Quoting poet Mary Oliver in her Commencement address, author Jacqueline Woodson '16 (Hon.) charged the Class of 2016 to think about what they were going to do with their "one wild and precious life." She poignantly shared that as an undergraduate at Adelphi, she had no idea that she had the power to change the world through literature. Woodson asked the graduates to imagine not only what they would do with their one precious life, but even more important, what they would change.
We see this same grit in our graduates. I had the extraordinary privilege of greeting each of them as they walked across the stage at the Doctoral Hooding and the ceremony at Jones Beach. I shook their hands and saw in their eyes a determination and confidence of courage that was ignited through the connections they made here at Adelphi. Featured below are examples of these extraordinary graduates. I dare you to try and keep a dry eye after hearing their stories.
This year I also got to learn more about the exceptional work of our faculty. University Professor Paul Moravec has just composed another extraordinary piece that is already garnering worldwide attention. This original composition--an opera based on Stephen King's The Shining--is an example of the tremendous talent and creativity of our world-class faculty.
Our faculty members are not only remarkably inventive, they are also influential. The media is taking note. Last month, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 featured Joel Weinberger, Ph.D., professor, for his groundbreaking research on unconscious thought and voter behavior. He and a colleague revealed what voters really think of our presidential candidates.
In reflecting on the close of the academic year, we have accomplished a great deal by working quickly, collaboratively and effectively. We turned the tide on declining undergraduate enrollment and made significant changes to improve student satisfaction. We chose to title our strategic plan Momentum to reflect the rapid progress we've made working together this year. There is no doubt that we have the vision and energy we need to make the critical decisions required to achieve our goals.
A wonderful example of such ingenuity and collaboration is the grant Adelphi recently received from the FAR Fund to support the work of faculty and students at the Derner Hempstead Child Clinic. The clinic provides badly needed mental health services to children and their families in our neighboring town of Hempstead. It was conceived by Kirkland Vaughans, Ph.D., senior adjunct professor, and is being run in partnership with the Mental Health Association of Nassau County. Denise Hien, Ph.D., professor, helped secure the funds. Initiatives like this represent the best of Adelphi. We bring the collective expertise of our students and faculty to serve the community, and we strive to provide the best possible learning environments for scholars and future practitioners.
In her Commencement remarks, Marian Wright Edelman, J.D., '16 (Hon.), founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, charged our graduates to pursue ideas without worrying about what other people would think about them.
As we begin the hard work of shaping our collective future, there will be times when the work will be hard or when we might worry about what others will think about our ideas.
I invite you to join me in getting started and thinking and acting boldly.
