Former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice delivers the keynote address at the University of Mobile's 7th annual Leadership Banquet Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011 at the Arthur Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile, Ala. MOBILE, Alabama -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who rose from segregated Alabama to become the first black woman to serve as the nation’s top diplomat, spoke stirringly about the transformative power of education on the individual and democracy on the world during an appearance Thursday in Mobile.
Rice, 58, who left public office in 2009 after eight eventful years in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush, recounted the story of her upbringing in Birmingham and her time in Washington, D.C., during a dinner gala at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.
Rice, now working as a political science professor at Stanford University, was the keynote speaker at the University of Mobile’s annual Leadership Banquet, which drew an audience of nearly 900 and raised more than $250,000 for the school’s scholarship fund. She was introduced by UM President Mark Foley as "an extraordinary American leader."
Rice told the story of her grandfather, John Wesley Rice Sr., a son of slaves from Eutaw, Ala., who used money he earned picking cotton to enroll as a freshman at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa. When the money ran out, she said, he discovered that scholarships were available for students who were willing to become Presbyterian ministers.
"Grandaddy Rice said, ‘You know, that is exactly what I had in mind,’" Rice said. "And my family has been college-educated and Presbyterian ever since."
Her grandfather, she said, was on to something.
"He knew that education was going to transform him into somebody he otherwise would never have been," she said. "And our family set sail for heights that John Wesley Rice Sr. might never have foreseen."
Rice praised the Baptist-affiliated university for its commitment to developing "servant leaders."
"You’re not just showing young people how to get a job. You’re giving them whole new horizons about who they might be, and what they might do," she said.
Rice also drew from "No Higher Honor," her newly published memoir, to reflect on her tenure at the highest levels of government. Rice served as a top foreign policy adviser to President George H.W. Bush, then served as National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush during his first term from 2001 to 2005. Bush appointed her as Secretary of State in 2005.
Rice said her experience in Washington taught her the power of democracy and the important role the U.S. fills as a global leader.
"There is a world out there that has been shocked" by terrorism and economic strife, she said. "The world is chaotic, and it cries out for leadership. Someone must lead, and I believe very strongly that it better be the United States that does."
Rice said the country is experiencing tough economic times, but that the American spirit is one of resilience.
"What inspires me is to meet young people like I’ve met here today, who understand that they must be devoted to something bigger than themselves," she said. "They give me optimism, and we need to give them encouragement. The lesson of our country is that things that seem impossible become inevitable, in retrospect."
Rice, a Republican, steered away from political commentary, saying her future belongs at Stanford and not in elected office.
"There is nothing like the university, because there is nothing like the opportunity to shape young minds," she said. "One day, they will show us that they will not accept the world as it is, and they will remake the world as it should be."
Rice, an accomplished pianist, was presented with a musical arrangement written and performed for her by UM music professor Duane Plash. The piano solo, entitled "A Testament of Hymns," included music from several spiritual songs favored by Rice.
Dr. Condoleezza Rice visited the University of Mobile on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. Dr. Rice addressed the students and then took text questions from the gathering. Earlier Thursday, Rice spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of students at the University of Mobile’s Ram Hall. She encouraged her audience to take risks, challenge themselves academically and pursue their passions.
"I only want to say one thing to you about being in college," Rice said during brief opening remarks. "It’s maybe the greatest time in your life, and I hope you are taking full advantage of this fine university to find what you are passionate about, and to try and do some things that are hard for you, that get you out of your comfort zone."
Rice spent most of her time on stage answering questions from the audience, delivered via text, Twitter, Facebook and other social media. Topics ranged from the one word she would like to be remembered by — "perseverance," she said — to presidential politics, foreign relations, her childhood in Birmingham and her pick in the upcoming Iron Bowl.
"Roll Tide!" she said, drawing hearty applause — and a smattering of boos — from the students.
Rice also signed copies of her new memoir during an appearance Thursday at Page and Palette book store in Fairhope. A line of about 500 customers clutched copies of the book and braved a brisk morning wind as they waited in a line that stretched down De La Mare Avenue.
"It’s great to be back in Alabama, where I’m from," she said. "It’s wonderful."
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