Although it was a weekend peppered with inopportune rain showers, Colgate’s 204th Commencement was celebrated by a community proud of the Class of 2025’s accomplishments. Working around the downpours and drizzle actually exemplified this class’s personality. After all, as President Brian W. Casey reminded them, even applying to Colgate during the COVID-19 pandemic was a “great and unique act of optimism and hope.”
During the baccalaureate service on May 18, he said, “There is something in you that is deeply optimistic and prepared for wonder…. Keep your sense of wonder. In my estimation, the way you do this is to slow down and look, to consider what is happening, and to accept the possibility of awe and gratitude.”
Commencement ceremony keynote speaker Julianne Smith, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, expressed three hopes for the graduates. First, “At a time of considerable global uncertainty… I hope your plans don’t go as planned,” she said.
“Each time those bestlaid plans go awry — as they sometimes do — you’re actually building an arsenal of important skills and traits that only come with experience, like adaptability, resilience, humility, and crisis management. These are the traits that will define who you are as a leader, a colleague, or a member of a team, and shape how you will respond to sudden changes, failure, or a crisis.”
Smith’s second hope for the graduates was finding time for service. “The years I have spent serving at the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon have been the most rewarding of my career.” For those not interested in governmental work, Smith suggested, “Volunteer for a cause close to your heart, join a local board, or mentor someone who’s a few years behind you. It’s about using your skills and energy to lift others up.”
Smith’s final exhortation, to “find ways to remain authentic to your true selves,” preceded the commencement exercises, during which 830 undergraduates were recognized for earning the BA degree and 6 graduate students were awarded a master of arts in teaching.
“Above all,” Smith said, “strive to be the leaders we need right now — leaders who listen with empathy, act with integrity, lift others up, and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. The world needs your voice, your vision, your commitment. I’m counting on you. We all are.”
Class of 2025
→ 830 undergraduates
→ 6 awarded an MAT; 4 with distinction
→ Valedictorian: Jackson Kustell of Barrington, R.I., summa cum laude, physics major; high honors in physics
→ Salutatorian: Paul Schulze of Austin, Texas, summa cum laude, mathematics and philosophy major; high honors in mathematics
→ 39 elected to Phi Beta Kappa
→ 162 summa cum laude
→ 295 magna cum laude
→ 152 cum laude