Good afternoon, graduate students! Although we gather today on South Hill, you have climbed a mountain. Yes? But you did not climb alone. On this, the final and most triumphant leg of your journey, I am honored to join your families, loved ones, friends, faculty, and mentors. I welcome them and thank them for their wisdom, their sacrifice, and their support of you.
For many college students, attaining an undergraduate degree offers a natural stopping point, but for you, that last chapter was yet to be written. You still had questions, aspirations, and an unquenched yearning to learn. We are honored that you chose Ithaca College as the intellectual grounds for your pursuits, and we hope we have fulfilled those needs, for the most part, but not completely. You see, it is our hope that the same drive that brought you here will lead you to ask even BIGGER questions and to continue your pursuit of not just knowledge but of justice and compassion.
Following a tradition begun in 1992, the college’s centennial year, each graduate has received a medallion inscribed with a quotation chosen by the college’s president. Twenty-five years ago, the quotation chosen was from poet and commencement speaker Dr. Maya Angelou. This year’s quotation comes from another brilliant poet, Amanda Gorman. It reads: “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.”
I am reminded of two things by this quote: the resilience of human hope and the boundless depth of the human spirit.
There is always light. You have already lived through darkness and dare I say you are living through it still. You have seen disruption, upheaval, and war. Yet, the sun still rose, lives were lived, babies were born, romance still blossomed. People did their best to support one another and those who had hope offered a bit of it to others, even complete strangers.
2024 Presidential Welcome
"Let choosing to be light become a part of your routine. Whether it is a kind word, a warm smile, or a random act of kindness, choose to give of yourself and when you cannot muster even that, and this is perhaps even more important, accept that light from someone, something, somewhere, ANY where. Do not give up. Know that light is coming."
Hope, along with love, are our most profound renewable resources but they take effort to replenish and reignite. Remember that you can be a source of replenishment and reignition for someone else. In fact, you already are – to one another, to the people in this room. Graduates, you are also that light to me and to everyone on this stage.
Let choosing to be light become a part of your routine. Whether it is a kind word, a warm smile, or a random act of kindness, choose to give of yourself and when you cannot muster even that, and this is perhaps even more important, accept that light from someone, something, somewhere, ANY where. Do not give up. Know that light is coming.
Sometimes it must be pointed out to us. We can help each other find the rays of light peaking over the horizon illuminating a path forward, a way to see the compassion, see the grace, see the love. But first, we must see one another. Now more than ever, we must view the world deeply through the multiple perspectives which is reflective of an education rooted and grounded in the liberal arts tradition. We are indeed each other’s keepers and our ability to survive let alone thrive is directly tied to our ability to listen, to question, and to seek understanding.
In closing, I say that to those whom much is given, much will be required. You have been given much. You have received an outstanding education by some of the best teachers, scholars, clinicians, and practitioners in the world. You leave here knowing how to think, speak, write, and act critically, creatively, and analytically. Your professional training has prepared you for success in your chosen field.
And now the time has come for you to go forth into the world, but remember as you go, you are not leaving from here, you are launching from here. Wherever you go, please think of us often and know we will leave a light on for you. In the words of Neil Diamond, turn on your heart light. Let it shine wherever you go. Let it make a happy glow for all the world to see. You came here as a torch, but now you are a beacon of light, of joy, of potential. May you light a path for others and know this place will always be home.
I wish you all good things, incredible success, and fulfillment. From my heart to yours, congratulations on this outstanding achievement.