- [Man] Ladies and gentlemen, the President of Michigan State University, Samuel L. Stanley, Jr.

(audience applauds) - Good afternoon, everyone.

On behalf of Michigan State University, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Fall 2019 Advanced Degree commencement ceremony.

As this is my first graduation as a member of the MSU community, I'm particularly honored to be a part of this celebration and to help recognize the hard work that so many Spartans have put into their education.

It is a particular privilege to help recognize and celebrate the achievements of our advanced degree recipients, as all of us in the MSU family take great pride in having helped prepare you to become leaders in your fields of endeavor and in your communities.

This is an occasion for great joy and satisfaction, but before we go any further, I invite our students, faculty, and guests to join in singing "The Star Spangled Banner", accompanied by the MSU Jazz Orchestra Two, under the direction of Associate Professor Michael Dease.

Our singing will be led by bachelor's degree student Sean Holland II.

The lyrics are on page nine of your program.

Upon conclusion of the singing, please remain standing for a moment of silence.

♪ Oh, say can you see ♪ ♪ By the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ What so proudly we hailed ♪ ♪ At the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ Through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the rocket's red glare ♪ ♪ The bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ Gave proof through the night ♪ ♪ That our flag was still there ♪ ♪ Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ O'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ And the home of the brave ♪ (audience applauds) - Thank you for remaining standing.

Advanced degree recipients, I'd like us to take just a moment now, silently, to allow for reflection and gratitude on the opportunities for growth you've enjoyed at MSU and the relationships you've formed.

I now invite Dr.

Stephen Hsu, Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation, to present this afternoon's candidates for the honorary degree.

- [Stephen] Dr.

Mooney, will you please come forward?

President Stanley, I have the honor to present Harold Mooney for awarding of the honorary degree, Doctor of Science.

(audience applauds) - You are a world-renowned ecologist and environmental scientist and your work has generated profound impacts on science and policies worldwide.

As the Paul S. and Billie Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology at Stanford University, your research has ranged from advances in the physiological ecology of plants to global environmental stability.

You have influenced generations of scientists and students around the world, including those at Michigan State University, in implementing an integrated approach that couples human and natural systems to enhance sustainability.

Your efforts have brought together scholars from around the world to examine some of the most pressing global sustainability challenges in the face of climate change and to provide clear recommendations for a path forward.

For your unwavering dedication to better understanding global environmental change, your leadership in the international scientific community, and your development of the next generation of environmental scientists, I am pleased to award you the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from Michigan State University.

(audience applauds) - Needless to say, I'm honored to receive this award.

You know, it's truly wonderful for me to be here.

I don't know how I haven't had an opportunity to come here because this is the place where it all began in many senses.

Ornithologist working here many years ago compiled data which motivated Rachel Carson to write her book, which motivated me and hundreds and thousands of others to follow her footsteps.

So it's just wonderful to be here.

But it's wonderful to be here for another reason.

Things are really happening here in a big way.

It's going to influence all of us and I think is serving a model for other universities.

As you know, we've made great progress in understanding the climate system.

Not its impact, but the climate system and how it's a global thing affecting everyone.

The atmosphere is mixing and exchanging.

And we know a little bit less what's happening on Earth in terms of the dynamics of global change to it.

We're making great progress in that area but some of the progress is actually coming right from here.

And that is, they say we know a lot about the global climate system, but what about the terrestrial system?

Can we think of the terrestrial system as a static thing?

We grow the tree and then the tree dies and another tree comes up.

But actually it's now part of a global system.

Crops grown here are sent somewhere else in the world.

The global system is quite big in terms of food and agriculture.

And it's not just one country, it's a whole system and that system is now being studied in depth here.

And the final thing I want to say, what's unique about this institution I think is the bringing together of the natural and social sciences to look at the problems we're facing.

So what I want to tell you all, you're very fortunate to be a graduate of this university.

You should be very proud.

Thank you very much.

(audience applauds) - [Stephen] Vice Chancellor Kupe, will you please join me?

President Stanley, I am pleased to present Vice Chancellor Tawana Kupe for awarding of the honorary degree, Doctor of Humanities.

(audience applauds) - You are a scholar and visionary educator.

You exemplify what it means to be a globally engaged citizen, serving local needs with a focus on the most pressing challenges we face across the world.

As vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Pretoria, one of the largest research universities in South Africa, you are a leader in providing quality education to more than 53,000 students.

You are a champion for the University of Pretoria's new Future Africa campus, where scholars from across the world will come together to leverage the benefits of transdisciplinary research to address the grand challenges that face Africa and the world, a goal of Michigan State University as well.

At your previous university, you served as the executive dean and led several new initiatives, including founding the Africa Center for the Study of the United States, a multidisciplinary center focusing on a rigorous analysis of the US as a nation and a society.

For your dedication to developing well-informed and professionally skilled people for a global society, I am pleased to award you the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities from Michigan State University.

(audience applauds) - A very good afternoon to everybody congregated this afternoon.

President Stanley, Chair President Board of Trustees Byrum, Interim Provost Sullivan, Senior Vice President Hsu, my fellow graduates, your families, friends, and partners.

I'd like to express my deep gratitude for this honor by this prestigious and leading institution that makes a difference to the lives of many.

I accept this honor on behalf of not just myself, but universities in Africa and the people of Africa.

My address today is entitled "Transforming the World "by Co-creating Knowledge Beyond Borders and Boundaries."

Today, the world faces a multiplicity of complex, interrelated, and complicated challenges.

These challenges include but are not limited to the climate emergency, unprecedented threats to environmental sustainability, political instability, gender-based violence, persistent poverty, growing inequality, unemployment, hunger and food insecurity, the burden of disease, water and energy shortages, insecurity in many parts of the world, and various forms of involuntary migration.

At the same time, there are significant developments in knowledge creation, as well as rapid and far reaching changes driven by unprecedented technological change, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which have the potential to radically transform the world for the better.

In this (mumbles) world, the use of artificial intelligence, data, robots, and intelligent and smart systems, the Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality, and much more is becoming ubiquitous across most if not all forms of human activity.

It appears nothing will be left untouched, from how we work and new forms of work, new ways of doing business, new ways in which the economy works, as well as a new economy.

Even the way we pursue leisure studies is being transformed.

The academy has not been spared the profound effects of these changes.

The ways we teach and what we teach, how students learn, and what we research, and the ways we do research are changing rapidly.

New knowledge can be applied to tackle these seemingly intractable local and global challenges.

We can take advantage of the opportunities provided by rapid technological change to create a better and more sustainable world Scientific breakthroughs and innovation are making a major difference, enabling progress in many areas of life.

But not nearly enough given the scale of the challenges the world faces.

We do face major constraints.

Boundaries and borders within and external to higher education cripple our abilities to use knowledge to transform the world into a prosperous, genuinely democratic, caring, just, equal, and equitable, and sustainable space for humanity and the environment.

Within the academy, these restrictive boundaries and borders are the organization of knowledge in distinct disciplines.

Disciplines have their value as foundational spaces in higher education.

The problem is that disciplines have become hard bound spaces instead of leaky porous avenues that enable critical thinking, critical inquiry, and the development of problem solving skills.

Another set of restrictive boundaries and borders exists between academic institutions within nations and across nations.

They blind us to the interconnectedness and commonality of our challenges.

To recognize our interconnectedness and commonality, we need to circulate knowledge as a common currency across institutions within nations and across the world.

It requires a dense network of co-creating knowledge and knowledge sharing institutions bound together by a common dedication to transforming the world.

The limited or one way movement of faculty and students across the globe constitutes another set of restrictive boundaries and borders.

A consequence is that from the nations of the Global South, we experience a brain drain to the Global North.

The brain drain is the loss of the best and the brightest to the Global North without prospect of return.

Some institutions in the Global North have study abroad programs that are only affordable to many more in the Global North than in the Global South.

Even then, that is on a global scale not that many.

There is also limited movement of faculty and students within both nations of the Global North and nations of the Global South.

This can send alienation between society and the academy, creates restrictive borders and boundaries that hinder the influence and impact of transformative knowledge.

Finally, inconvenient expensive border and immigration controls that many nations impose on each other are restrictive.

Border controls to enable orderly movement and security are legitimate, every nation needs them.

The problem is their blanket and indiscriminate application to faculty and students.

They hinder the intellectual interactions, engagements, and intersections necessary to co-create and share knowledge that could be used to change the world.

The solution is a global academic and student passport or a global academic visa accepted by all nations in the world.

This multiple restrictive borders and boundaries offend against the notion that knowledge, ideas, and university communities globally should be allowed, nay, enabled to flow freely, unhindered and unfettered.

We must free knowledge from these man-made shackles and gain the freedom to leverage it for social change and transformation.

One of the best ways to free knowledge is to break down the boundaries and pull down the hard bound disciplinary borders through multi, inter, and transdisciplinary approaches to knowledge creation.

A very obvious reason for adopting these approaches is that the multiplicity of current local and global challenges do not come neatly packaged so they can be understood and solved through disciplinary bound approaches.

They are messy, complex, complicated, and intersectional, and require innovative transdisciplinary approaches.

They require nothing less than the combined scale and critical mass of the global academy, working with society.

We can achieve scale and critical mass through alliances, collaborations, partnerships, and networks within the academy, beyond the academy, beyond national borders, and across continents.

Alliances, partnerships, collaborations, and networks will enable faculty and students to transcend institutional, national, and continental boundaries and borders.

Michigan State University, a successful transformative and leading land-grant university, is a leader in forging and creating alliances, partnerships, collaborations, and networks across oceans and continents, including with my continent Africa.

MSU has had a presence in Africa for at least 65 years.

MSU has contributed to creating the human capacity and institutions in Africa that produce knowledge to address local challenges that have a global resonance.

Today, Michigan State University hosts the African Alliance Partnership, made up of 10 African universities including the University of Pretoria, the university I lead.

One of the focuses of the alliance is sustainable agriculture and food security, one of the major African and global challenges of our time.

My university, the University of Pretoria, is on a journey to transform from an institution that is locally rooted but not sufficiently embracive of its continental and global dimensions.

We aspire to be the African Global University, locally responsive, continental in scope, globally engaged and interacting, to make a significant contribution to transforming Africa and the world.

University of Pretoria and MSU will expand and deepen our partnership and collaboration.

Building on our common educational and research strengths, we will engage in mutually beneficial joint research endeavors, develop academic programs, increase staff and student mobility, nurture a new generation of diverse faculty who can transcend borders and boundaries, to co-create impactful transformative knowledge.

Together we can and we will build a better sustainable world.

Let me end by warmly congratulating all graduates today.

I'm proud of you.

You have earned the higher degree, go forth, Spartans, to change the world.

Go green.

Thank you.

(audience applauds) - Thank you, Vice Chancellor Kupe, for your unwavering commitment to the transformative power of higher education and your willingness to do everything you can to bring it to bear.

We will now have the privilege of hearing special music by the MSU Jazz Orchestra Two, under the direction of Associate Professor Michael Dease.

They will perform "In A Mellow Tone", composed by Duke Ellington and arranged by Oliver Nelson.

- [Man] A one, two, three.

("In A Mellow Tone") One, two, three!

Crescendo.

Come on.

Loosen up, loosen up.

One, two, three!

Here we go.

One, two, three.

(audience applauds) - Thank you so much, Professor Dease.

The Honorable Dianne Byrum, Chairperson of the MSU Board of Trustees, will now greet graduates and guests.

After Trustee Byrum, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Teresa Sullivan will present members of the platform party.

- Thank you, President Stanley.

On behalf of the MSU Board of Trustees, I extend our warm welcome to the graduates, your family, and friends.

Under the Michigan Constitution, the Board of Trustees is the governing body of the University by whose authority the degrees are awarded.

As trustees, we see each commencement ceremony as a very memorable occasion and we appreciate the opportunity to share this special time with you.

The advanced degree affirms your academic and professional achievements.

You have engaged in important research to investigate vital issues and generate new knowledge.

With the granting of your degrees, you are joining a select group of people who possess the potential to become tomorrow's leaders.

We welcome you to the Spartan family with its tradition of excellence and commitment to making the world a better place.

Please accept our deepest congratulations.

(audience applauds) - Thank you, Trustee Byrum.

Next, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my colleagues who will not be coming to the microphone this afternoon.

Each of them fulfills important university roles and they join us this afternoon to celebrate our graduates' accomplishments.

I ask them to remain standing as their names are read.

And I ask the audience to please hold your applause until all are introduced.

Norman Beauchamp, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences.

John Gaboury, Associate Provost for Academic Services, Enrollment Services, and Academic Initiatives and Chairperson of the Commencement Committee.

Steven Hanson, Associate Provost and Dean for International Studies and Programs.

Denise Maybank, Vice President and Associate Provost for Student Affairs and Services.

Nick McLaren, Executive Director of the MSU Alumni Office.

Randolph Rasch, Dean of the College of Nursing.

Laurie Van Egeren, Interim Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement.

And Deborah Moriarty, Professor and Chairperson for Academic Governance, and the University Mace Bearer.

(audience applauds) I would like to invite all past and present members of the Council of Graduate Students to stand.

We honor executive board members, department representatives, and all COGS members.

Thank you for your contributions to the University and your fellow graduate students.

Please accept our appreciation.

(audience applauds) I ask Thomas Jeitschko, Dean of the Graduate School, to join me for announcement of the degree candidates and to direct the doctoral hooding ceremony.

- Will the candidates for the Doctoral degrees please stand.

I ask you to turn around and face the audience, and prepare to be hooded.

And at the conclusion of being hooded, please remain standing.

- Candidates, after you are hooded by your faculty, please remain standing for conferral of the degrees.

Now, will all faculty hooding and associate deans of the colleges please rise and proceed to hood your students.

- The academic attire, worn by students and faculty, was first used in 12th and 13th century Europe.

The current system in the United States was designed in 1895 and is used today in advanced degree ceremonies across the country.

The hoods being placed on the doctoral candidates are derived from the design of medieval monks' cloaks.

The three chevrons on the sleeve represent Doctor of Philosophy.

The light blue velvet on the front signifies Doctor of Education, the pink velvet on the front signifies Doctor of Musical Arts, and the apricot velvet on the front signifies Doctor of Nursing Practice.

The green and white chevrons on each hood represent Michigan State University.

The gown, the cap, and especially the hood represent both the responsibility and the freedom that accompany the achievements in research and scholarship these candidates have earned through years of hard work.

This ceremony of hooding doctoral candidates symbolizes the faculty welcoming these students as our full-fledged colleagues.

You may read more about academic attire on page 11 of the commencement booklet.

- Would the candidates please face the stage?

I ask the Trustees to stand and join me in the conferral of the degrees.

By authority of the State of Michigan, vested in the Board of Trustees and delegated to me, I confer upon you the degrees for which you have been recommended with all the rights and distinctions to which they entitle you.

Congratulation, graduates.

(audience applauds) You may be seated.

- The associate deans of the colleges will now lead their graduates to the platform.

All members of the graduating class are part of the Spartan family.

We ask the audience to respect the desire of all family and friends to be able to hear their graduate's name.

Graduates, please return to your seats after your name is read, the token diploma presented, and photos taken.

Jody Knol and Scott Pohl will read names of graduates as they receive their diplomas.

- [Scott] From the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Braeden Scott Van Deynze.

Alison Hadley Nord.

Paul Joseph Collins.

Nurul Hawa Ahmad.

Enhong Liu.

Justin Lee DeKuiper.

Shiteng Hudell.

Zachary David Hansmann.

Feng Gao.

Talesha Dokes.

Tutilo Mudumba.

Erica Crows.

Prekash Kumar Ja.

Shakara Sharlette Tyler.

Cynthia Balthazar.

From the College of Arts and Letters, Sarah Margaret Panuska.

Youjin Kong.

Aidan Michael Sprague-Rice.

From the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Joshua Charles Nelson.

Meisam Khalil Arjmandi.

From the College of Education, Joseph T. Warning.

Haixia Liu.

Roberto Rene Casarez.

Rachel Allison Marias Diesendorf.

John Albert Vasquez.

Chastity Dawn Gaither.

(audience applauds) From the College of Engineering, Joshua Phillip Drost.

Mansour Turki M. Alturki.

Charifa Ali Hejase Bazzi.

(audience applauds) Senghun Sheng.

Farshid Felfelani.

Ahmad Fudy Alforidi.

William Robert Jensen.

Jason Neil Greenberg.

Zoe Jang.

Tamdan Li.

Luan Quoc Tran.

Proteek Chandan Roy.

Andrew Michael Hess.

Dezhi Feng.

Saranraj Karuppuswami.

Mingmin Wang.

Anand Chandrasekhar.

Alireza Safaripour.

Hussam Hikmat Jabbar.

Saad Mohammed Jalil.

Allan Ray Taylor Jr.

Ameer Hussein Janabi.

From the College of Human Medicine, Diana K. Haggerty.

From the College of Music, Damon H. Dandridge.

(audience applauds) Yu Han.

Hong Hong.

John Alexander Smith.

From the College of Natural Science, Matthew Theodore Lewis.

Heather Marie Blankenship.

(audience applauds) Andrew Bruce Cudd.

Benjamin Thomas Loseth.

Peter Zhi.

Gizem Kurt.

Brandon Rohnke.

Bryan J. Leong.

Jingcheng Huang.

Isaac Osei-Bonsu.

(audience applauds) Jorge Emiliano Deustua.

Barrack Perez Stubbs.

Ke Ma.

(audience applauds) Gabrielle Elise Joroshova.

Benjamin Appiagyei.

Bruce Wenzel.

From the College of Nursing, Lisa Ruth Binns-Emerick.

Cynthia Lee McNerlin.

From the College of Social Science, Alicia Yunquan.

Adam Michael Farero.

April Nicole Frake.

Katherine Ann Cloutier.

Rome Darwin Meeks.

(audience applauds) Michelle Elizabeth Stepan.

Yi Ting Chua.

Jingtai Liu.

Sister Miriam MacLean.

Evangelina Palma-Ramirez.

- Will all the doctoral recipients please rise?

Please join me in congratulating these degree recipients.

(audience applauds) You may be seated.

Deans will now present candidates for the Master's Degrees.

(audience applauds) Dean Ronald Hendrick, from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

- Will candidates for the Master of Arts and Master of Science from Michigan State University's founding college, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, please stand and remain standing?

(audience applauds) Interim Provost Sullivan, President Stanley, Honorable Trustee Byrum, on behalf of the faculty and staff of the College, I am pleased to present these candidates for the conferral of their degrees.

- [Teresa] Dean Christopher Long from the College of Arts and Letters.

- Will the amazing candidates for the Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the College of Arts and Letters please rise and remain standing?

(audience applauds) Provost Sullivan, President Stanley, Honorable Trustee Byrum, on behalf of the intrepid defenders of the liberal arts and the College of Arts and Letters, please accept these candidates for the conferral of their degrees.

(audience applauds) - Dean Sanjay Gupta from the Eli Broad College of Business.

(audience applauds) - Will the outstanding candidates from the one and only Eli Broad College of Business please rise and remain standing?

(audience applauds) Honorable Trustee Byrum, President Stanley, Provost Sullivan, on behalf of the Broad College faculty and staff, it is my distinct pleasure to present these candidates for the conferral of their degrees.

(audience applauds) - Associate Dean Eric Hunter from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Oh.

Wrong dean.

- Will the candidates from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences please stand?

(audience applauds) Provost Sullivan, President Stanley, Honorable Trustee, on behalf of the faculty and staff of our College, I have the distinct pleasure of presenting these candidates for the conferral of their degrees.

(audience applauds) - Thank you, Dean Prabu David.

Dean Robert Floden from the College of Education.

(audience applauds) - Yes.

Will the master's degree candidates from the College of Education with the most highly ranked graduate programs please stand and remain standing?

(audience applauds) Provost Sullivan, President Stanley, Trustee Byrum, on behalf of the faculty and staff from the College of Education, I present these candidates to you for the conferral of their degrees.

(audience applauds) - Dean Leo Kempel from the College of Engineering.

- Would the innovators of tomorrow in the College of Engineering please rise?

(audience applauds) All 11 of 'em.

Trustee Byrum, President Stanley, Provost Sullivan, on behalf of the faculty and staff of the College of Engineering, it's my great pleasure to present these candidates for the conferral of their degrees.

(audience applauds) - Interim Dean Aron Sousa from the College of Human Medicine.

- Will the candidates for the Masters in Public Health, Master of Science, and Master of Arts degrees from the College of Human Medicine please stand and remain standing?

(audience applauds) Trustee Byrum, President Stanley, Provost Sullivan, Executive Vice President Beauchamp, on behalf of the faculty of the College of Human Medicine, I'm proud to present these students for the conferral of their degree.

(audience applauds) - Dean James Forger from the College of Music.

- Will the tremendous and tuneful candidates from the College of Music please rise?

President Stanley, Provost Sullivan, on behalf of my colleagues, I'm delighted to present these candidates from the College of Music who have fulfilled all the requirements for their various degrees.

(audience applauds) - Dean Phillip Duxbury from the College of Natural Science.

- Would the science innovators of today and tomorrow from the College of Natural Science please stand?

(audience applauds) Provost Sullivan, President Stanley, Trustee Byrum, it's a great pleasure on behalf of the faculty and staff of the College of Natural Science to present these candidates.

(audience applauds) - Dean Andrea Amalfitano from the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

- Hello, everyone.

Will the candidates from the College of Osteopathic Medicine please rise?

(audience applauds) President Stanley, Trustee Byrum, Provost Sullivan, I present these candidates for award of their degrees from the faculty, staff, and over 7,000 alumni from the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

(audience applauds) - [Teresa] Dean Rachel Croson from the College of Social Science.

- Will the candidates for the master's degree in Social Science please rise and remain standing?

(audience applauds) Trustee Byrum, President Stanley, Provost Sullivan, on behalf of the largest college at Michigan State with over 50,000 alumni, I am delighted to present these candidates for the conferral of their degrees.

(audience applauds) - [Teresa] Associate Dean Srinand Sreevatsan from the College of Veterinary Medicine.

- Would the Masters of Science candidates for Food Safety please stand and keep standing?

(audience applauds) These are the protectors of our food safety for today and tomorrow.

Provost Sullivan, President Stanley, I request you to confer their degrees on behalf of the Michigan State University.

(audience applauds) - I once again ask Trustee Byrum to join me.

By authority of the State of Michigan, vested in the Board of Trustees and delegated to me, I confer upon you the degrees for which you have qualified with all the rights and distinctions to which they entitle you.

As a symbol of your achievement, it is traditional to move the tassel from the right side of your cap to the left.

You may do it at this time.

Congratulations to each and every one of you.

(audience applauds) Degree recipients, you may be seated.

- [Teresa] Now, we ask the associate deans to escort you to the platform to be recognized individually.

We ask that all Master's Degree recipients return to your seats following presentation of your diploma.

Please remain seated until all recipients have been recognized.

And, again, we ask the audience to be considerate in applauding, so that each graduate's name is heard.

- From the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Liana Marie Guerra Kenney.

Vanessa Alaine Lewis.

(audience applauds) Allison Ayn Sink.

Carolyn Ruth Sachs.

Ahmed Farouk Issawi.

Nicholas Gregory Love.

Anthony Ladell McCray.

(audience applauds) Holly Rae Wolniakowski.

(audience applauds) Daman Vyas Nallamothu.

Elaine Blanco-Carrillo.

Miranda Haley Susick.

Emma Marie Weber.

Lauren Ann Hagerman.

Megan Patricia Rice.

Renee Catania.

Venetia Marie Gonzales.

Whitney Anne McDonald.

Samantha Marie Bowers.

Erica Marie Zentner.

Samantha Lorraine Schmitt Troutman.

Maxwell Paul Chappuis.

John Cucci.

(audience applauds) Malorie Rose Kersten Zimmerman.

Kayla Renae Collins.

(audience applauds) Joshua Butler.

(audience applauds) Sydney Lynn Cafcalas.

Mina Christine Hami.

Samantha Jo Dine.

Xing Ao.

Jason David Spencer.

(audience applauds) From the College of Social Science, Amanda Sue Cook.

Michael David Fry.

Evan Reed Schwarzbach.

(audience applauds) Jan Taube-Quispe.

(audience applauds) Amber Jean Lilly.

Jill Marie Connin.

Laurie Ann Miller.

Stephanie Rachelle Black.

Jenee Monique Douglas.

(audience applauds) Jennifer Gerena.

Brandon Michael Sowards.

Matthew Alan Thom.

Madison Mae Stratton.

(audience applauds) Cody Richard Richfield.

David Thomas Power.

Kelly Anne Stowe.

Lauren Ashley Collier.

Roy Edgar Webber IV.

Hannah Ashley Grove.

(audience applauds) James Thomas Hensley.

(audience applauds) Yijing Shao.

Emily Ann McLogan.

(audience applauds) Bret Matthew Mollon.

Elizabeth Lauren Bezerko.

Adam Gardner Underwood.

(audience applauds) Nicholas James Quinn.

Elena Jean Cangelosi.

From the Eli Broad College of Business, Daniel W. Doubblestien Jr.

Beau Robert-Douglas Lee.

Christopher A. Fisher.

Shannon Otakie Bray.

(audience applauds) Isabel Medellin.

Brian W. Larsen.

(audience applauds) Christopher Jeffery Silagy.

David L. Hunt.

Robert Corey Andrews.

(audience applauds) Cole Randall Chewins.

Arthur J. Makarewicz Jr.

Jose Humberto Ortiz Rodriguez.

Samuel Omane.

Sumesh Menon.

Jose Carbajal.

Angela Kay Westfield.

Lorri Lynn Lewis.

John F. Tramontana.

Marybeth Langin.

Steven P. Medema.

Cathleen M. Mundt.

Tae Young Park.

Sungchul Ko.

Jae Sang Lee.

Jongsun Lee.

Zachary A. Adams.

(audience applauds) Chase Collier Kloka.

Andrew Feil.

Erica Catherine McBride-Rapp.

(audience applauds) Gabriela Fonseca Castellanos.

Kristen Lynne Miro.

Jennifer Chu.

John Laurence Kody.

(audience applauds) Kyle Brett Melnick.

Jacob Smith.

Trevor Grant Bocian.

Taylor Elizabeth Hunt.

Hannah Theresia Cameron.

Ceara Celena Glenn.

Margaret Marie Stumpfig.

Kathryn Carol Pauli.

Nicholas Anthony Potestivo.

Theodore Cody Gage.

Gideon Michael Lowe.

Protsahan Pradhan.

Julie C. Danenhauer.

Matthew Schmidt.

James D. Vient.

Ashlea Boerger.

(audience applauds) Luke Benjamin Ansorge.

Megan Lynn Smith.

Matthew Malaney.

Zixuan Liu.

Kwon Sang Lee.

Eun Hee Choi.

Sejin Yoon.

Chujun Ji.

Xinyi Liu.

Dishant Kothia.

Junyi Chen.

Phillip Duc-Tai Dinh.

Marcus Ealy Brooks.

(audience applauds) Philip Jacobs.

Tatiane Pauletti.

(audience applauds) Bailey Amanda Tamplen.

Kimberly Denise Price.

Alfonso Rodriguez.

Gregory Vincent Ortega.

Kimmie K. Johnson.

Jacquelyn McKay.

(audience applauds) Reginald Leon Green.

Bryan H. Lovett IV.

Neha Pradeep Katdare.

Neil Arturo Lloyd.

(audience applauds) Andrew Daniel Corn.

Sarah Ann Sims.

Adriane White.

Ian Drake Otto.

Ashley Elizabeth Bonser.

Savana J. Cooney.

Jeremy Austin Barrows.

(audience applauds) Megan Siobhan McNamara.

James Yen.

Samantha Therese DeNicolo.

(audience applauds) Shayla Isabelle Soto.

(audience applauds) Henry Richard Lain.

Kenneth James Leftwich II.

(audience applauds) Armon M. Shahpar.

Ryan Christopher Simmons.

Adam H. Maxwell.

Todd Eugene Shattuck.

Brian Patrick Zirbes.

Brett A. Bansale.

(audience applauds) Soncea Braden-McCann.

Tara Shirakh.

Olivia Margaret Al-Eisa.

Hillary Joy Hovinga.

Leonie Ann Marie Barrett.

Laura Anne Glass.

Susan Frances Emerick.

Bobbie Lee Rathjens.

Alec James Przybocki.

David Barton LaBelle.

Rachel Sydney Goldberg.

Erin Leigh Brogan.

Elizabeth Herrington O'Connell.

Elizabeth, I'm sorry.

Emily Rose Chaben.

Mackenzie Erin O'Brian.

Cody John Kline.

Kristi Martin Maupin.

Tori Erin Bright.

Jennifer Lee Gerlach.

Katherine Emge Caldwell.

Claire Elise McIntyre.

Brian Ayoub.

Megan Arthur.

Schyler Cassidy Selander.

Jacob Glenn Hartbarger.

Zhongyuan Yi.

Ting Ko.

Dingying Zhao.

Jiaxin Dai.

Linzhi Zou.

Dina Abdelmageed.

(audience applauds) Haokun Xia.

Qingyao Li.

Mofei Li.

Yingxuan Wang.

Hannah Rae Kasali.

Ella Singh.

Rebecca Leah Cohen.

From the College of Music, Bradley Thomas Saniga.

Bonnie Bekersky.

Kara Kathleen Davis.

Emily Ann Verdonk.

Jennifer Christine Seiler.

Ray Vizcarra.

Jessica Lynn Glaser.

(audience applauds) Amy Lynn Sierzega.

Ashley Lynn Jeffries.

(audience applauds) From the College of Veterinary Medicine, Briana Rachelle Burke.

Heather Elaine Dover.

Christopher Oke.

Riley Nicole Cronk.

(audience applauds) Khadija Omri.

Juan Olea.

From the College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nicholas Paul Kaplewski.

Maria Rahim.

Chloe Lyn Van Time.

Storm Julien Shriver.

(audience applauds) From the College of Human Medicine, Kristen Marie Dale.

Vanessa Lynn Burnett.

From the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lindsey Rose Krempa.

Lauren Christine Gable.

Maria Rose Rising.

Julia Opgenorth.

McKenzie Michelle Hatta.

Kristin Nichole Nelson.

Jacob George Foote.

(audience applauds) Alexa Rae Ross.

(audience applauds) Hannah Claire Stowers.

Nicole Olivia Thompson.

(audience applauds) Nathaniel Thomas Yost.

Michael A. Piombino IV.

Sara E. Getson.

Kexin Zeng.

Xintong Ye.

From the College of Engineering, Joseph Daniel Whaley.

Dane Joseph Johansen.

Alisha Rose Jacob.

Patrick Thomas O'Hara.

Stacey Marie Hannula.

Christine Michelle Chierico.

Courtney Elizabeth Irwin.

Cori Christine Tymoszek.

Akshay Murali.

Darshan Dhimant Thakkar.

Nicholas Earl Gizinski.

(audience applauds) Naveena Shanmugam.

From the College of Natural Science, Bailey Hannah.

(audience applauds) Erin Nicole Arnst.

(audience applauds) Kathryn Elizabeth Sanborn.

Irving Jesus Salinas.

Tara Lynn Bristow.

Alexander B. Carls.

Ding Xu.

(audience applauds) Gadea Ortiz-Aldana.

Eric Andrew Suprinski.

Twymun Keith Safford.

(audience applauds) From the College of Education, Ali Rebecca Peterson.

Brandon Robert Schmitt.

Collin John Case.

(audience applauds) Kathryn Virginia-Tuthill Numbers.

Sarah Marie Musson.

Katherine Mariada Grenan.

Alexandra Christine Woolf.

Claire Catherine McHugh.

Alexis Monique Lambdin.

Katherine Marie Edmundson.

Jennifer Elise Kuntz.

Maggie Marie Pilath.

(audience applauds) Zachary Thomas Adams.

Christina Marie Peklo.

Claire Johansen.

Rachel Roettger Cammuse.

(audience applauds) Brittany Ann Fetner.

(audience applauds) Shannon Marie Lutz.

Nicole Marie Ragnoni.

Taylor Nicole White.

Danielle Marie Harris.

(audience applauds) Nicholas Gregory Tereck.

Abigail Estelle Straszheim.

Kenna Lynn Battle.

David James Dowell.

Nicolas Elizabeth Gloden.

Nicole Elizabeth Gloden.

Sara Kay Proctor.

Dezirae Suzanne Roberts.

Madison Elaine Davitt.

Maria Megan Elizabeth Sutara.

Ashley Marie Chamberlain.

Katherine Elizabeth Hicks.

(audience applauds) Cheyenne Eliza Dorsey Peters.

(audience applauds) Sarah Elizabeth Hundt.

Christine Marie Houle.

(audience applauds) Heather Marie Daris.

Steven D. Thayer.

(audience applauds) Christina Alexandra Sauchak.

Lauren Blakely.

Nicole Marie Lodewyk.

Cassandra H. Trawitz.

Alaura Nicole Kane.

Kevin Anthony Trotta.

James Eggleston Kerr.

Zachary William VanSickle.

Chelsea Elizabeth Abbott.

Bailey Allison Tripp.

And Patrick Holmes Greeley.

(audience applauds) - So will the Master graduates please rise?

I just want to welcome you to the community of scholars.

Please join me in congratulating all of our Master degree recipients.

(audience applauds) You may be seated.

May your MSU degree lead to a future filled with outstanding personal and professional achievements.

A great University and a world-class education are the result of the efforts of many dedicated people.

The contributions of the faculty to Michigan State University are essential to the achievements of our graduates and are a source of great pride to us.

I ask the faculty to rise and accept our congratulations and gratitude.

Faculty, would you please rise?

(audience applauds) Thank you, you may be seated.

And, now, will the family and friends of our graduates, who have contributed their love, understanding, and support, please rise if you're able and accept our appreciation.

(audience applauds) You have played a key role in making today happen and again, we congratulate and thank you.

You may be seated.

Graduation is a joyful milestone for students and the families and friends who support them.

It's also a moving occasion for those of us who went before you, especially those who have had the privilege of guiding you.

It's immensely satisfying to look out upon this group and see the faces of the next generation of educators and mentors, scientists and problem-solvers, contributors and creators, lifelong learners, and leaders.

I talked earlier about the qualities one needs to successfully pursue a graduate degree, including determination.

Your resolve to see it through may have been tested, but here we are, you made it.

Congratulations, and well done.

Thank you.

(audience applauds) But before we part, I want to point out your graduate education has demanded the development of other important qualities.

Those attributes include imagination, originality, and critical thought.

Together with all the other knowledge, skills, and perspectives you've acquired, I hope these qualities continue to be among the assets you bring to bear every day in your work and in your lives.

I now invite you to join in singing the first stanza of the Alma Mater, "MSU Shadows," on page nine of your program.

Mr.

Holland will lead us in the singing.

Following the singing, we ask guests to remain seated until the recessional of the platform party, faculty, and students is complete.

- [Man] One, two.

(grand music) ♪ MSU, we love thy shadows ♪ ♪ When twilight silence falls ♪ ♪ Flushing deep and softly paling ♪ ♪ O'er ivy covered halls ♪ ♪ Beneath the pines we'll gather ♪ ♪ To give our faith so true ♪ ♪ Sing our love for Alma Mater ♪ ♪ And thy praises, MSU ♪ - [Man] One, two, one!

(upbeat music) (audience applauds) One, two.

A one and a two, a one, two, three, four.

(upbeat music) Come on.