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(Bloomberg) — Billionaire Ken Griffin is giving Miami Dade College $20 million — and sharing some life lessons with its graduates. 

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The Citadel founder delivered the commencement address at Miami Dade College on Saturday, exhorting the Class of 2023 to invest in their community and saying there are “many problems to be addressed in our society.” He encouraged them to work on issues such as developing clean energy, educating children, addressing the housing crisis and combating the health issues that come with an aging society. 

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“More than ever, America needs leadership,” Griffin, 54, said. “We need it in our businesses, in our government, in our civic society.” 

He also encouraged the graduating class to persevere, and that “life is full of setbacks.” When Citadel “was on the precipice of collapse” during the 2008 global financial crisis, Griffin said he turned to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s then-Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein for advice.  

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“I asked Lloyd when the crisis would abate, and he responded, ‘A forest fire ends when there is nothing left to burn,’” Griffin said. “These weren’t exactly the words of encouragement I was hoping for.” 

Pointing to setbacks experienced by other successful firms like Tesla Inc. and Apple Inc., Griffin added that “in times of hardship, character is what matters.”    

Griffin’s $20 million donation to Miami Dade College, announced Saturday, is the largest single philanthropic gift in the institution’s history and will be used to establish the Griffin Scholarship Fund to provide high school students with college educations, according to a statement Saturday. 

Earlier this month, Griffin gave $300 million to Harvard University, his biggest gift ever to his alma mater. He has now donated more than $500 million to the Ivy League school. 

Read more: Citadel’s Ken Griffin Gives $300 Million to Harvard University

The donation adds to other philanthropic gifts made by Griffin to South Florida, where he was born and raised, and where Citadel is building its new headquarters. Griffin’s name is on the Norman Foster-designed addition to the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, and he’s been the main seed donor for a fund to respond to natural disasters and a program to expand broadband access in under-served communities. 

—With assistance from Amanda Gordon.