Class of 2007 celebrates a new beginning

A sun-drenched Delaware Stadium held a shimmering sea of blue gowns and mortarboards the morning of May 26 as 4,635 new graduates joined the ranks of UD alumni at the University’s 158th Commencement ceremony.

More than 23,000 graduates, guests, faculty and administrators attended the event, at which the University conferred 3,600 bachelor’s, 770 master’s, 175 doctoral and 90 associate’s degrees earned during the past academic year. They became immediate members of the UD Alumni Association, which numbers more than 130,000 worldwide.

Commencement exercises began as the Class of 2007 welcomed alumni representing the classes of the 1930s to the Class of 2006. Leading the alumni delegates into the stadium were Kathryn (Kate) LaPrad of Seaford, Del., and Joseph D’Agostino of Northport, N.Y., recipients of the Alumni Association’s 2007 Emalea Pusey Warner and Alexander J. Taylor Sr. awards, which recognize the outstanding senior woman and man.
Robert A. Fischer Jr., vice chairman of the University Board of Trustees, also honored two students for achieving the highest grade point average, 4.0, in full-time study. They were Amanda Bayley of Wilmington, Del., and Tapan Patel of Newark, Del.

The Class of 2007, whose members ranged in age from 18-74, came from 47 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and 23 countries and included 14 graduates celebrating birthdays at Commencement and 10 sets of twins. The oldest graduate, 74-year-old Joe Ann Knauss of Wilmington, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history, stood to warm applause from her classmates.

The 2007 ceremony marked the final Commencement over which David P. Roselle presided before his retirement at the end of June. In his remarks, Roselle encouraged the graduates to continue to live lives of inquiry and discovery.

Addressing the new graduates, William P. Kupper Jr., president and chief executive officer of BusinessWeek group, told them that the world needs the Class of 2007, a group of “digital natives” whose members can provide new energy, new ideas and new thinking.

Kupper, whose son, Tyler, was a member of the graduating class, said members of this generation face a set of challenges far different from those of their parents and grandparents. He encouraged graduates to navigate the coming years successfully by embracing change, by making a difference in the world and by following their passion.

“Connect yourself, if you can, with a field of purpose or endeavor which you truly have a passion for,” Kupper said. “Only then can a job touch your soul; only then can you fire yourself up in ways that will almost always guarantee your success.”

Through four decades in the publishing industry, Kupper said he has watched various corporate teams work with passion to get the best photographs for Sports Illustrated, to negotiate the best newsstand deals for Time, to pursue an important story for BusinessWeek.
Two mega-trends awaiting new graduates as “clearly the biggest drivers of change that you will see in all of your lives,” Kupper said, are globalization and information technology.

“Globalization represents a force that brings nations and worlds closer together,” he said. “It interconnects nations and it increases liquidity of capital, allowing investors in developed nations to invest in developing nations, and vice versa.”

Kupper opened his talk by telling the graduates that one of his favorite characters is YoUDee, the University’s Hall of Fame mascot. Anyone who sees YoUDee cannot help but break into a big smile, he said, adding that was the same enjoyment he saw on the faces of the graduates’ friends and family members on hand for the ceremony.

“You, the graduating Class of 2007, simply have to smile with pride,” he said. “Be proud. Be very proud. You succeeded in a significant accomplishment, achieved a big goal. You earned something very special today.”

Commencement ceremonies began with the Presentation of the Colors by members of the UD Air Force and Army ROTC, followed by a moment of silence for loved ones not present and the singing of the national anthem by Kelly Curtain, a member of the Class of 2007. Senior members of the University’s a cappella singing groups and the award-winning University Chorale sang the alma mater.

During the presentation of degrees, Howard Cosgrove, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said that, during Roselle’s tenure, 74,494 students have received diplomas bearing his signature.“You join today an elite and special group of alumni who share the distinction of graduating under his leadership,” Cosgrove told the new graduates. “Please join me in thanking President Roselle for his commitment to you and those who have gone before you.”