Commencement Celebrations Emphasize Past Accomplishments, New Beginnings

Tue., Jun 3, 2008
A near-perfect spring day greeted the Isenberg School’s graduating seniors and their families at the UMass Amherst campus’s 138th undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 24th. During the event, the university awarded bachelor’s degrees to 4,000 candidates, 900 of them from the Isenberg School.

Following the ceremony, Isenberg School graduating seniors and their parents gathered in a spacious white tent outside the stadium for the school’s own celebration. Rather than viewing commencement day as an ending, graduates should consider it “a time of beginning, a day of beginning,” emphasized undergraduate dean and master of ceremonies Carol Barr, who introduced Isenberg School dean D. Anthony Butterfield to the students and their families.

“As President Wilson said, we don’t give degrees away; you’ve earned yours,” remarked Dean Butterfield. “Your Isenberg degree will open doors,” he continued. “And you will always be part of a special UMass and Isenberg School family. I urge you to stay connected with that family by returning to campus and supporting the school. Speak in our classes and host our students on site visits. You’ll find UMass alumni groups wherever you go.” Even, he added, in distant places like Athens, Greece, where several years ago he had attended a gathering of UMass alumni. “Our connection to UMass was our one common bond. It was a wonderful feeling,” he recalled.

Returning to the microphone, Dean Barr noted that earlier in the day at Undergraduate Commencement, three Isenberg School graduating seniors had received special campus-wide awards. Finance major Ryan Durkin ’08 and operations management major Brooke Naylor ’08 joined nine other honorees from around the campus as 21st Century Leaders. The award recognizes graduating seniors with exceptional records of achievement, initiative, and social awareness. A third Isenberg school senior, finance major Adam Ferrarini ’08, was one of two Jack Welch Scholars, a full-scholarship award created by the GE Foundation in honor of UMass alumnus and former GE Chairman Jack Welch ’57. The three honorees, observed Barr, came from a single Isenberg School department—Finance and Operations Management.

Next, Dean Barr presented the school’s own Senior Leadership award to 14 students for their exceptional leadership and service within the school. Nominated by the school’s faculty and staff and chosen by a committee within the school, the honorees included the following graduating seniors:

Commencement Slideshow:
The slideshow that was shown at commencement is now available online. Sections include photos of our students growing up, life at UMass and studying abroad.

click here to view with option to download PowerPoint, MPEG Movie, or MP3 Soundtrack

click here to view QuickTime Movie