After a musical prelude by four UD graduate students and a bagpipe-accompanied procession led by UD President Patrick Harker, the deans of the colleges and University officials, the candidates, along with their advisers, filed on stage.
Carolyn A. Thoroughgood, vice provost for research and graduate studies at UD, welcomed all present in the audience and, after congratulating the candidates, spoke of the spirit of optimism on campus.
“We are here today to recognize those of you who have earned the highest degree the University has to offer,” Thoroughgood said, addressing the candidates. “This is your opportunity to share your accomplishments with your family and friends.
High-resolution video of Winter Commencement
Low-resolution video of Winter Commencement
Slide show of Winter Commencement 2008
Honorary degree citation for Thomas R. Carper
“The University offers doctoral degrees in 43 different fields, and some scholars have observed that research is the highest educational achievement,” she said. “Conducting frontier research can be lonely, but it can also be a form of optimism, and my hope is that UD has prepared you for careers in the 21st century.”
After Thoroughgood's welcome, Harker offered congratulatory remarks.
“It is a pleasure to join you for this most important day--an important day in your lives, for certain, and also an important day in the life of the University,” Harker told the candidates. “Your accomplishment, which was achieved through hard work, innovation and collaboration, reflects well on your character.”
Harker acknowledged the candidates' tenacity and emphasized the role that it, as well as their knowledge, would play in shaping their future endeavors. “You have met difficult challenges along the way, and you have overcome them; and you have made new discoveries and have added to the body of knowledge in your chosen field,” he said.
Harker added that he has found working with doctoral students particularly rewarding. “It is the greatest thrill, as a faculty member, to see your students mature intellectually and to flourish on their own,” he said.
“Of course, nothing--absolutely nothing--is as sweet as that first moment of discovery, the very instant of that success, the 'Ah-ha' moment,” he said.
Harker thanked the candidates for reflecting well on the University, noting that “student success is the only true measure of success for the University of Delaware and any other institution.
“By your success,” he continued, “you honor not only yourself, but also the entire University of Delaware community, of which you are an important and vibrant part.” He added that UD's high research activity rating by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching would not be possible without the hard work of doctoral students.
Before closing his remarks with the exhortation to graduates to “pass your joy of knowledge along to others,” Harker asked UD faculty advisers on stage to stand for recognition and a round of applause from candidates and members of the audience. He then asked family members and friends in the audience to stand for a round of applause from the candidates on stage.
Harker capped his address by framing his vision of things to come at the University. “The economy of the 21st century is a knowledge economy,” he said. “Those universities, states and nations that have foresight and invest wisely in research and development in creating new knowledge will prosper. Those that do not will fall behind.
“Our job is to make sure that the knowledge created here at the University of Delaware...reaches the marketplace of ideas, where it stimulates further exploration or can be put to good use for the betterment of us all,” Harker said. “To that end, the University is intent on developing knowledge-based partnerships with industry and government in a wide variety of areas--cultural, educational and scientific.
“Today, you enter that community of scholars,” Harker concluded. “Your work--be it in government or in industry--will pave the way for future partnerships as an important part of this new global economy. We welcome you into the ranks, knowing that great adventures await, for you and for us.”
Mary Martin, assistant provost for graduate studies at UD, gave a brief history of the significance of the hood before presiding over the hooding ceremony, during which candidates were hooded by their deans.
The ceremony was concluded by Provost Dan Rich, who thanked everyone present and gave special mention to family members, friends and University professors who had worked especially closely with the candidates.
“Congratulations, doctors-elect,” Rich said. “Tomorrow, it becomes official, and after tomorrow, you can feel especially proud of the important knowledge you are bringing to your chosen field and community.”
Rich compared the current educational age to a geological movement--albeit a much faster affair--and noted that changes are happening so quickly that many subjects that once were commonplace are being phased out or becoming obsolete altogether. He urged candidates to make the most of the timing and to give extra care to sharing their knowledge with others in their fields, workplaces and communities.
“The challenge for educational institutions across the world is to change and reconfigure themselves,” Rich said. “I believe that certain historians will look back on the current epoch as transformative and that's what I hope you will consider as you go forward, for how you use and apply your knowledge will determine how this epoch will be shaped.
“This is your opportunity and also your challenge, and I'm confident that with the knowledge you possess you will fulfill this challenge and others,” Rich continued. “I'm optimistic about how you will use your knowledge to help others, and about how you will enrich your communities. You are among the best educated on Earth. I commend you in your effort and congratulate you on your achievement.”
Tyler Tejada, a UD senior music major from Middletown, Del., sang the University's alma mater before the recession of the hooded graduates.
Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Kathy Atkinson