(Music Playing) Thank you.

Please be seated.

Good afternoon.

On behalf of Michigan State University, welcome to the spring 2025 doctoral degree commencement ceremony.

For those joining us on live stream.

Greetings.

Today, we recognize the scholarship and dedication of our doctoral degree candidates and celebrate their achievements.

And we happen to do so on the year marking the 100th anniversary of Michigan State's first doctoral graduate, a student in botany that deserves a round of applause.

We are proud to have supported generations of doctoral students who have brought such great intellectual energy and talent to Michigan State, and we know we are a stronge and more innovative institution thanks to their commitment to excellence.

Graduates I've had the pleasure of meeting many of you over the last year, including over pancakes.

A few weeks ago as we celebrated graduate and professional Students Appreciation Week, I can tell that you are continuing our legacy of graduating passionate and dedicated scholars.

You have added the diversity of your unique backgrounds to the University's educational community, as well as your scholarship.

Among this assembled group, you range in age from 24 to 57 and represent 35 countries.

12 of you are military veterans and we thank you for your service.

Graduates, yo have already made a difference.

During your doctoral studies, I've been privileged to wor with and mentor many outstanding graduate students myself, and I can attest to your importance to my success and that of a proud public research universit like Michigan State University.

You have stepped beyond your roles of students to assume leadership in classrooms, laboratories, and in the spheres of your academic disciplines.

You support our research enterprise, and faculty mentors by applying your perspectives to uncovering, analyzing, and presenting new information.

As one of the world's great research and land grant universities.

It's in Michigan State's DNA t marshal Cutting-Edge knowledge and innovation to addres society's greatest challenges.

And as emerging knowledge leaders, you are the next generation of thinkers and doers fit to grapple with those challenges.

We are counting on you to not only contribute to solvin the grand challenges of today, but identifying and developing ways to solve the grand challenges of tomorrow.

Graduates thank you for your partnership in fulfilling this passionatel public university's commitment to creating knowledge and transforming lives.

Today, one chapter in your life journey story might be closing, but another exciting chapter opens with new possibilities in an unfolding future.

I'm confiden your MSU degrees will serve you well as you pursue your careers, whether in academia, industry or government.

And now we ask our guests to join students and faculty in singing one stanza of the Star-Spangled banner, performed by the MSU Wind Symphony under the direction of Professor Doctor David Thornton from the College of Music.

The singing will be led by Amira Coleman, a doctoral student in music performance.

Will you please rise as you are able upon conclusion of the singing, please remain standing.

Amira.

O say can you see by the dawns early light What so proudly we haild at the twilights last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight Oer the ramparts we watchd were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets red glare the bomb bursting in air Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave Oer the land of the free and the home of the brave Thank you Amira.

And as you remain standing, I ask interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Doctor Thomas Jeitschko.

Please join me at the lectern.

On this joyful occasion, let us also briefly acknowledge the fellow students you have lost along your journey to reach this moment.

Those scholars are forever part of our Spartan family.

So let us pause here for a moment of silence and remembrance.

Thank you.

Please be seated.

Interim Provost Jeitschko will now present this afternoon's candidate for the awarding of their honorary degree.

Mr. Spaniolo, please come forward.

President Guskiewicz I have the honor to present Mr. James Spaniolo for awarding of the honorary degree.

Doctorate of Education.

You are a highly accomplished leader who has dedicate your career to public service, including transforming highe education as well as advancing the worlds of law, journalism and philanthropy.

During your tenure as dea of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, new centers were established.

Interdisciplinary programs were expanded, and alumni and donors were energized.

In your nine years as president of UT Arlington, you led the campaign to become a major research university while building campus pride and establishing strong external partnerships.

Under your leadership, UT Arlington substantially increased research expenditures, enrollment, and philanthropy while fostering an inclusive culture.

You have also been the recipient of numerous esteemed accolades and awards, recognizing your commitment to excellence and public service.

In recognition of your exceptional leadership, contribution to higher education, dedication to community service, and immeasurable impact, I am pleased to award you an Honorary Doctor of Educatio from Michigan State University.

Thank you so much.

President Guskiewicz, today's commencement is a joyous occasion, and I'm delighted to be a part of it.

A time to confer that covete doctoral degree in recognition of your achievements and a time of gratitude for all those who helped make it possible.

Remember this day, May 2nd, 2025.

Savor the moment, but also preserve the memory of all that was required of you to get here.

Dedication, hard work, perseverance.

And that can do spirit.

We can finish that degree.

You'll need all of these things and more in the years ahead.

You'll need more because there will always be a next.

Sometimes expected, sometimes unexpected.

You need to be prepared for both.

Before I graduated from law school a few years ago, actually, it was 50.

I wa completely focused on graduating and finding a position with a with a law firm.

And once that was accomplished, I thought it was over.

I'd done it.

But then I realized there was another next.

Passing the bar exam.

And without passing the bar exam, there might be no job.

And if there were no job, my life might have taken a very different turn.

Thankfully, I passed.

Now this was my real world reminder that there will always be a next.

So in that same spirit.

So.

So what's next for you?

What's the highest and the best use of your doctoral degrees for you personally, professionally, for your family, your community, and even your country?

How can you make a difference in the world around you?

No, obviously there are many answers, as many answers to that as there are these questions, as there are individual graduates here today awaiting the formal award of your degrees.

So here's my advice.

Three simple words.

Be a light.

No, that's easy to say.

But what does it mean?

Well, Grammy Award nominated Thomas Rhett in his record song, puts it this way.

In a world full of hate.

Be a light in a time of war.

Be peace in a time of doubt.

Just believe.

Now the Bible puts it a little differently.

Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket.

Your light must shine before others.

So in other words, knowledge, wisdom, faith are meant to be shared.

As scholars, you have a prized possession.

The light of learning, which can be used to illuminate problems and find solutions.

By sharing your knowledge, your wisdom and belief in the greater good of possibilities, you can turn what's next into an inspiration for our next generations.

Being a light is not abou shining bright about yourself.

It's shining for others.

It's about offerin your knowledge and heart to help those who are struggling, and about being a beacon of hope.

When the world seems dark or dangerous.

Now let me give you a personal illustration.

It was 1970.

I was a recent MSU graduate just returning from Army Reserve training.

It was during the end of the Vietnam War.

I thought politics was my future.

Then, by chance, thanks to an MSU professor, I interviewed for a position with MSU's then new 43 year old president, Doctor Clifton R Wharton.

Jr. the first blac to become president of a major public university in the U.S. he offered me a job as a junior assistant, and I said in about 10 seconds, yes.

And even though I didn't know it at the time.

The two and a half that two and a half years experience changed my career and my life.

Docto Wharton was my boss and teacher, my mentor and role model.

He also became a treasured friend.

Honestly, I would not be here speaking to you today without the lessons learned.

The wise counsel and sterling example of the man who inspired and encouraged me to consider being a university president.

He was a light for me that burned for more than 50 years.

Mentoring can be your light to.

There is no one size that fits all.

Each relationship is uniquely suited to individual's circumstances.

In the time of career and life.

Mentorship can't be forced or preordained.

They are create and sustained by mutual respect, common values, and a commitment of time and effort.

Most important, a mentor needs to be consistent, candid, caring, and encouraging.

The impact of a mentoring relationship can be life changing, such as the case was with me, with with Doctor Wharton.

A mentor can be a counselor and confidant, such as the professors here today who has successfully guided all of you.

So many aspiring students through their doctoral programs and beyond.

So I just want to say thank you, faculty, for what you've done to lead these students to where they are today.

And finally a mentor can be life affirming, especially during turbulent times.

And I believe that we are living in one of those times right now.

The truth is that we all need mentoring at some point in our careers.

So let me offer you a little mentoring briefly right now in this pivotal moment.

We are currently experiencing a turbulent storm where the very best institutions of learning, art, history, and justice are faced with unprecedented uncertainty.

Our entire universe, it seems, is cluttered with disinformation and misinformation.

What can we believe?

What can we do?

What do we know?

Your scientific research, teaching, expositor scholarship, and artistic works the very stuff that helps us more deeply understand the human conditio are absolutely essential today.

Now more than ever, we need your best and brightest efforts.

So be steadfast and stay the course.

Pursue knowledge wherever it leads.

Listen carefully, but willing to speak boldly.

Be a champion for justice with an unyielding dedication to the truth.

Be strongly but humbly.

Courageous.

Our world needs you to be a light that Spartans will always be.

The next thing to do.

Congratulations.

Godspeed and go green.

Thank you, Doctor Spaniolo for sharin your experiences, your wisdom.

for, for being that light and for always, waving your your Spartan fla proudly for over 50 years now.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We will now have the privilege of hearing, special music by the MSU Wind Symphony under the direction of Doctor David Thornton.

The selection is fantasy on MSU songs composed by James Kernow.

(Music Playing) Thank you, Doctor Thornton.

That was fantastic.

I would now like to introduce the Honorable Kelly Tebay, chair of the MSU Board of Trustees.

And after trustee Tebay interim provost and executive vice president Thomas Jeitschko go will present members of the platform party.

Thank you, president Guskiewicz.

On behalf of the MSU Board of Trustees, I would like to welcome our graduates and their family and friends who join us today under the Michigan Constitution, the Board of Trustees is the governing body by whos authority degrees are awarded.

We take great pride in sharing the exciting milestone with you all.

Graduate.

Today's ceremony represents the culminatio of your academic achievements.

The degree that you have earned acknowledges your success, and it honors those who have encouraged and supported you in so many ways.

Our wish is that you use your knowledge and understandin to improve the quality of life for your community and to advance the common good.

Our faculty, administrators trustees are all proud of you.

Thank you for allowing u to share this very special time with you.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Trustee Tebay.

I join you and President Scott Woodson congratulating our newest doctoral degree recipients.

Graduates, each of you embodies a unique confluence of new knowledge.

The discoveries you have made and the new capabilities you now possess are represented in your curiosity and in your drive to innovate, to express, to discover and to perform.

These scholarly achievements culminate today in the conferral of a degree, along with the conferral of our great faith, our hope, and our pride in what you will now do as the result of these achievements.

Indeed, as we send you forth, we are counting on you to become the thought leaders and the innovators and the doers of the 21st century.

I would now like to take a moment to acknowledge our outstanding faculty and academic staff who are here to celebrate with our graduates.

We are honored t welcome the university leaders who are seated on the platform but will not be speaking today.

In their many and varied roles, they provide support across our academic mission and are deeply invested in ensuring academic excellence and student success.

At Michigan State University.

Colleagues, please remai standing as you are introduced and members of the audience.

Please hold your applause until all are introduced.

Interim Dean Matthew Daum from the College of Agriculture on Natural Resources.

Interim Dean Yen-Hwei Lin from the College of Arts and Letters, Dean David Souder from the Eli Broad College of Business, Dean Heidi Hennink-Kaminski from the College of Communications, Arts and Sciences.

Dean Orlando Jackson from the College of Education.

Interim dean John Papapolymerou from the College of Engineering.

Dean Aron Sousa from the College of Human Medicine.

Dean James Forger from the College of Music.

Dean Eric Hegg from the College of Natural Science.

Dean Leigh Small from the College of Nursing.

Dean Brent Donnellan from the College of Social Science.

Associate Dean James Luyendyk from the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Titus Awokuse, vice provost and dean of international studies and Programs.

Rebecca Barber, vice president for financial planning and analysis.

Stefan Fletcher, secretary and chief of staff to the board of trustees.

Douglas Gage, vice president for research and innovation.

Ashley Green, offic of the Provost, chief of staff.

Mark Largent, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education.

Neil Romanosky, Dean of Libraries.

Allyn Shaw, assistant vice president and co-lead of student affairs Dave Weatherspoon, vice provost of enrollmen and academic strategic planning.

Mike Syke, office of the president, chief of staff.

And Angela Wilson, associate dean and chairperson of the Facult Senate, MSU Academic Governance and the University mace bearer.

Lastly, I would like to thank our sign language interpreter, Catsien Mers, our live captioner, Miss Sheri Benson and our teleprompte technician, Doreen Arestchetski.

Thank you.

I now invite all past and present members of the Counci of Graduate Students to stand.

We honor Executive board members, department representatives, and all cogs members.

Thank you for all your support of the University and your fellow graduate students.

And please accept our appreciation for your contributions.

I now invite Pero Dagbovie, vice provost for graduate and postdoctoral studies and dean of the graduate School, to join me for the announcement of the degree candidates and to direct doctoral hooding.

Will the candidates fo the doctoral degrees please rise as you are able?

President Guskiewic and Interim Provost Jeitschko, on behalf of the faculty in their respective colleges, I present these candidates to you for the conferral of their degrees.

I invite trustee tbey to join me in conferral of the degrees.

By authorit 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.

Congratulations, graduates.

Congratulations.

You may be seated.

Graduates will now be individually hooded by their faculty member.

The solemn ceremony and the moment of hooding represent a transition to the company of the learned society of one' discipline and field of study.

The momen of the hooding by one's academic mentor is the culmination of years of study, and the welcome by your mentor into a new role, that of an intellectual colleague.

As such, this tradition and our academic rituals are imbued with great reverence and solemnity.

I invite everyone who witnesse the recordings to think deeply about the candidates as the approach the stage, are hooded and turn to walk forward.

Think of the individual scholar and how great universities like MSU foster the circumstances and culture for academic advancement and excellence.

I thank our doctoral students for their contributions as MSU scholars, and congratulate them on the conferral of their doctoral hood.

All members of this graduating clas 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 graduates name.

Graduates, please return to your seats after you are introduced.

Your token diploma is presented and photos are taken.

Jody Knol and Scott Pohl will announce the names of the graduate as they receive their diplomas.

I now ask the Associat Deans of the colleges to please lead their graduates to the platform.

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

The current syste in the United States of America 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 fron signifies Doctor of Musical Arts and the apricot velvet on the front signifie the Doctor of Nursing practice.

The green and whit chevrons on each hood represent our cherished and beloved 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 that these candidates have earned through years of hard work.

The ceremony of hoodin doctoral candidates symbolizes the faculty welcoming these student as our full fledged colleagues.

(Conferral of Doctoral Degrees, Reading Graduate Names) All right.

Anybody having fun yet?

Okay.

Will all doctoral degree recipients please rise as you are able?

I welcome you to our community of scholars, MSU alums.

Everyone, please join me in congratulating these doctoral degree recipients.

You may be seated.

We're almost finished.

Graduates, there are many who celebrate with you.

People who have been with you throughout your academic journey, who rooted for you and perhaps helped you, helped you to cross the finish line.

They might be parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, grandparents or friends.

So let's take an opportunity to show our appreciation to all the family members and friends who have been so important in your journey and are here, or joining by live strea to share the moment with family and friends.

Please stand as you are able to receive the appreciation of today's graduates.

Thank you.

There's another group of people richly deserving of our recognition the amazing world class faculty and dedicated staff who supported your success at Michigan State University.

Can we show them our appreciation to.

Thank you.

As an educator, I can tell you there are few joys greater than watching those you have taught and mentored.

Become the knowledge leaders of tomorrow.

And as I considered words of wisdom that I could leave you with today, I remembered another educato who offered exceptional guidance not only to his students, but to all of us.

Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mello University before his untimely death in 2008.

Professor Pausch delivered his famous last lecture in 2007 entitled Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, which was turned into a New York Times bestseller.

He said something that resonates deeply with me as an educator.

The questions he said, are always more important than the answers.

So my charge to you is to always remain curious.

I urge you to always ask, why.

I urge you to ask why every day.

It's the most important word in the English vocabulary to be able to fully imagine what we can be used to.

Always ask why?

It's the the spirit of inquir that drives innovation, fosters discovery and leads to the breakthroughs that move the needle for our quality of life.

Now you carry your experience to a new chapter in your lives joining a proud line of Spartans who went before you bringing your talents and energy to a world in need of both your experience and degrees, equip you to make a difference for yourself and for others.

I urge you to continue your service to society, to stay engaged and remain committed to the scholarly and personal integrity that underlies the mission of Michigan State University, and I urge you to remain connected to this magical place as you join the ranks of a half a million degreed Spartans, making the world a better place.

Go green.

I now invite everyone to join in singing the first stanz of the alma mater, MSU shadows.

Miss Coleman 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, thank you.

MSU we love thy shadows When twilight silence falls Flushing deep and softly paling Oer ivy covered halls Beneath the pines well gather To give our faith so true Sing our love for Alma Mater And thy praises MSU.

(MSU Fight Song)