Secretary of State John Kerry has urged a Yale University audience to keep faith with institutions despite their failings.
Speaking at the university's 313th commencement on Sunday Kerry said institutions are failing to keep up with peoples' needs and some do not believe they can make a difference, which leads to gridlock.
Kerry, a 1966 graduate of Yale, said solving problems is a "matter of willpower, not capacity." He said it requires keeping faith with the ability of institutions to do big things
Secretary of State John Kerry took a poke at the NBA's controversy surrounding Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling during a speech at Yale University's Class Day.
Joking about college and pop culture at the start of his speech Sunday, Kerry told the Ivy League graduates: "You are ... the most diverse class in Yale history. Or, as it's called in the NBA, Donald Sterling's worst nightmare." The comment drew laughs from the audience.
Gov. Deval Patrick told graduating Boston University students to not put too much stock in electronic gadgets that he said have their limits.
Patrick, who received an honorary doctor of laws degree on Sunday, said texting and constant attention to hand-held devices take away from one-to-one communication.
He said he fears that the demand for information is crowding out intimacy.
The governor said social media is a force in casual communication, business marketing and celebrity and has transformed politics. But he questioned if it helps people to connect as human beings.
Patrick says social media helped start a revolution. But he asked if it can bring peace.
The governor said comforting survivors and others after the Boston marathon bombings last year demanded an intimacy that could not be accomplished by tweeting or texting.
