2017 Commencement Chair’s Remarks

Welcome to our Curriculum in Global Studies Graduation Ceremony!

My name is Milada Vachudova and I have the privilege of serving as the chair of Global Studies.

Commencement is a very special time for us to recognize the hard work of our graduates.  It is also a time to reflect on the many people who have helped make the achievements of our students possible: parents, siblings, family members and family friends – as well as many different community members and mentors.  These include dedicated and often heroic teachers back home at all levels – pre-school, elementary, middle and high school – as well as professors, staff and classmates here at UNC.

So let me congratulate all of you – students, parents, family members, mentors, and friends – on your achievement of a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree from UNC.

You are now a graduate of a university that is highly regarded both nationally and internationally.

Our Global Studies graduates have been engaged, spirited and outstanding students on campus.  They have studied abroad, worked in internships and taken part in research projects literally all around the globe.  They have received prestigious scholarships to travel abroad, and to attend graduate school.

We are delighted today to congratulate our second graduating class of MA students from our new MA program in Global Studies. These very impressive and dedicated students were so helpful in making the launch of our new program a success – and we will always remember them as the great pioneers of our program.

We are very proud of all of you, our graduates.  We have seen how much hard work, creativity, hope and dedication you have poured into all of your pursuits at Carolina.  We hope that your four years here have opened for you new horizons and fostered an intellectual curiosity that will enrich your life forever. We hope that you have developed a life-long love of learning, a commitment to fostering tolerance and diversity, and also a commitment to public service, here in North Carolina and around the globe.

Let me close by quoting the Chancellor of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, Franklin Gilliam on the subject of graduation:

“It is in this time of celebration that we should be reminded of our great privilege in being part of the pursuit of higher education – a luxury that many are not afforded in our country or across the globe.  Many can’t afford to ponder theories and projects; instead they are wondering where they are going to lay their head tonight and how they are going to feed their children. Others are denied access to higher learning because of their gender, race, ethnicity, class or religion.  Let us not forget this disturbing dissonance.  Let us work together to make this world a better, healthier and happier place.”

Before I go, I want to thank our wonderful and dedicated staff members who worked so hard to make this event happen and thus to give us a chance to honor each and every one of you. They are Diana Devereaux, our business manager, and Zach Ward, our student services specialist.