Harris Chairman, President and CEO Delivers Commencement Address, Urges Graduates To Embrace Challenge and Uncertainty
MELBOURNE, Fla., May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The University of Central Florida has conferred an honorary doctoral degree on Howard L. Lance, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS), in recognition of his industry leadership, commitment to higher education, and significant professional and personal accomplishments.
UCF President John C. Hitt presented the honorary Doctor of Science degree on Friday, May 8, during the 2 p.m. graduation ceremonies for students of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Health and Public Affairs, College of Medicine, and College of Optics and Photonics. During the presentation, he described Lance as 'an exceptional leader in the global technology industry who generously supports the University of Central Florida and nonprofit organizations throughout our region.'
Lance delivered the commencement address in which he discussed 10 personal attributes he considers essential to success, including setting high standards, possessing a sense of urgency, and practicing what he terms 'constructive dissatisfaction' with the status quo.
He also compared the process of building a career to the process of building a wall - one brick at a time. 'Each brick represents new experiences and lessons learned, and adds to the breadth, depth, attractiveness and strength of the wall,' he said. 'The more challenging the assignments you seek out and experience, the stronger the wall and the greater your ability to take on more rewarding assignments in the future. You are the mason. You are individually responsible for building and managing your own career.'
Lance encouraged graduates to take risks, move outside their comfort zone and not shrink from today's challenging job market. 'It's go time,' he said. 'Opportunity is calling and this economy needs you. Don't worry that you may not have charted out your career path in any great detail yet. It's OK. Get busy and get engaged in something you're passionate about.'
Since joining Harris in January 2003, Lance has led Harris to unprecedented increases in revenue and profitability while expanding the company's presence in adjacent markets through organic growth and acquisitions. Under his leadership, Harris also has expanded its community outreach by completing challenge grants to benefit local youth, and within the past year alone has committed to more than $9 million in donations to Florida universities.
Before joining Harris, Lance was president of NCR Corporation and chief operating officer of its Retail and Financial Group. Previously, he spent 17 years with Emerson Electric Co., where he held a number senior management positions. He has a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Bradley University, and a master of science degree in management from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University.
Lance was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. Lance is a director of Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK), Harris Stratex Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:HSTX), and Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN); former chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Brevard County, Florida; and former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Florida Institute of Technology, and the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association.
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has annual revenue of $5.4 billion and 16,000 employees -- including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications(R) products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.
SOURCE Harris Corporation
