From Grand Forks to the White House: Mark Pfeifle returns to UND

In his speech to graduates, Mark Pfeifle reflects on career in Washington, D.C., enhanced by UND experiences

Editor’s note: In the UND LEADS Strategic Plan, the Service core value calls on the University to “engage UND alumni as community ambassadors, guest lecturers and thought leaders.” The story below, which UND Today first published on Jan. 9, spotlights one of the University’s latest efforts to engage a UND graduate in one or more of those roles, in accordance with the Plan. 

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The following is a speech delivered by Mark Pfeifle, UND alum and former White House advisor, who spoke at UND’s Winter Commencement ceremonies on Dec. 15. Footage of the speech is available on YouTube.

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Greetings graduates, parents, UND staff and professors, honored guests — famous actor and North Dakota tourism spokesman Josh Duhamel is not available this year — ya’ll got me.

I’m enormously grateful to be with you. This is actually my first UND graduation. I finished in 1997 — the year of the Great Red River Flood. By mid-April, the campus was underwater — every Grand Forks citizen was evacuated. Graduates were given two options: We could return after the water recedes, meet our professors — and take our finals. … Or, we could take whatever grades we had before the river crested — and they tossed our diplomas in the mail. Guess which one I took?

During the flood, I worked several weeks in Grand Forks for the Federal Emergency Management Agency — walking door to door, helping people apply for disaster assistance. The water dried up … so did the job. But while helping our community, I caught the public service bug — I still can’t kick it.

My friend, UND grad Robert Huschka, told me, move to Washington, D.C.

So, I packed my suitcase — with two ill-fitting suits from Columbia Mall — and set off to make my mark in D.C. — known as Hollywood for ugly people. I fit right in.

I called a fellow University of North Dakota friend — Ellen Dahl. She lived in D.C., worked for Bill Clinton. I told her I’m coming to town.

Without hesitation, she said: “You’re staying with me.” That was music to my ears — I had no place to live — and my internship paid a whopping $100 a week. I crashed on Ellen’s couch. On about day 15, she must have wondered: “When’s this guy moving out?” But she never said a word — and I got my own place after a month.

I tell you this anecdote because there’s a lesson I hope you’ll remember. The friends you met here are your friends for life. Among my dearest friends are the Dakota Student staff I met decades ago. We bonded over late nights, publishing a paper and drinking buck pitchers. Not always at the same time. We still text daily and meet up every couple of years.

So, remember your classmates — yeah, even the annoying ones — they are friends for life. Wash those extra sheets and stock up the fridge because a few of us will crash on your couch.

Stay in touch, too, with the teachers and professors who had an enormous impact on your life.

For me: In high school, it was my English and speech teacher Mrs. Debra Turner at Wishek High. She taught me how to think and speak creatively. She inspired me and got me out of my shell.

At UND, it was my journalism professor, Dr. Richard Shafer. He taught me to write quickly and factually, building confidence to write for The Associated Press, USA Today and eventually a president of the United States.

And I need to make a public apology: To former UND instructor Patti Jean Hopper. I’m so sorry. You were a good teacher. I wasn’t always a good student. Once, OK twice, I fell asleep in your Public Relations class. You’d wake me, wait a beat and say, “Oh, nice you could join us.” (Several of you might be experiencing a version of this right now.)

Stay in contact with your professors and teachers. Send updates. Ask for advice.

Will the teachers, instructors and professors here today, please stand. Be recognized. You’ve made an enormous impact on our lives — we are forever grateful. Thank you.

Even though you leave this campus, never stop learning: The Dakota Student taught me how to work as part of a team, to trust my instincts — and to absolutely hate the NDSU Bison.

There were no jobs in organized crime, so I went into politics. It taught me how to communicate policies and philosophies, with humor, and in a way that resonates with American families.

As press secretary at the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Treasury Department, I learned how to tell stories about how Washington affects people’s lives in a way that connects.

I moved to National Security, working for the Department of Defense and White House and gained knowledge to fight the information battle against America’s enemies.

Later, I learned about the digital world. Long before it became such a toxic site, I called for Twitter to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for opening up the Middle East to possibilities of reform and peace. In the New Yorker Magazine, Malcolm Gladwell said these were “strong, and puzzling, claims.” That’s me, I guess. Strong, but puzzling.

Now I find myself studying cybersecurity, battling disinformation and learning how artificial intelligence is impacting our lives. By the way, didn’t ChatGPT do a great job writing this speech?

You’re getting a degree today, but you should never stop learning. That’s the key to a vibrant, happy life. It also helps you stay employable — and to pay the mortgage.

Say “yes” to new jobs and finding new skills outside your comfort zone. Don’t worry about having the biggest office, highest salary or coolest title. And be aware that, in government and the private sector, a fancy title is often a substitute for a pay raise.

Mine was the deputy assistant to the president … and deputy national security adviser for … Strategic Communications and Global Outreach. Try fitting that on a business card.

In a nation that finds itself divided, expose yourself to ideas you don’t agree with. I watch 15 minutes of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News each morning. Afterward, I feel dizzy and confused, but I’m more informed — I guess?

Argue a bit, but more important, listen. It’ll make you a more valuable employee, mate, friend and communicator — and you’ll get through the upcoming holiday dinner when your great uncle expounds, once again, on why he isn’t vaccinated.

There will be times when your education and learning are put to the test — be ready for it. For me, it happened in 2007, when I was hired at the White House National Security Council. I found myself in the Oval Office with the president of the United States and a dozen or so experienced, competitive colleagues, most Ivy Leaguers. We were preparing the president for a national security meeting open to the press. America was stuck in two wars with more than 200,000 troops in harm’s way. President George W. Bush looked up from reading a briefing paper — a paper I and our staff had written — and said: “OK, who’s running this show?”

To the right is a famous bronze bust of Winston Churchill. Immediately below is the solid oak Resolute Desk, where a young JFK Jr. poked his head out of a secret door while his dad worked. Where Nixon resigned. Where Reagan told us the Space Shuttle exploded and the passengers waved goodbye. “(I thought) I’m a kid from Wishek and Mayville, N.D., and barely got a communication degree from UND — what in the world am I doing here?”

With a lump the size of a softball in my throat, I thought, everything I’ve done from school to career, to those who helped me and the mistakes I learned from — oh, God did I make mistakes — has put me in this place at this time. “Don’t mess it up, you idiot.”

I gave a two-minute brief on the meeting. At the end, the president said, “Good work. Thanks. OK, let’s go.” Off we all marched to the meeting. All that learning paid off.

So help each other. Remember those who gave a hand along the journey. Say “yes” to new skills and never stop learning. Expose yourself to ideas you don’t agree with. Learn from mistakes along the way, and be ready for those moments when it all comes together.

Fellow graduates of the great University of North Dakota, as George W. Bush once told me: “OK. Let’s go.”

Go Fighting Hawks.

Thank you.

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>> QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS about the UND LEADS Strategic Plan? Your thoughts are welcome! Please contact Angie Carpenter, UND’s director of Special Student Populations, and/or Ryan Zerr, associate vice president for Strategy & Implementation, the co-chairs of the UND LEADS Implementation Committee.

You also may offer your thoughts by visiting the UND LEADS Strategic Plan home page and clicking on the “Provide your feedback” link that you’ll find there.

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