is located in Clinton, NY, is one that runs through all of the work done here at GE: “Live with a spirit of optimism.” As he explains in his written remarks, “These are obviously challenging times. The cynics seem to be winning and the world is in a bad mood. But if you give in to it, if you despair that nothing substantial can be done to improve our world, you will prove the cynics right. Pessimists take whatever fate others hand to them. They might complain about it, resent it, but they don’t believe in themselves enough to do anything about it. Optimists seize life. Optimists change things. Because they believe they can, and they have the guts to keep trying until they do.”

That optimistic message is also one that he’ll take to the grads in Boston. With 270 Boston College alumni working at GE, Jeff asked for their thoughts on what advice might resonate the most. “After all, they are navigating this crazy world, and they share your BC tradition,” Jeff said. One key piece of advice was suggested by Rick Alexander, class of 1981. “First, you were trained to solve problems,” Jeff plans to say, “so look at the current environment as an opportunity of a lifetime!… In this country, the next generation is always the Greatest Generation. Americans always have a sense that the future will be better than the past.” The trick, he says, is that “solving problems takes equal measures of inspiration and determination…. I hope that you choose to take on the really tough problems that impact our society — and distinguish yourself by having the determination to make things happen.”

Click here to read Jeff’s Boston College speech as prepared for delivery.