- Hello to our 2020 graduates,
families, faculty and friends.
I know this is not the commencement
any of us really imagined.
Today our graduates will not be taking
the glorious walk across the stage,
arrayed in academic regalia,
receiving their diplomas
amidst the cheering crowd of family, faculty and friends.
The time to do that will come
on the other side of the pandemic surge,
and we look forward to that day.
But today, even without pomp and circumstance,
is a day that will stand out as special,
when we all look back on this years from now.
Here in the midst of a devastating pandemic,
we're joined together
to celebrate uncommon courage and achievement.
The graduates we honor today are special.
You persevered with a spine of steel,
you showed your metal, you did what no Others
who came before you had to do.
You adapted to remote teaching and learning
and even defended your dissertations on Zoom.
Earning an advanced degree can at times be a lonely pursuit.
But it is not a path traveled alone.
Traveling with you or your families,
mentors, faculty, classmates,
and all the unsung heroes
who have assisted you along the way.
We owe them an immeasurable debt of gratitude.
And they're all with us today celebrating virtually
and in spirit wherever they are across the globe.
I speak for all the faculty
when I say that we are profoundly proud of you
for your spirit, your heart and your commitment.
Together, we are going through a very trying
and unsettling time.
Few of the things that we felt were certain
just a few weeks ago and months ago, remains so.
But we are certain that we want to stay in touch with you.
We know that we will eagerly await those times
when you share with us the milestones
along your life's journey.
Packed into the concept of commencement
is both accomplishments and beginnings.
Commencements look back at graduates
impressive achievements,
and look forward to what lies ahead.
Through today's lens of the pandemic,
and the most severe recession and unemployment numbers
since the 1930s,
the temptation when we look ahead,
is to slip into pessimism and despair.
We all have our days when we feel isolated,
helpless, and overcome by fear.
We feel as if we have descended to Dante's Hell,
with its inscription above the entrance,
"Abandon all hope ye who enter."
Yet this is no time to despair or abandon hope,
it is hope that has brought all of us here.
The foundation of education
from preschool to postgraduate is hope.
We learn so that we can thrive in an unknown future.
We teach others with the hope that the knowledge we impart
will serve them well in a time yet unknown and unknowable.
You pursued your arduous course of study
with the hope of contributing
to humankind's knowledge and understanding.
You studied at the Graduate Center,
where our commitment is to advance knowledge
for the public good.
Your work is motivated by the hope that we can make life
in this city, in this country, and in the world better.
Don't abandon this hope,
even when the odds are against you.
You have proven you have so much to offer.
we need you in this fight.
We're depending on you,
and we know we can count on you.
I'd like to leave you with two verses
of Arthur Hugh Clough's, 19th century Poem.
"Say not the struggle nought availeth.
"The labor and the wounds are vain.
"The enemy faints not, nor faileth.
"And as things have been, things remain.
"If hopes were dupes, fears maybe liars.
"It may be, in yon smoke concealed.
"Your comrades chase even now the fliers.
"And, but for you, possess the field."
Congratulations class of 2020, Godspeed.
(upbeat music)
- Hello, class of 2020.
Welcome to my modest home.
We are not at David Geffen Hall,
we are not at Carnegie Hall,
but still, we must celebrate.
- We're super proud of you.
- We're incredibly proud of you.
We're even more proud of you because you did it
in such a difficult time.
- This is a remarkable moment,
and I wish you all the best
on the next phase of your journey.
- I'm sorry, we can't get together in person.
But even COVID-19 couldn't stop us
from celebrating this very important achievement.
- It required persistence and resilience,
creativity, and most of all commitment.
Those qualities will serve you well,
as you move on in your lives and your careers.
- Your intellect has helped you make it through.
This is not an easy road,
and it's not for the faint hearted.
- What an amazing thing to be a graduate
of the class of 2020 in New York City.
- I'm sure that we're sending brilliant minds
and future leaders into the world.
And that we will be hearing about your great achievements
for many years to come.
- You've made history.
In more ways than one, well done.
- I salute you for your achievements,
and hope you stay safe and healthy.
And of course, continuously productive.
- Learning doesn't stop on the day you graduate,
it only gets better.
It gets better because you stand tall,
you stand confident,
and you stand ready to support the causes,
and the people that matter to you.
- We are so proud of you.
- Now you know you have what it takes.
You have the brains, the hearts, the emotions,
the knowledge, the connections, the tools
to make the world a better place for all of us.
There are no excuses, go ahead and make it happen please.
- May the brilliance and the fighting spirit
that got you to this point serve you well
the rest of your life.
- The rest of your life is waiting for you.
A big new start is right here, right now.
- Although it's uncertain what tomorrow holds,
it's absolutely certain that the future will need you
and the knowledge you have acquired
through interdisciplinary research,
to remake a better city, a nation after COVID-19.
More humane, more just and more resilient.
- The world needs you, it needs your wisdom,
it needs your work, it needs your care.
And I have no doubt that as you move forward
into the world from the GC,
you will carry its values with you as you go.
- I'm here to deliver you a message from Arudhati Roy,
who writes in Crisis and Change.
"Walk through lightly, with little luggage,
"ready to imagine another world
"and ready to fight for it."
- Congratulations 2020 graduates.
We're very proud of everything you have accomplished
during this difficult time.
- Congratulations to all
of the CUNY Graduate Center 2020 Graduates.
- Congratulations again to you and your family (claps).
- Congratulations to all of the graduates.
- Congratulations, well done in a very difficult time.
- I'm very sorry we cannot celebrate together,
but the resilience I was seeing in all of you PhD students
is all inspiring and reaffirms why the GC
is such a special place.
- Congratulations on reaching
this very important milestone in your career.
We all look forward to your many accomplishments and success.
- Congratulations from the Mina Rees library.
(all cheering)
- Congratulations and best wishes
for a very successful future.
- You've done such incredible work to get this far
and we can't wait to see where your path takes you next.
- I am so proud of you guys.
I'm proud and I'm honored
to be able to call you colleagues, so congratulations.
- Congratulations and well done.
And we wish you all the very best.
- Go out there and show them how great you are.
I'm cheering for you.
- Congratulations to all graduates.
- [Both] Congratulations class of 2020 (both cheering).
(upbeat music)