Commencement Ceremony celebrates, encourages graduates

After years of hard work, the Drew University Class of 2009 is finished. As they approached the back lawn of Mead Hall to receive their diplomas in the 141st annual Commencement Ceremony, they smiled and waved at their families and friends.

Dean of the Theological School Maxine Beach addressed the class of '09 first. She encouraged graduates to spread the knowledge they gained at Drew wherever their paths take them. She said she hopes "that we may go from this place and create a circle of love."

President of the University Bob Weisbuch welcomed the graduates and their guests. He reminded the graduates that "This is your day…The world requires you to be ready for anything, and you are."

He drew inspiration from Amazon's portable reader, the Kindle, saying that students should create their own personal "Kindrew" to carry with them after graduation. To create a Kindrew, Weisbuch said that three things are necessary-first, the ability to "refuse dogmatism." The next thing, he said, is to prevent the crowd from "bully[ing] you away from your conclusions." Another necessary step is to "Drew and do," or to "imprint Drew values upon the world."

Weisbuch then introduced Gerald Stern, the keynote speaker and the first Poet Laureate of New Jersey. He cited Bob Dylan, saying, "Some people say I have the blood of the land in my voice." "Stern has this," he said. Stern spoke about the Emily Dickinson poem, where Dickinson says to "Tell the truth, but tell it slant."

"To a poet, slant is everything," Stern said. He read two of his poems, "Box of Cigars" and "Eleanor," a poem about Eleanor Roosevelt, to inspire the graduates to forget greed. "The depression we are in now gives us a grand-huge-opportunity to see things in a different light," Stern said. "Be generous beyond your means," he added. His last piece of advice to students was "don't be afraid."

Stern then received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Assistant Professor of English Patrick Phillips.

The Drew University Chorale then sang "Alleluia," by Johann Hermann Schein. Seth Gorenstein ('09), who was chosen to represent the graduating class as the Senior Speaker, then addressed the audience. "We made it," he said. The former Acorn Editor-in-Chief joked about spanning the roles of Tom Brokaw to Perez Hilton, and somehow not irritating the senior class too much to vote for him.

Gorenstein talked about how attending Drew could sometimes feel like high school part two-in high school he and his friends studied for the SATs, ate processed food in the cafeteria and drank until their moms chased them out of the house. In college, they studied for the GREs, ate processed food in the Commons and drank in the suites until Public Safety chased them out.

According to Gorenstein, his best advice was to "be a nerd." A nerd is someone who pursues knowledge, he explained. "Be a passionate, sociable nerd," he added.

Annie Allen, described by Weisbuch as a "diverse" and "civically engaged" person, spoke for the Graduate and Theological School students. "We've had lots of good times and we have suffered together," she said. She said that by studying at Drew, "we have been liberated from ignorance."

"A diverse collection of people is not the end in and of itself," she said. "We will have to be active agents in the world."

Weisbuch awarded the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching to Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Neuroscience Program Christina McKittrick.

Reverend Doctor Jeff Markay (C'88, T'95) then briefly welcomed the alumni, discussing the idea that "everybody can be great because anyone can serve." He said that civic engagement and service is vital and that "you don't have to have a college degree to serve, but now you do."

Drew's all-male a cappella group 36 Madison Avenue performed "The Alma Mater" before the class of '09 shook hands with Weisbuch and received their degrees, ending their journey at Drew.

Many students said that certain aspects of Drew would be forever ingrained in their minds. Danielle Schultz ('09) said, "[I'll remember] the campus…I don't know why, but it was my favorite part."

For some students, a specific person or group of people were especially significant. "For me, [Professor and Chair of Music] Norman Lowrey has been an amazing part of my Drew experience," Noah Rosenfield ('09) said.

Christopher Damurijian ('09), who plans to continue his education at New York University's dental program, says that living in Spirituality House has left him with many memories. Alicia Rodgers ('09) will remember her experiences in Asia Tree House.

"My freshman floor has been a tight-knit group," Vladimir Alexandre ('09) said. He also mentioned that he'll miss Quazi and Alfred at the booth. Although he is apprehensive about being out in the real world, Alexandre has accepted graduation. "I find myself wishing I had one more year," he explained. "I guess I'm as ready as anyone would be."

Schultz felt the same way. "I don't feel ready at all…It's scary for me to be in the real world," she said.

"I feel a little sad and nostalgic," Rodgers said. "I want to be ready [to leave]. Maybe I'm as ready as I'll be."

Ironically, many students said that writing papers will be among their happy memories. "I'll remember pulling all-nighters with my roommate," Stephanie Rees ('09) said.

"My first all-nighter is definitely one of [my memories]," Max Tynan ('09) said. "Kind of realizing the gravity of a 20 page research paper."

The hard work, however, has not been without payoff. "[Drew] has given me a multi-dimensional view," Joe DiComo ('09) said. "I feel well-versed in a variety of topics."

"I found that all of my courses related to each other," Cortney Conrad ('09) said. "The world isn't divided into majors. My perceptions of the world are broader."