[Pomp and Circumstance]
Please be seated.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Andrew Blanchard.
I'm a professor of electrical engineering and the Dean of Undergraduate Education here at UT Dallas.
Before we begin this joyous ceremony, let me remind you to silence your cell phones,
and be courteous to those around you by quietly attending to the speakers throughout the ceremony.
During the presentation of graduates, we encourage you to express your pride by applauding and cheering.
This is a wonderful day for everyone.
Graduates, parents, family, friends, thank you for being here.
Please enjoy the ceremony.
Ladies and gentlemen, as University Marshal, it is my distinct privilege to introduce to you
the president of the University of Texas at Dallas, Dr. Hobson Wildenthal.
[applause]
Thank you, Dean Blanchard. My pleasure.
Welcome to the 2016 spring commencement at the University of Texas at Dallas.
This week, we're celebrating the 124th commencement sequence in our 47 year history.
I am delighted to be here for this important occasion and glad that each of you,
family, friends, faculty university, staff, and especially our newest graduates, are here to join us.
On stage today with me are Dr. Inga Musselman, Acting Provost.
[applause]
Dr. George Fair, Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement.
[applause]
Dr. Gene Fitch, Vice President for Student Affairs.
[applause]
And Dr. Bruce Gnade, Vice President for Research.
[applause]
And it's also a pleasure to introduce Vice Speaker of the Faculty, Dr. Richard Scotch.
[applause]
And our Registrar, who will be handing out the diplomas today, Jennifer McDowell.
[applause]
It's a pleasure to invite Provost Musselman to the podium.
[applause]
Thank you, President Wildenthal.
Graduates, families, and friends and UT Dallas students, staff, and faculty,
I would like to welcome you to the 2016 spring commencement ceremonies.
These ceremonies occurring over three days are joyous celebrations of the many accomplishments of our students,
resulting in the awarding of bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees
in the fields of arts and humanities, arts, technology and emerging communications;
behavioral and brain sciences; economic, political and policy sciences;
engineering and computer sciences; interdisciplinary studies;
management; and natural sciences and mathematics.
Graduates, my colleagues on the faculty and on the staff at UT Dallas and I
offer you our heart felt congratulations on earning your degrees.
This is truly a great day for you.
Please know it is also a meaningful day for those that work at UT Dallas
because here, we have the opportunity to see the culmination of what you and we together
have been working towards for many years.
Enjoy today and, again, congratulations!
Now I have the privilege of introducing some colleagues in the stage party.
First, George Fair, Dean, School of Interdisciplinary Studies.
[applause]
Bruce Novak, Dean, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
[applause]
Tanja Wissinger, Associate Dean, Interdisciplinary Studies, Council for Undergraduate Education.
[applause]
Dennis Miller, Associate Dean, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Council for Undergraduate Education.
[applause]
Juan Gonzalez, Associate Dean, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Graduate Council.
[applause]
To introduce today's student speaker, it is my pleasure to welcome Dr. Bruce Novak,
Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
[applause]
Our student speaker today came to us from just a mile down the road.
He was at Canyon Creek Christian Academy and is graduating today Summa Cum Laude,
which is the highest of the latin honors.
As well, he garnered major honors as well.
He will have a degree in bio chemistry.
He has accumulated a gpa of 4.0000.
[cheering and applause]
And he's been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, the honor society, one of the largest in the world.
He is also a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society.
But not only that, he's the president of that society.
I like to think of him as just an average student at UT Dallas.
He has participated in undergraduate research on our campus, working with Dr. Stefan.
He has designed and prepared smart polymers for targeted drug delivery.
So this would be, for example, chemo therapies directed at a tumor rather than a hair follicle.
For this, he received an undergraduate research scholarship award from UT Dallas.
On another note, for the past four years,
he has performed in the UT Dallas premier music organization, Musica Nova.
As well as performing in the UT Dallas chamber music program.
Thru the Texas Winds outreach program, he has performed for the community and in particular,
a subset of our community that is confined to assisted living or nursing care homes.
He has also given back to the university and the students.
He's worked for three years in the student success center.
First as a pltl leader, a peer led learning and teaching leader.
Also, as a peer tutor and most recently was promoted in the student success center
to what is called super leader.
Through these positions, he has helped our students in the very, very difficult areas of calculus,
genetics, bio chemistry, and organic chemistry.
When we finish this ceremony today and after some hugs and kisses
and probably a meal or two,
he will travel two or three more miles down to UT Southwestern,
where he will complete his medical training.
So family, ladies and gentlemen, graduates, faculty, cameraman,
please join me in welcoming Matthew Gillings.
[cheering and applause]
Thank you, Dr. Wildenthal, Dean Novak, and the faculty and staff present with us today.
Thank you, Dr. Wildenthal for continuing to lead UT Dallas during this time of transition
closer toward our goal of tier one status.
Thank you to all of our professors who have invested countless hours in educating us
by opening up your offices, your labs, and your homes to us.
You have encouraged us at each step of our journey at UT Dallas.
You patiently taught and equipped us, enabling us to celebrate this moment today.
I also want to thank all of our friends and family for your emotional and financial support and encouragement
without which my fellow graduates and I would not be here today.
Let's give a round of applause to all of these important individuals in our lives.
[applause]
We are comets today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives
As comets, we are proud of our mascot temoc, and yes, that is "comet" spelled backwards.
We actually like the colors green and orange together.
[laughter]
We love our D3 athletics and commitment and prioritization of academics it represents.
We take pride in our undefeated football team, which as you know, is a big deal here in Texas.
[laughter and applause]
and, of course, we have our awesome chess team.
We are proud of our incredible faculty, staff and peers.
Our experiences over the past four years have bonded us together as a family and a community.
From navigating the ever changing construction to overcoming the challenges of ochem and genetics,
to writing the pages and pages and pages of lab reports necessary to graduate,
to serving our local community through events such as Viva Volunteer, we did it, and we did it together.
Let's remember that while today we are leaving our home as alumni, we are not leaving the comet family.
There's another quality that comets possess that I want to highlight today.
Comets are disruptive.
Consider a comet impacting the Earth.
It would certainly disrupt our daily routines and get our attention.
As UT Dallas Comets, we have the ability and the opportunity
to make an impact of the same magnitude on our world.
By "disruptive," I mean that we can change the way our world thinks,
to change the way we evaluate and respond to the different issues
that we face today in health care, in the classroom, in the environment,
and wherever else we may encounter problems.
Let's choose not to be satisfied with the status quo.
Let's step up and push past boundaries and break down barriers.
Let's innovate new technologies, new research, new procedures,
new methods, and new organizations.
Think about the impact of hundreds of UT Dallas comets arriving across the United States and around the world.
Our time at UT Dallas has prepared us to enter the next season in our lives
and to be leaders.
We've been able to perform original research, participate in fellowships, lead organizations,
participate in student government, shape our university and impact our community.
These have all shaped who we are today.
Today, we take the first steps towards applying what we have learned at UT Dallas to our future.
Congratulations on your success at UT Dallas and best wishes for a bright future.
We made it! Now, let's go and make a difference.
Let's be disruptive. But let's be comets.
Thank you.
[cheering and applause]
Thank you, Matthew.
I'm going to talk a little bit about things that change and things that remain the same.
Things that remain the same at UT Dallas over our entire history
are dedicated faculty and great students.
And yes, Dean Novak, our students are all above average, both figureatively and literally.
We've got above average human beings at UT Dallas.
This is my 23rd spring commencement at UT Dallas
and we also used to have summer commencement and always have winter commencement.
So all in all, I must have experienced 50 weeks of commencement,
given that we also have many ceremonies each week,
I calculated it must have been more than 200 that I have sat through
and, generally, that's what I've been doing is sitting through them.
What has changed at UT Dallas over these 23 years?
And by the way, I'm still a relative newcomer compared to some colleagues on the stage.
But for one thing, we didn't have this activity center.
There was a time when we had graduation outside
And it was threatening rain like today, people were very anxious,
but even worse was the times it was 100 degrees.
The last time we tried it outside, it was 100 degrees and people fainted,
and we decided never again.
Those early days, we then went to the Richardson Civic Center, and we got bigger,
and that was too small, and we moved to the Plano Civic Center.
And one year, we forgot to make a reservation
and they scheduled the national cat show at the time of graduation.
So we had to move back to Richardson. But then we built the activity center.
During those 200 odd ceremonies, I've listened to a lot of speeches.
It's one thing about hearing the same speech many times,
it rarely, rarely gets better. In fact, I've never experienced it.
If it's not a good speech, it gets worse.
So that's a real challenge for me.
Some of my colleagues on stage have now listened to me for the eighth time,
but this will be the last.
It's one reason I love our student speakers.
I get to hear each of them one time, and it's always great,
and then we have somebody different.
These are kind of trivial jokes.
What's important about graduation and what never gets old and never fails to inspire
all of us who work at and work for UT Dallas,
is the thrill of sharing with you, our students, your joy and pride of accomplishment
as you graduate.
Believe me, you inspire us and, particularly, we enjoy being with you on this day
where you've got nothing else to do but have fun and enjoy.
No homework, no tests. Just pure enjoyment.
So after 23 years, I'm going to give the speech.
And what do I have to say to you graduates and your family and friends?
I want to convey just a little bit of what I think and feel about UT Dallas
and hopefully it will resonate with your own thinkings and feelings about our university.
I could write a book about all I think and feel about UT Dallas,
but brevity is the soul of wit and it's also the essence of compassion for the audience,
so I'm not going to read you my book.
Simply speaking, I feel proud of our university, UT Dallas.
Proud of our students, particularly today of you graduates,
proud of our faculty and of my administrative and staff colleagues.
I am proud of our buildings, old and new, and of our campus landscape.
And most of all, I am proud of the reputation that we have earned among knowledgeable members
of the educated community.
That reputation is that UT Dallas is the home of bright, hard working, hard studying students,
and dedicated accomplished faculty.
It is that we do education the right way,
and that we are steadily and rapidly ascending to the highest ranks of American universities.
You and your families should feel that same pride in UT Dallas and feel particularly proud to be its graduates.
This pride is well justified by the objection facts.
Our students' intellectual distinction ranks them with America's best.
Our faculty members' achievements in research, creativity, and teaching
are increasingly recognized by competitive awards.
And now, our landscape and our buildings excite the admiration of all visitors.
Our achievements are striking envy and maybe even fear among our fellow universities,
as more and more outstanding students such as yourselves choosing UT Dallas as the runway
to take off into the future.
You graduates have been at UT Dallas during a time of amazing growth and progress.
There's good reason to believe that progress will continue.
Your fellow alumns who entered UT Dallas, left UT Dallas about the time you entered,
come back and say we can't find our way around campus.
We don't recognize anything.
Don't stay away too long after you leave today, or you'll have the same problem when you come back,
and we want you to come back.
We think you graduates made wise choices when you enrolled at UT Dallas.
We know you worked hard at a really demanding school,
and you succeeded and are graduating.
We are grateful that you chose us, and we thank you for your confidence in us.
You are now wed to us, your alma mater, through unbreakable bonds.
And we are wed to you. Let us have a long and happy relationship.
Congratulations.
[applause]
Now I invite to the podium Dean of Undergraduate Education, Dr. Andy Blanchard.
[applause]
Thank you, President Wildenthal.
I would like to offer a special recognition for those students graduating with honors today.
All candidates graduating with latin honors,
including cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude, please stand.
[applause]
Candidates, please be seated.
Collegium V is UTD's four year honors program.
I would like to invite all CV graduates here to stand and be recognized.
[cheering and applause]
Please be seated.
Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective all discipline honor society.
All Phi Kappa Phi members, please stand and be recognized.
[cheering and applause]
Please be seated.
It is now my honor to certify the candidates for undergraduate degrees.
Will all candidates who are to receive the bachelor degree please rise and remain standing.
That's you guys.
[cheering and applause]
Dr. Wildenthal, on behalf of the faculty, I certify to you that those candidates who have completed all
of their academic requirements are entitled to respect their respective degrees.
Candidates, please be seated.
now it's my pleasure to invite to the podium Dr. Marion Underwood, Dean of Graduate Studies.
[applause]
Thank you, President Wildenthal.
Today's commencement ceremony is the highlight of the academic calendar.
We gather to recognize and celebrate your dedication, hard work,
and the glorious achievement of earning your degrees.
We know without a doubt you have gained a great deal of knowledge.
However, as Albert Einstein reminds us, Imagination is more important than knowledge.
For knowledge is limited to all we know now and understand
while imagination embraces the entire world,
and all there will ever be to know and understand.
We hope you will use your imaginations to pursue new directions, to acquire new knowledge,
and then to apply it wisely.
I would also like to recognize the tremendous contributions, commitment, and sacrifices
of the parents, families and friends that make this day a reality.
Students succeed not only because of their own efforts,
but because of the support they receive from families and friends.
So to our graduates and their families, congratulations, good luck, good success,
and best wishes for your very bright futures.
Will all candidates who are to receive master's degrees, please rise and remain standing.
[cheering and applause]
Dr. Wildenthal, on behalf of the faculty, I certify that the candidates who have completed
all of their academic requirements are entitled to receive their master's degrees.
Candidates, please be seated.
Earlier this week, a special recognition ceremony was conducted for graduating doctoral students.
Each student who participated in this ceremony invited his or her advisor
or another UT Dallas faculty member to assist me in placing the doctoral hood
of their commencement regalia over their heads.
The conferral signified the success of the candidate in completing his or her program of studies,
leading to the highest academic degree offered by UT Dallas.
Since the doctoral recipients are already hooded, it now only remains for them to receive their diplomas.
I ask that all doctoral candidates now stand to be recognized.
[cheering and applause]
Candidates, please be seated.
Another formality, an important one.
Now, by virtue of the authority vested by law in the board of regents of the University of Texas system,
I confer upon each of you the respective academic degree for which you have been recommended,
with all the rights, privileges, responsibilities, and obligations appertaining thereunto,
and I offer you my sincere congratulations.
Graduates will now take the stage to receive your diplomas.
This concludes the presentation of degrees.
It is now my pleasure to hand the podium over to Dr. Wildenthal.
[cheering and applause]
I'd like to thank the university staff who planned and carried out the commencement ceremonies today
and express my appreciation to the faculty and administrators who also participated.
I'd like to particularly thank my staff and colleagues who have the most challenging job,
pronouncing all of our names, that is Daniel Calhoun, Chris McAlpine, and Paul Teel.
Thank you, colleagues.
[applause]
And now would you graduates please rise.
Not at this instant, but in just a moment,
it will be time to turn your tassels from the right side to the left.
Again, if you ever forget which side it goes on, from now on, it goes on the left
over your heart to remind you of your alma mater, UT Dallas.
Graduates, now turn your tassels over to the left.
[cheering and applause]
You may be seated, graduates.
Let me be the first to offer you my congratulations and my best wishes for a great future.
In addition to earning your degrees, of course you become members of the UT Dallas Alumni Association.
It's a wonderful milestone in your life and also in ours.
We wish you the best as you go into your new lives as graduates.
Enjoy today's celebration with your friends and families and come back to see us in the future.
Now, as your first official act as alumns of UT Dallas, I would like to ask you, again to rise,
I'd like to ask our guests to rise, as we all sing the alma mater, led by our student, Victor Vinh.
[cheering and applause]
Please be seated.
Almost there. Hang tight.
Congratulations, graduates. Well done.
In a moment, the stage party will recess through the rear doors of the auditorium,
after which our new graduates will also recess.
Graduates, please pay attention to the staff from the office of the registrar
as they ask you to stand one row at a time to recess.
Once the graduates have left, friends and family may leave the doors from which you entered,
exit out of the north entrance and turn right,
and you can join your graduates on the campus mall.
Please enjoy the music of the encore brass as the ceremony closes.
[music]
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