Read the full letter from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the 2018 Hertie School graduates.
Dear Helmut,
I am sorry that I was unable to join you and your graduates for the commencement ceremony at the Hertie School of Governance. I would have loved to have attended the event but commitments here in Los Angeles made being in Berlin impossible.
Nevertheless, I would like to pass on my congratulations to everyone awarded a degree. I know how much work goes into earning a diploma from the prestigious Hertie School and I am so proud of your graduates for investing countless hours studying and working towards theirs. Please thank them for the great work that they have done and let them know that I am expecting great things from them. The next generation of leaders face many challenges, but I have no doubt that you and the Hertie faculty equipped your graduates with the skills and confidence needed to leave a positive impact on the world. I am excited for the future and optimistic that tomorrow will always be better than today if we continue to work hard toward common goals that make the world a better place. Once again, congratulations to your graduates for doing just that.
I would also like to take a minute to congratulate you, Helmut, on your successful tenure as President of the Hertie School and to thank you for all the support you have provided the USC Schwarzenegger Institute over the years. I have enjoyed getting to know you and it was wonderful having the Hertie School represented at last month's Austrian World Summit in Vienna. I am also grateful the time and energy you invested in the Energy Transition Forum research project. This multiyear collaboration between USC, Hertie and Tsinghua University was a huge success and I fundamentally believe that the work that came out of it has the potential to make the world cleaner, safer and more energy efficient and in doing so protect many of the lives impacted by pollution and climate change. Academic research is vital to good decision making and I applaud you for your deep commitment to improving public policy throughout the world.
Although I am sorry to see a leader like you retire I am confident that we will continue to find ways to work together. We are always happy to host you at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute in Los Angeles and look forward to visiting the new President Emeritus Anheier when I am next in Berlin. Until then, best wishes for your retirement and once again congratulations to you and your graduates on this special day.
Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger