5 P.M. Ceremony Order of Exercises

Good afternoon!

On behalf of the Millersville University Faculty, I’d like to welcome today’s guests of honor—our graduates—and to extend a warm welcome to your friends and family, who have joined us today to celebrate you and your accomplishments.

Ten years ago, during my faculty orientation, one of us asked a tenured faculty member, what is the best thing about working at Millersville. Her answer? “The students.” I remember thinking, “geez—she can’t think of anything good about working here, so she’s just saying ‘the students,’ because that’s an easy answer.” I was a little worried about what I had gotten myself into.

After about a year of teaching, though, it became clear to me that her answer was an honest one—our students really are delightful to work with. There are a few here and there that are… well, not delightful… but they are few and far between. The majority of our students are earnest, hard-working, and motivated. More than that, they are kind. They are thoughtful. And they are compassionate.

I’d like to share with you a personal story about just how kind and compassionate Millersville students are.  Last summer, my best friend—who happened to be a rat terrier named Colby—was diagnosed with Cushing’s Syndrome and then with cancer. The tumor was successfully removed in October, but over the course of the following five months, he suffered a series of seemingly unrelated life-threatening infections and medical conditions that eventually ended with me having to make a very difficult decision at the end of March.

As anyone who has ever cared for a sick family member knows, times like these are often stressful and unpredictable. There’s the emotional distress, yes, but then there are the logistical challenges. Scheduling veterinary appointments follows the same “hunger games” rules as scheduling medical appointments for humans—you take what you can get, whenever you can get it—and then there are the myriad emergency visits that always seem to pop up at the worst time possible. But life happens, and you deal with it.

In this case, “dealing with it” sometimes involved asking a colleague to cover a class for me. It sometimes involved last-minute changes to class assignments or having to reschedule office hours or student meetings. It sometimes meant longer-than-usual delays in getting feedback to students (and my usual delays are long enough) or bringing Colby to class because it was the only way to be on time after leaving the vet clinic. In other words, “dealing with it” meant inconveniencing my students and sometimes, falling short—way short—of what I thought they deserved.

I waited for the emails. I waited for the (justified) complaints. I waited for the long line of students outside of my office asking for their marked-up rough drafts. They never came.

What came instead was grace. It was kindness. It was compassion. Rather than expressions of irritation or frustration—which would have been understandable—they expressed concern, both for Colby and for me. When he came to class with me, my students—or as I like to think of them, Colby’s classmates—welcomed him with open arms, always stopping to pet him on their way out the door or in the hallway or in my office.

And when I had to say goodbye to that perfect little stinker, they wrote emails and gave me cards expressing their condolences. They brought me flowers and Oreos. One student even knitted a little dog-bone with Colby’s name for me. Absolutely none of this was expected, but it was so incredibly thoughtful and so incredibly appreciated. And it lightened the load more than they could possibly know.

It was also emblematic of the type of human beings our students are. You know, when universities design marketing materials, they often—and rightfully—focus on what they can offer you. Recruitment events are designed to persuade prospective students that getting a Millersville degree is worthwhile; that coming to here will teach you to think critically and prepare you for a job. And it is. And it does. And it will.

But that isn’t all that makes coming to Millersville worthwhile. That tenured faculty member who spoke at my orientation was right—more than anything, it’s our students that make this a great place to be. Not just because of your academic prowess in the classroom, but because of the people you are and the way you treat others. What makes Millersville a worthwhile place to be is the vibrant, engaging, and caring community that you help create.

So... yes, congratulations, on all of your academic accomplishments—you have earned it. But also, thank you for spending the past four (-ish) years of your lives with us, and for showing us grace and kindness when we’ve needed it. I wish you all health, happiness, and success as you move on to whatever comes next.

Thank you.

Annually, the Educator of the Year Award is presented to a single faculty or staff member as a recognition of their exceptional teaching, counseling, mentoring, and advising efforts. Given that there are many forms of outstanding teaching and advising, it is difficult to provide an exhaustive list of award-worthy characteristics. The individual who has been chosen by their peers as the Educator of the Year for the current academic year has been instrumental in co-founding a new Action Research Conference for student teachers to showcase research conducted in their classrooms. Additionally, she provides students with learning opportunities outside the classroom, such as organizing a trip to Italy to learn about the Regio Emilia approach and leading an Assistive Technology Conference where students and colleagues design low tech assistive technology that is donated to the IU 13. Collaborating with colleagues like Drs. Jason Petula, Beth Powers, and Sharon Brusic, she works on projects that offer culturally responsive professional development opportunities to other educators. I am delighted to present the Millersville University Educator of the Year award to Dr. Deborah Tamakloe.

Friends, family, special guests, President Wubah and most importantly the class of 2023, today is the day! Congratulations class of 2023!! We have reached the day we have waited for over the past 4 years!  I bet you could all agree this is not the exact journey you thought you would take to arrive at today. Let’s take 30 seconds to reflect on your journey. Graduates look at your friends and peers around you and think of a memory that has happened in the past four years, I hope to see some laughs and smiles.

Thank you for that moment of reflection. Over the past few weeks, I have done a lot of reflection on all four years, and my two years as your student body president.  The past four years have been how do I put this simply? Absolutely crazy...We as a class came into college in the fall of 2019 with the expectation that these would be the best years of our lives. We are going to live on campus, attend classes, make friends and then spring finals came and it all stopped. We were sent home and told to have an amazing two-week spring break. And then three days later it was nope see you in the fall and then July rolled around and the COVID pandemic kept us at home one more year.  Finally, in the Fall of 2021 we returned to campus as Juniors. We have to now run our student organizations, go to classes, figure out what campus was like because we were here for what - a few months? But do you know what we have done in the past two years? Overcome. We overcame everything thrown at us; we overcame the struggles of not only the global pandemic but also the results of it as college students. Our campus may not be back to the precovid campus it once was, but it is Millersville, the campus we loved when we chose to come here and now, we walk the stage. Where did the time go? Where did the late nights in the SMC go, the club meetings we have attended or ran? They are over now but we came, we overcame and now we go out and take on the world with the many EPPIIC lessons of Millersville University in our pockets.

I hope you take these lessons, go out in the world and be the amazing humans that I have had the honor to serve this year. Remember to explore, be professional), strive to help others, be inclusive, have integrity and carry your heart with compassion. I will leave you this one last quote that I choose to put on my graduation cap but something I have carried with me over the years, “Be bold enough to use your voice, be brave enough to listen to your heart and be strong enough to live the life you have always imagined!” - Winne the Pooh.

Once again congratulations class of 2023!! It has been a ride and I cannot wait to see where you all go! I am so proud of you! Thank you!

Good afternoon. Welcome to our graduating students, faculty, staff, family members, friends, and distinguished guests. This afternoon, we have gathered to celebrate the achievement of our graduates.

Before we start the celebration, let’s recognize those who have made it possible for you to get to this point in your lives.

First, let’s thank your families and your friends for the role they played in getting you here.  Family and friends, kindly rise, or wave to be recognized. Let’s give them and those who are watching online a round of applause. 

We are fortunate to have loyal alumni, many of whom are proud to have their children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews attending their alma mater. A special thank you to all our legacy families and their graduates here today.  

Second, I want to thank our faculty members who walked beside our graduates on their educational journey. They have guided and assisted you in the acquisition of a holistic education that is firmly rooted in the liberal arts and sciences as well as various professions.  Faculty, kindly stand up to be recognized.

I mentioned earlier that we are here to celebrate you today and you may be wondering why? Well, it is because you are receiving your degree from Millersville University after overcoming challenges that no one could have imagined when you first enrolled at this university.

Some of you may be apprehensive about what comes next in your life. You may be asking yourself what your next steps in life might be? And that is okay because most graduates feel the same way during commencement.

While some of you have already landed jobs or have been admitted to graduate or professional schools, I am aware that others are now going to figure out your next steps. With your degree from this university, you have the skills and competence to succeed at wherever you land. 

As you leave the confines of the Ville, you are entering a world of transformation, especially brought about by technology. And I want to spend the next few minutes to share my thoughts about one of the current technological shifts requires our attention. I am talking about artificial intelligence (AI).

So, what is AI? Demis Hassabis, co-founder, and CEO of DeepMind, describes AI as “the science of making machines smart.” For example, I can assume that majority of us at this ceremony have cell phones. Well, each time your cell phone has suggested a word to you when texting, that is AI in action. So, it’s not a matter of whether or even when AI will impact our lives. But rather how it would affect us as it continues to evolve and becomes more and more incorporated into the tools that influence our daily lives.

This technology has transformed the way we live, work, and interact with each other. It has created numerous opportunities for innovation and growth in various industries, from healthcare through finance to education. You, our graduating students, are entering a world where AI is becoming an integral part of the workforce, and it is essential that you understand the impact that it will have on your future careers in humanities, social sciences, and business. Let’s look at a few practical examples:

Ethics: AI raises ethical questions that are relevant to the humanities, such as questions about the use of data, privacy, and bias. It also raises questions about the role of technology in society and the impact it has on human cultures and values.

Data analysis: AI can analyze large amounts of data to identify patterns and insights to help make informed decisions about consumer behavior, market trends, and financial data.

Digital Humanities: AI is enabling new forms of research in the humanities by providing tools for digital analysis, visualization, and translation of texts, images, and other cultural artifacts. For example, it can analyze historical data and literary texts to identify language patterns which would shed more light in human behavior. It can even analyze language and discourse to identify patterns in social media or political communication or translate texts from one language to another.

Automation: AI can automate many routine tasks, such as data entry and processing, freeing up time for entrepreneurs and business professionals to focus on more creative and innovative aspects of their work.

Preservation: AI is helping to preserve and restore cultural heritage by providing tools for digital archiving and restoration. For example, it can be used to restore damaged or degraded works of art, or to create virtual simulations of historical sites and artifacts.

Customer service: AI can be used to provide personalized customer service, such as chatbots that can answer customer inquiries and resolve issues. This can help businesses provide better customer experiences and improve customer loyalty.

Innovation: AI is driving innovation in business and entrepreneurship. For example, it can help identify new business opportunities, develop new products and services, and improve existing ones. It is also enabling new business models, such as those based on subscription services, machine learning, and data analytics.

Interdisciplinary Learning: AI is enabling interdisciplinary learning by bringing together diverse fields such as computer science, philosophy, linguistics, and psychology. This can help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills across different fields of study.

Entrepreneurial Education: AI is transforming entrepreneurship education by provide students with real-world data and insights, that would enable them to learn from real-life case studies and scenarios. This can help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as the entrepreneurial mindset required for success in business.

In summary, AI has already started to transform the world in which we live, and it will continue to do so in the future. As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative applications in the fields of humanities, social sciences and business.

It is indeed an exciting time to be entering the workforce, and this technology will present you with new opportunities and challenges. As you go forth into the world, I urge you to continue learning and adapting to both the challenges and opportunities it presents.

In closing, remember that your faculty have equipped you with the skills and competencies that you need to succeed at the next stage of your lives. It is your responsibility to use them.

Congratulations to each and every one of you, our graduates, and we look forward to seeing the amazing contributions you will make in the world.

I would like to thank Dr. Wubah, his administration, and the Council of Trustees for the opportunity to speak to you today. I would also like to thank the faculty, the families, and friends present, as your time, effort, and support have made this day possible for our graduates. And congratulations to the Class of 2023! On your day of accomplishment, I would like to share with you my Millersville story, how it fundamentally changed my life, how it prepared me for the road ahead, and how it has motivated me to give back.

My Millersville Story

My Millersville story probably starts like many of yours. I was a first-generation college student from a small town in nearby York County. I came from a blue-collar, middle-class home with a hard-working father and devoted mother who both made tremendous sacrifices to position my sister, two brothers, and me for a better future. We had no 529 plans or other forms of college financing. A college education had to be self-financed. Millersville University was a godsend offering an affordable, high-quality education.

My Millersville story took a sharp turn in my first semester on campus. During an afternoon football game with my friends, I went over the middle to catch a pass and was tackled hard. Afterwards, things didn’t seem quite right. Before I knew it, I was facing an extensive surgical procedure to repair a congenital urological issue that might have otherwise proved life threatening. The surgery, the first of its kind in the U.S., was a frightening wake-up call. Life got real, real quick.

I would not be standing here today if it were not for the support of my family, my friends, and my professors at Millersville University. My professors showed compassion and empathy, provided flexibility on assignment deadlines, and reviewed class material missed during a battery of doctor appointments. It was greatly appreciated. This ordeal fundamentally changed my life. I realized that I had been given a second chance. I had a tremendous educational opportunity at Millersville and I was going to take full advantage of it. I also realized that I had a large network of people that cared about me, and I was not going to let them down.

I went on to excel academically graduating magna cum laude with departmental honors in Economics. Under Drs. Andy Hau, Secunderabad Leela, and Marvin Margolis, among others, I learned the laws of supply and demand, the core tenets of fiscal and monetary policy, the dynamics of international trade, and the perils of inflation. But a liberal arts education was about much more. I also learned the Principles of Effective Public Speaking from J.B. Riley, how to think and argue logically from Dr. Melvin Allen, and even a little Japanese from Yamamoto Sensei.

I also experienced one of the most pleasant and unexpected surprises of my life during the spring semester of my freshman year while I was recovering from surgery. During that time, it was a trial to get through my daily class schedule. The walks from Harbold to Roddy on cold winter mornings took all the energy that I had. There probably wasn’t a time in my teenage and young adult years when I was less interested in meeting a young lady. Of course, that was when I met a lovely History major named Elizabeth Lafferty who lived down the hallway on the 3-A wing of Harbold Hall. Over the course of the semester, we became friends and then much more. To make a long story short, a few months after Liz’s graduation in 1991, we were married, and we are now the proud parents of three wonderful children and one adorable basset hound.

With time and perspective, I realized that sometimes the things that initially appear to be worst things that could happen to you end up being some of the best things. I know many of you have faced your own challenges over the past four years. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been dealing with a traumatic event like the COVID-19 pandemic on top of the stresses of your studies. I am here to tell you that things will turn out okay, and maybe even better than you could have ever imagined, because of what you have had to endure.  You see, life’s challenges are often blessings in disguise. They test your character, they test your faith, and they test your determination. But if you pass those tests, they make you stronger and enable you go farther than ever before. Millersville changed me and my life challenges changed me and prepared me for the road ahead. During that time, I experienced, and hopefully embodied, Millersville University’s EPIIC Values. It took a dynamic leader like President Wubah to shine a spotlight on the core values that define what it means to be a Millersville Marauder, but the truth is that those values have always been right here as a part of the DNA of this institution and my Millersville story is living proof of it.

YOU Can Do It

After earning my Bachelors degree from Millersville University, I was ready to enter the workforce. I graduated in 1990 during a recession when jobs for Economics majors were scarce. I called an audible and opted to further my education by enrolling in the MBA program at the University of Pittsburgh. I graduated one year later with my MBA, but the recession and the job market were even worse. My first job was as an Economic Development Analyst in the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, where I had interned during my senior year at Millersville. Little did I know that my inauspicious start was positioning me for bigger things to come.

A few years later, I read a newspaper article profiling an investment firm located in Lancaster named Emerald Asset Management that was celebrating its one-year anniversary. Emerald was founded by Joseph Besecker who believed that intense, fundamental research could uncover small fast-growing companies often overlooked by Wall Street. Emerald created the HomeState Pennsylvania Growth Fund, a mutual fund that invested in Pennsylvania-based growth companies, many of whom were those small, overlooked companies. I got in touch with Mr. Besecker and while I would like to say that it was my sheer brilliance and keen intellect that won him over, he probably saw a bright young person with some gumption and a little experience that might be willing to work hard and work cheap. Nevertheless, he offered me a job as a Research Analyst. My dream job. I was all-in.

The Emerald story is an entrepreneurial success story. After the first three years, the HomeState Fund was the 5th best performing growth fund in the entire country. The strategy worked and it put Emerald on the map. As Emerald grew, we broadened our horizons and expanded our focus from Pennsylvania to emerging growth companies throughout the U.S. Not long after joining Emerald, I became Director of Research, leading our team of research analysts, and then later joined the portfolio management team for our flagship small cap growth product. That team included two other Millersville University alumni, Ken Mertz and Stacey Sears. In 2015, the Emerald Growth Fund ranked in the first percentile of all domestic small cap mutual funds. Imagine that from a mutual fund managed by three Millersville alumni with a fantastic team behind them! Emerald has grown from approximately $10 million in assets under management when I joined the firm in 1994 to over $4.0 billion today, and we don’t plan on stopping there. Emerald has always had the grit and determination of an underdog. We have competed against the titans of Wall Street and we have held our own, helping our clients meet their financial goals, doing it the right way.

I tell you this not to boast, but to show you what is possible with hard work, determination, a great team, and the preparation that comes along with your Millersville University education. You can accomplish great things and change the world in a positive way. As you pursue your career path, you are likely to experience challenges, hardships, and disappointments. When you encounter these hurdles, be creative, be flexible, be persistent, and most importantly, keep moving forward. Because sometimes the things that appear to be the worst things may turn out to be the best things. YOU CAN DO IT.

Giving Back

“At the end of the day it’s not about what you have done or even what you’ve accomplished…it’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” – Denzel Washington

Liz and I have always recognized and appreciated the impact that Millersville University has had on our lives. While we have both been active supporters of numerous local community organizations, some of our most rewarding work has been right here, supporting our alma mater and students like you.

In 2004, I was elected to the Board of Directors of the Millersville University Foundation. For those of you are not familiar, the Foundation manages and invests endowed gifts for the University. An endowed gift is one that is not to be spent. It is to be invested and the returns generated from those investments are spent in accordance with the wishes of the donor, most often to fund scholarships or programs. How many here today have received scholarship assistance during your time at Millersville? You are the beneficiaries of their generosity. At the Foundation, we like to say that we are in the “Forever” business. The gifts are managed to be in place forever, generating funding streams to last forever. The donors create the endowments to establish a legacy, to honor someone or something that had an indelible impact on their lives, or to support areas or individuals of importance to them – forever. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our hard-working development staff, and the prudent oversight of the Foundation Board over the past twenty years, the number of endowments has more than doubled to more than 525 with total net assets growing from less than $10 million to nearly $60 million.

During my first stint on the Board, Liz and I created the Charles & Charlotte Lafferty Endowment which funds a scholarship for a History major. It was created to honor the legacy of Liz’s parents, a father who was a history teacher and a mother who had a passion for genealogy. It was also done to recognize the positive influence of faculty members such as Dennis Downey, Frank Bremmer, and Susan Leighow, among others, who served as an inspiration to Liz and many like her. The current recipient of the Lafferty Endowment, Jillian Bergin, is here today as a member of the graduating class. Jillian, Liz and I would like you to know that we have been thrilled by your accomplishments in the classroom and as a leader on campus. We have been uplifted by your efforts to give back and mentor others during your time at Millersville. Students like you are why we do this.

Also during my first term, I began to have discussions with Dr. Mike Gumpper about creating a student managed investment fund. I saw how student investment organizations at other institutions enhanced the educational experience, making their students more attractive candidates for prospective employers. Why couldn’t this also be the case at Millersville? According to a recent NACUBO study, roughly 1 in 4 colleges and universities of similar size to Millersville have a student-managed investment fund. Why couldn’t Millersville be the one in four? During my second stint on the Board, Mike, along with Dr. Ron Baker, took that ball and ran with it. We worked together, along with the Investment Committee of the Foundation Board to create the Marauder Fund, a student managed investment fund that would manage a portion of the Foundation’s assets. To the Marauder Fund members here today, you have taken the skills from your intensive training modules, progressed through the ranks, and navigated one of the most challenging stock markets in history, all while demonstrating skills in the areas of leadership, debate, and analysis that you probably never knew you had. I have heard your pitches, witnessed your debates, and felt the cohesive bond of your team. I am deeply impressed by your accomplishments and how you have taken an idea and made the reality so much better.

Last year, Liz and I created the Marauder Fund CEO Endowment, which provides a scholarship to the student CEO of the Marauder Fund. We did it to recognize the positive contributions of all members of the Marauder Fund past, present, and future. We also did it to honor Mike Gumpper and Ron Baker for their mentorship, their tutelage, and their dedication. The first recipient of the Marauder Fund CEO Endowment is a member of the Class of 2023, Lauren Watkins. Lauren, Liz and would like you to know that we also did this out of admiration for you and your predecessors, for your leadership, and as an investment in your future potential. It is exciting for Liz and me to know that this endowment will be in place to recognize those who follow in your footsteps – forever.

Conclusion

As you celebrate today, I ask you to reflect on how your life has changed during your time at Millersville, and remember those family members, friends, faculty, and mentors who supported you and encouraged you along the way. Consider how you can give back a small portion of what has been given to you. Imagine the lives that you can touch through coaching, mentoring, volunteering, hiring an intern, or applying your talents and expertise in unique and special ways. I think you will find that the lives that you change might just change yours even more.

As you leave here today, take with you the learnings from the classroom, the experiences, the relationships, and the EPIIC values of Millersville University. Use them to achieve greatly and change the world in a positive way. And when you do, don’t forget to give back to help the next generation of Marauders accomplish even more.