Commencement is the high point of the year for any academic institution and a tradition CCBC is honored to uphold. More than that, Commencement is the return on a promise, a commitment to support and encourage our graduating students well beyond the moment.
I speak for all CCBC faculty, administrators, advisors, tutors, counselors, payroll clerks and staff at every level when I say that we are all pleased and proud that so many have chosen CCBC. Even after 56 years of serving as a community college professional, I never tire of watching our students become the heroes, the thinkers, the doers of tomorrow. With that being said, I extend congratulations to each student who walked across our Commencement stage along with the hundreds of thousands of community college graduates across the country.
Commencement is a tribute rightly paid to resilience, resourcefulness, hard work and talent. Each year it is a pleasure to stand among such accomplished students and honor their ingenuity. The past few years have brought with them a number of tribulations. Yet the thoughtful, educated graduates we celebrated over the weekend triumphed to become “citizen soldiers” of the 21st century. These graduates are poised, ready and eager to enter the fray that is the waiting world and contribute to the global village. Doors will open, vistas will widen, and opportunities will mushroom. This is not an end, but a beginning: an important stop along the way of their journey.
To all of you across the nation’s community colleges who have worked silently and supportively on behalf of your students, let me thank all of you as well. You were the power, the influence, the driving force behind their strength and conviction. Because of your commitment, they joined the millions of community college alumni across the country who are doing great things for their communities.
As campuses buzzed with ceremonial preparation, as dignified Commencement music began, and as students reached up and moved their mortarboard tassels from left to right, I always share the words of novelist Elie Wiesel, “Go, my friends, and make small miracles!” For the graduates of CCBC and all our college colleagues, this should not be too hard a feat, considering all they have already accomplished simply to prepare themselves to walk across the Commencement stage.
Please enjoy this highlight video from Commencement 2023.