Cantor Encourages Entrepreneurship In Charter Day Speech

By Amber Lester Kennedy Saturday, February 05, 2011

U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor delivers Charter Day remarks.

She remembers “Mr. Cantor” as an eager law student who loved to answer questions and solve problems, and even recalls where he sat in her lecture hall. “That was perhaps the last time Mr. Cantor sat to my left,” she joked Friday at The College of William and Mary’s Charter Day assembly in William and Mary Hall.

Both Barnard and Cantor were among several honorees at the college’s 318th birthday celebration. Cantor, who earned his law degree from the university in 1988, was the invited speaker at the event, which commemorates the awarding of the Royal Charter from King William III and Queen Mary II of England that established the college.

Cantor was given an honorary doctorate of laws degree. Honorary doctorates of humane letters were also awarded to J. Edward Grimsley, a retired editorial page editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Thaddeus W. Tate, Jr., an emeritus professor of history at the college.

Cantor focused his speech on entrepreneurship in the United States. He told the audience of approximately 2,000 people about his recent conversation with visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, who wanted to learn how America has fostered innovation. When foreign leaders come to visit, he said, they don’t come to ask us advice. “They ask how we’ve done it and where we’re headed,” he said.

He said part of the answer could be found at William and Mary, whose alumni went on to found the U.S. He characterized the college as “a place where ideas of freedom and democracy in America were wedded to education.”

Cantor, the majority leader of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, took the opportunity to talk about how he believes the country can support entrepreneurship and creating jobs without raising taxes or expanding government. He said a constituent in the 7th district he represents told him she was struggling to keep her web business afloat because banks wouldn’t extend her line of credit. She said she was offended by rhetoric supporting higher taxes for the highest earners in the country, because she hoped to someday be in that tax bracket.

“Why take away that incentive?” Cantor said.

He said the House of Delegates would “cut and grow” — cut government in order to grow business in the private sector. He said regulations have stopped American entrepreneurs, and if William and Mary’s 2011 grads are going to find jobs, the U.S. will have to “start the race” of reform. He finished his speech by saying 2011 will be remembered either as the year the dream of America made a comeback, or the year this country began a long fade into history.

"The question for all of us as we reflect on the founding of this institution, and the fight that it made along the way to be what it is today: Are we up to a similar task? Are we up to doing everything we can to win this fight?" he said.

During the hour-long event, several other members of the William and Mary family were honored for their work and service at the college. Law professor Jayne Barnard and chemistry professor Elizabeth Harbron each received the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award.

Harry Gao, class of 2011, received the Thomas Jefferson Prize in Natural Philosophy for his undergraduate research work in computer science. He encouraged his fellow classmates to try to commit themselves to undergraduate research.

Will Morris, class of 2011, received the James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership for his mentorship of students in Williamsburg-James City County schools. He shared that he intends to devote his life to minimizing the achievement gap in schools.

The Alumni Medallion will be awarded Saturday morning to alumni who exemplify the ideals of the college’s founders — leadership, service and charity. The recipients are Sue Hanna Gerdelman, ’75; Rene Henry, ’54; Marilyn Ward Midyette, ’75; J. Robert Mooney, ’66; and Michael Powell, ’85.

Charter Day has been refocused this year as a birthday celebration, complete with a performances of “Happy Birthday” at the Charter Day assembly and a concert from hip hop band The Roots on Saturday night.