It was a day of celebration, marking the end one life chapter and the beginning of another. With one swift motion, more than 5,000 graduates lifted their hands, moved their tassels to the left and launched their caps skyward as Syracuse University concluded its 160th Commencement Ceremony in the Carrier Dome [16].
The joint ceremony conferred degrees to students at Syracuse University, SU’s College of Law [17] and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry [18]. It was SUNY-ESF’s 117th Commencement.
Pulitzer Prize [19]-winning author and The New Yorker [20] editor David Remnick took the stage for this year’s commencement address, commending the class of 2014 for their accomplishments and urging them to look beyond the Hill to build a brighter future.“While we all congratulate you on joining the real world, we ask that you help us see that world anew,” Remnick said. “So that a generation from now, when you're sitting at your own child's graduation, you will know that you've done your part.”
This year marked the first commencement ceremony presided by Kent Syverud, the 12th chancellor in SU’s history. In his address to students, Syverud said college is a unique experience and the connections the graduates have made will be everlasting.“I learned that everyone has something to teach me, if I am just patient enough to learn,” Syverud said. “The college experience is one you cannot replicate. Please work hard to keep in touch with more than a few of your friends here.”
Molly Linhorst, a political science and international relations graduating senior, was selected as the student speaker. She said her peers must take the life lessons learned at Syracuse and carry them closely into their future careers.“Orange is not just a color, and SU is not just a campus. This is a family,” Linhorst said. "Let's keep going. No matter our distance from the Quad, show what it means to be Orange."
Degrees were conferred for 5,155 SU students, 221 from SU’s College of Law and 575 from SUNY-ESF.
