Good morning.
My name is Mark Goodman and it is my privilege to serve as the Chair of the College’s Board of Trustees. As you know, after two years of holding commencement remotely in the face of an obstinate pandemic, we have the very good fortune of being able to gather today to celebrate this year’s graduates together. It’s great to be here with you in person to welcome President Judd, Provost Singh, members of the faculty and staff, parents, friends, and, most of all, the undergraduate and graduate students who are members of the class of 2022—all of whom are with us today to celebrate one of life’s greatest milestones. I also want to recognize and congratulate those of you from the classes of 2020 and 2021 who are here today after waiting patiently to experience the thrill of being able to walk across this stage in recognition of your accomplishments.
My principal role today is to bring greetings from the Board of Trustees to all of you, but in particular to each of the graduates who will be receiving the degrees being awarded today. We wish each of you a long, productive, and gratifying life that builds on your experience of growing and learning at a college that places such a high premium on practices and values that will stay with you for the rest of your lives: curiosity and creativity; intellectual rigor; the power of close collaboration with talented and highly committed teachers and peers who share a passion for engaging and addressing complex questions; the inherent satisfaction of learning and making connections across disciplines; and the value—in the world beyond Sarah Lawrence—of having been pushed while you were here to generate your own ideas and to develop the skills and self-confidence to present those ideas in class and in writing to your professors and classmates.
Thirty-nine years ago, I had the good fortune to graduate from Sarah Lawrence, and I can tell you that over the many years since then, I have—in my professional and personal lives—appreciated increasingly with each passing year the special gift of my Sarah Lawrence education.
I also bring a special thanks from the Board to our distinguished commencement speaker, Douglas Brinkley, whose observations and insights as an historian – and, in particular, a presidential historian – have made him a ubiquitous and, in my experience, reassuring voice over the past few years in helping make sense of our political circumstances and place them in a broader context. Professor Brinkley is a great example for all of our graduates of the value and power of ideas and of having the courage to speak out on issues of public importance. We’re very lucky to have Professor Brinkley with us today.
The Board would also like to congratulate Jennifer Finney Boylan for being recognized by the College today with an honorary degree for her extraordinary commitment to advocacy for human rights and in particular the rights of transgender individuals and the LGBTQ community. Professor Boylan’s work has been critically important for many years, but it feels especially important in this moment, and the Board was extremely appreciative of the opportunity to recognize her contributions by granting her a Sarah Lawrence degree. Thank you, Professor Boylan, for your work and for being here with us today.
Let me close by observing that gratitude is one of life’s most important qualities, and days like today give us a special opportunity to feel and express gratitude. I want to give a special thanks to all of the families and friends—parents, grandparents, and others—who have provided many years of support and made all manner of sacrifices to make this day possible. As we celebrate the accomplishments of today’s graduating students, we acknowledge all who made the journey possible.
To the Class of 2022, congratulations on behalf of the College’s trustees. Go forward, bring change to the world, and be immensely proud of what you have accomplished during your years at Sarah Lawrence—a special place I hope you will continue to hold dear in your hearts.
Thank you and good luck.
Remarks as prepared for delivery