Commencement Addresses

President Higdon's 95th Commencement Address

Leo I. Higdon, Jr. — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:00:33 PDT

President Lee Higdon said the Class of 2013 has met the challenges he outlined for them when they arrived during a torrential downpour in the late summer of 2009.

"You have become leaders on this campus – relied upon by students, faculty and staff for your opinions, your expertise and your involvement,” he told the graduates.

President Higdon added that the Class of 2013 had the honor of attending Connecticut College during an important time in its history. The Class celebrated the College’s Centennial; witnessed the ribbon cuttings for the new fitness center and the new science center; was the first to benefit from the Residential Education Fellows program, in which professors and students work together to enhance intellectual programming in the residence halls; and is the first to include Posse Foundation scholars, a group of student leaders who have helped the College become a more welcoming community for people from all backgrounds.

“You have your entire future ahead of you. I hope you continue to embrace learning in all forms; continue to cross boundaries and to make connections others don’t see; and continue to live the values of the Honor Code and to respect and value equity and inclusiveness as part of your life-long learning. Above all, please stay connected to Connecticut College,” he said.

Senior Class Speaker 95th Commencement Address

Amy Cheetham '13 — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:00:32 PDT

“Our most powerful tool is our liberal arts education,” said Cheetham, the daughter of 1974 and 1975 Connecticut College graduates Thomas and Joan Cheetham. “We’ve been taught to think critically about the very foundations of modern society: to question our actions and our ideas, and the thoughts and deeds of those who came before us. When we leave here today, our most immediate challenges may be renting that first apartment and getting that first job. But our biggest challenge is one we’ll face for the rest of our lives: to use our educations to chase our passions and cling to them for dear life.”

95th Connecticut College Commencement Address

Howard Gordon — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:00:31 PDT

Emmy-winning television writer and producer Howard Gordon told the Class of 2013," The fictional characters I create live in the same crazy, complicated world as the rest of us. How they navigate through the world is what makes them compelling. How you navigate your way through the world is what will make your story compelling.”

The best way to do it, he told the Class of 2013, is to heed the sage words of advice printed on the poster in his office: “Work hard and be nice to people.”

He apologized for "what may sound like fortune-cookie philosophy," but said the seven-word sentence inspires him every day.

Working hard will not guarantee success, he told the graduates, “But I have yet to meet a successful person who hasn’t worked hard.” Being nice, he added, is in many ways about listening to others. “Listening takes practice, and it takes patience. But I promise, if you listen, your story will be better for it.”

President Higdon's 94th Commencement Address

Leo I. Higdon, Jr. — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 07:02:30 PDT

President Higdon urges the graduates, "Continue to embrace learning in all its forms. Continue to cross boundaries and to make connections that others don’t see. Continue to live the values of the Honor Code and to respect and value equity and inclusiveness as part of your life-long learning."

94th Connecticut College Commencement Address

Louis B. Susman — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:55:52 PDT

HE Ambassador Louis B. Susman told the graduates "This not a country where individuals are born with title, rank or royalty. Instead, we emerge into life carrying only our personal dreams and desires. And we allow ourselves to claim pursuit of those dreams as a cherished and fundamental right. Your challenge is to begin building a future that is worthy of your dreams, a future worthy of your parents and this college, a future worthy of the values of America."

Senior Class Speaker 94th Commencement Address

Brenner Green — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:02:17 PDT

Brenner Green told his classmates of his personal journey, and that "I’ve come to realize that the College’s mission and values are a big part of my journey. Conn “seeks to support and nurture intellectual, emotional, spiritual, creative, and physical development of its student body.” And that’s just what it did for me.

President Higdon's 93rd Commencement Address

Leo I. Higdon Jr. — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:09:38 PDT

President Higdon tells the Centennial Class of 2011: "You have the unique experience of graduating when the College is celebrating its 100^th anniversary. Every Commencement is an opportunity to look back and look ahead. Your Commencement is special because the whole College is looking with you."

Further, he lauds the graduates who have "shared your talents with the world through study abroad, internships and special research projects. I am impressed and deeply gratified by the work you have done – it is a strong indication of the impact you will continue to have throughout your lives. You have become experienced activists and advocates. Working to support, nurture and protect refugees in Rwanda, white lions in Africa, impoverished youth in Brazil… And in the US, studying energy alternatives, mental health issues and acting as advocates for underprivileged youth – in your home communities and right here in New London."

93rd Connecticut College Commencement Address

Cynthia Enloe '60 — Mon, 23 May 2011 06:57:29 PDT

Alumna and research professor of International Development, Community and Environment at Clark University Cynthia Enloe '60 spoke to the graduates about connections; their connections to the past, those present, and to those they may not know. "A connection should probably make you feel a little uneasy. Because if you make a connection it means you're beginning to take responsibility for that person's life. It means that that person is somehow affecting your life, but you're also affecting their life."

70th Commencement Address

Guido Calabresi — Sun, 22 May 2011 10:46:08 PDT

Guido Calabresi, Dean of the Yale School of Law, told the graduates a few stories about choices. To remind them that "the choices which reoccur do make a difference, if not always

or often, to the world."

President Fainstein's 88th Commencement Address

Norman Fainstein — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:46:27 PDT

President Fainstein advises graduates: "I do not insist that you all see four decades of history my way or draw the same lessons as I do. But, please, don’t wait for things to fall apart before you take a hard look at the world and act to make it a better place — better according to each of your lights, better according to the values each of you holds dear."

Commencement 2008 Senior Class President's Address

Mandy Barrett — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:23:34 PDT

Mandy Barrett asked some people whom she respected and cared about for some of their favorite quotes. Not surprisingly, a handful of them really helped her to focus her thoughts for the day.

President Higdon's 92nd Commencement Address

Leo I. Higdon, Jr. — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:23:33 PDT

President Higdon tells graduates they are graduating at a pivotal time in U.S. history – indeed, in the history of the world. In a global economic upheaval, traditional companies and organizations seek to redefine themselves and the work they do. Increasingly, they will look to this generation, and specifically to liberal arts graduates, for answers whose comprehensive education has given them the qualities to succeed in the global arena. They are graduating at an important point in Connecticut College’s history, with a Centennial Celebration ahead that will involve them and all the College community, honoring the College’s legacy of excellence and looking ahead to all of the possibilities the future holds.

92nd Connecticut College Commencement Address

Jeffrey Sachs — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:23:33 PDT

Economist Jeffrey Sachs encourages graduates to take their values from Connecticut College - values of community, diversity, knowledge, and mission - and show what they can do to improve the world.

President Higdon's 2007 Commencement Address

Leo I. Higdon, Jr. — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:38:31 PDT

President Higdon advises the 2007 graduates: "Use your words well. Think about how your behaviors, your actions and your words can affect others. Live by the Honor Code. And if you find yourself faltering, or in a difficult situation, reflect back on what the Honor Code has meant to you, what this community has meant to you. And draw strength from that. The only other bit of advice I will give you is one you have heard me mention often. And that is, stay connected to this College. You are our newest class of alumni. And that means this College is yours. Forever. Continue to be a part of this community."

91st Commencement Address: "Not for Profit: Liberal Education and Democratic Citizenship"

Martha Nussbaum — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:14:45 PDT

Martha Nussbaum speaks to the graduates about the role of liberal education in producing democratic citizens, the sort of citizen who can keep democracy alive and realize its promise and asks "what does a liberal education that contains a substantial component from the humanities and the arts contribute to the health of democracy?"

91st Connecticut College Commencement Address

Leo I. Higdon, Jr. — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:13:28 PDT

President Lee Higdon told the 2009 graduates "You are graduating at a pivotal time in US history – indeed, in the history of the world. In a global economic upheaval, traditional companies and organizations seek to redefine themselves and the work they do. Increasingly, they will look to your generation, and specifically to liberal arts graduates, for answers."

25th Commencement Address

Henry A. Wallace — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:31:44 PDT

Vice President of the United States Henry Wallace addresses the graduates, and concludes: "Yes, commencement time is here. Responsibility has begun. Life has come upon us. The joys of opportunity and service lie ahead. No generation has ever had such an opportunity. The world has never had such an opportunity. We must make the dead live. We must make them live in the world's commencement of abiding peace based on justice and charity."

63rd Commencement Address

Patricia McGowan Wald' 48 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:00:24 PDT

Judge Wald offers advice to graduates, including: "But the most valuable legacy college can leave you Is an appetite and appreciation of language. Clarity, lucidity, precision with words is the most elusive of talents. Words inform, inspire, mislead and sometimes destroy. They are the most essential tool of humanity. Words plan, build, preserve, and often demolish civilizations, industries, empires, governments, and relationships. If you carry one lesson from college to life, let it be the knowledge that what you say is the expression of what you mean, what you intend to provoke in others, what you want to realize."

71st Commencement Address

Leonard Lauder — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:42:14 PDT

Leonard A. Lauder, President and CEO of Estee Lauder, Inc., offers advice to graduates such as "If we can get through the rain, let me talk to you about some of the trends that I see. The first is the return of traditional values. . . new/old traditions are leading us to safer, sounder values."

78th Commencement Address

Tom Brokaw — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:42:13 PDT

Tom Brokaw, journalist, offers advice to graduates such as "These are moments to be cherished in America life: The realization of a common dream, unique, really, to this land - a college education, a privilege not confined to the well-born or wealthy. Here the working class sits side by side with old and new fortunes; here new Americans from distant lands and cultures mingle with the sons and daughters of Americans who came on sailing ships, some to proclaim their freedom, others in the holds and chains of slave ships."