Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Commencement

Here are a few photos from Sunday's commencement at SU.

As I mentioned last time, Joe Biden was the speaker. He started with Sinatra's line that "Orange is the happiest color," and suggested that Sinatra must have had SU in mind when he said it. Biden told about his graduation from SU in 1968, contextualizing events occurring around the time of his commencement and gradually establishing a bridge between 1968 and the present moment. Graduating during times of great uncertainty uniquely positions you to shape the world at whatever scale you will (i.e., oftentimes this shaping grows from small, principled deeds, from being one who "was not made to look the other way"). He also expressed his strong sense of loyalty to Syracuse University because Syracuse ties have helped him through some of the greatest challenges he has faced. Interjected within these two aspects of his address were references to his father's advice: when you get knocked down, "get up."

This summary is the best I could do without notes. And I dedicate it to Sleepy Pete, who appears in the photo above not to be paying attention to the VP.

Other than those awarded honorary degrees, doctoral candidates were the only group introduced by name and called across the stage. D. snapped this photo of the best the jumbotron could to do capture Chancellor Nancy Cantor and me in the same frame.

After the ceremony, I was fortunate to catch up with professors Lois Agnew and Eileen Schell who waited with D. and Ph. outside HBC for this photo--"fortunate" because temperatures dropped sharply into the 40s during the ceremony, so milling around outdoors wasn't as appealing as it might have been on a warmer May afternoon.

This Flickr slideshow has a few more photos from the weekend's events.

Posted by Derek Mueller at May 13, 2009 9:05 AM to Orange