WaterFire Providence Creator Barnaby Evans calls for passion and purpose as 1,045 students earn bachelor\u27s and master\u27s degrees

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Passion, Potential and the Power of \u27Yes\u27 – The Class of 2016 Graduates

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Roger Williams UniversityDOCS@RWUFeatured News Story The Week at Roger5-14-2016Passion, Potential and the Power of 'Yes' – TheClass of 2016 GraduatesPublic Affairs, Roger Williams UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_newsPart of the Higher Education Commons News ArchivePassion, Potential and the Power of 'Yes' – The Classof 2016 GraduatesWaterFire Providence Creator Barnaby Evans calls for passion and purpose as1,045 students earn bachelor's and master's degreesMay 14, 2016 Public A airs Sta Bristol, R.I. – Under sunny skies and the anticipation of new beginnings, 837 undergraduates in theClass of 2016 joined more than 200 adult learners on Saturday, May 14 to culminate their collegecareers at the University’s annual Commencement exercises.In addition to awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to the candidates in front of a crowd of some7,000 graduates and attendees, University President Donald J. Farish conferred honorary doctorates tothree innovators and local icons whose work over the past three decades has proved critical to therevitalization of Providence from a tired mill town to a vibrant city: WaterFire Providence creatorBarnaby Evans; AS220 Artistic Director Umberto ‘Bert’ Crenca; and architect and planner WilliamWarner (awarded posthumously to his wife, Margaret).They were selected, Farish said, to commemorate the University’s increased footprint in the capital cityand impending move to the One Empire Plaza campus, which will extend the reach of a Roger Williamseducation to a whole new generation of students (many of them working adults).In delivering the keynote Commencement address, Evans – the award-winning artist whose WaterFireinstallation has been replicated and written about worldwide – remarked on the honor of holding adegree with the name Roger Williams on it, the University namesake and founder of Rhode Island who“dared to believe in the future” and who “risked his life to assure the freedom that he felt must alwaysaccompany the future in Providence, or anywhere.”“The very  rst philanthropic act we must do is to make all of our citizens feel like they belong, to feelthey have a place and to feel they have a future in our city. And this applies to each of you in thisforthcoming Class of 2016. I urge you to see the world before you as a place of bright promise. Belifelong learners. Continue the tradition you’ve started here at Roger Williams University – yourexcellent education has only just begun. Be open to the new; make a habit of saying yes; be entirelycomfortable with saying ‘I don’t know.’ Know that only you can make a change in this world.”The world is a rapidly changing place, Evans said, and he called upon the graduates to fostercommunity and inclusivity wherever they may go.“Take action and demand accountability. David Foster Wallace warned us to the dangers of entrenchedirony. I share his concern. Our political world today, both nationally and internationally, is slipping into anether region of great ambiguity. We need you now more than ever. Value the discipline you'velearned here at Roger Williams, the example of Roger Williams himself -- freedom and tolerance andlearning should be your guideposts. Science is a valuable and trustworthy tool to establish real truth.Do not fall for this canard that science is a religion or a politically-motivated sham. It is our mostpowerful tool to determine the truth. Understand science is a powerful discipline that can lead to truth,but also welcome the arts and the humanities for their capacity to change us, to inform us and to openus up to the world with better understanding.”In his remarks, Farish noted that the Class of 2016 is the  rst to have studied all four years under theA ordable Excellence initiative, meaning that for the  rst time in school history no student incurred atuition increase during his or her four years. It is also a graduating class that is remarkably prepared forthe workforce, he said.“Increasing numbers of this graduating class each year have had the opportunity to use the theory andprinciples they learn in the classroom in a meaningful project-based learning experience. Theseexperiences have long been a hallmark of a Roger Williams education, and they include such things asresearch with faculty, internships or directed study abroad. I will note that 430 of our graduates todayhave participated in one or more Community Partnerships Center projects during their time here, andthat program was still in its pilot stage when they arrived their freshman year.”The opportunity to test-drive their classroom learning in the real world does not go unnoticed byemployers, Farish continued, recalling anecdotes of graduates who are being hired and promotedover Ivy League graduates, and who are lauded by employers for being “exceptionally well prepared.”These alumni are opening the doors for future Roger Williams graduates, he said, “because they aredemonstrating that a Roger Williams education is equal to that of any school in the country.”Earlier in the ceremony, student speaker Danielle McCullough ’16 likened her experience as a studentat Roger Williams and studying abroad to the way in which orca whales instinctively form family podsand personal bonds to support each other through life’s journey.“One of the most amazing things about Roger is that we get to learn from peers with many di erentbackgrounds,” said McCullough, who was lauded for her work to create an inclusive and culturallyaware campus community. “Not everyone has their parents as their biggest support system, but I didnotice that everyone has someone that made this college journey possible for them. No matter who itwas, someone either inspired you or pushed you along the way and supported your dreams. Thisgraduation is for them too, the people who have guided us to this point.”A secondary education and Spanish double major, McCullough also noted that it was her professors’passion for education that inspired her to become an educator. Graduating, she says, comes with anew responsibility.“Roger has done its best to make us global citizens and we should want that for everyone in our lives.That’s the lesson that the orcas teach us. We were lucky enough to have the love, encouragement andsupport of our pods, and it is our time to encourage others. Whether that’s inspiring someone tocontinue their education, travel the world or pursue a dream that they have, we should support thosepeople in our lives.”Also during the ceremony, Faculty Senate president and Professor of International Business MinooTehrani joined Provost Andrew Workman to present the University’s ninth annual Excellence in TeachingAward to Professor of Finance Michael Melton of the Mario J. Gabelli School of Business. Melton, whoalso serves as director of the Center for Advanced Financial Education (CAFE) at Roger Williams – anexperiential learning opportunity for a select group of  nance students who manage a $100,000investment portfolio over an academic year – reminded the graduates of how proud the faculty is oftheir past, present and future achievements.“As I tell my students, nothing makes me prouder than to see them succeed in life a er graduation,”Melton said. “No matter what you choose to do a er this day, like become a marine biologist, ajournalist, an engineer, or even a private wealth manager, my advice is always the same: not knowingeverything isn’t a bad thing. As long as you show up and work hard, all of you will be successful.”The entire graduating Class of 2016 totaled 1,045, with 88 graduate students earning master’s degreesand 120 students graduating from the School of Continuing Studies. Among the 837 undergraduateday students in the class, half of the  ve most populous majors included architecture, marketing,psychology,  nance and management. And in what has become an annual tradition, 14 students tookhome President’s Core Values Medallions in recognition of their academic, professional andcommunity-based accomplishments.One day earlier, 87 students earned juris doctor degrees in an RWU Law ceremony highlighted by anaddress by U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, who as former attorney general for civil rights at theU.S. Department of Justice and director of the O ce of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services has pioneered e orts to create a living wage for workers and to protect workers’retirement savings.“Civil rights remain the un nished business of America,” Perez said. “You have a remarkableopportunity here to make sure you are relevant in dealing with the de ning issues of our time. For toomany, opportunity remains elusive, and you can be part of the expansion of that opportunity.”ACADEMICS ALUMNI LIFE @ RWU

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Passion, Potential and the Power of \u27Yes\u27 – The Class of 2016 Graduates

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