(Music Playing) Please be seated.

I declare the 56 commencemen of Michigan State University's James Madison College, now open.

That's right.

Today we celebrate the academic accomplishment of our newest Spartan graduates.

We begin our ceremony with the MSU Land Acknowledgment.

We collectively acknowledg that Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands with the Anishinaabeg, Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples.

In particular the university resides on land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.

We recognize, support and advocate for the sovereignty of Michigan's 12 federally recognized Indian nations.

For historic indigenous communities in Michigan.

For indigenous individuals an communities who live here now, and for those who are forcibly removed from their homelands by offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold Michigan State University more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.

We ask our guests to rise, if able, and join with students and faculty singing America the Beautiful, accompanied by the MSU College of Music's Jazz Orchestra directed by professor Randy Napoleon.

(Singing and performance of America the Beautiful) Thank you all for joining us today as we celebrate the remarkable achievement of these exceptional students.

Commencement is more than a ceremony.

It is a moment of reflection, gratitude and pride.

It is a time to honor not only the hard work and perseverance that brought our graduates here, but also the community that supported them along the way.

I asked the class of 2026 to rise and turn towards your loved ones, to recognize their support that has made this day possible.

There's a lot of love in this building.

While you remain standing, graduates, I ask you now to turn towards those who work has been to guide you in your academic studies.

Will the faculty please rise and be recognized by these graduates and supporters for their appreciation?

We enjo this afternoon in the presence of some special guests, JMC alumnus and judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The Honorable Jeffrey Cummings will deliver our commencement address.

Sam Wright of the class of 2026 will present the student commencement address.

The other guests participating in this ceremony today are Professor Matthew Ziegler and Professor Yung Hi Li.

Also on the platform to honor this fine graduating class, MSU Trustee Kelly Tebay, associate Dean Linda Ciampi, assistant dean Jeff Judge, professors Yael Aronoff, Bobby Brathwaite Kristen Brathwaite, Jean Burns, Siddharth Chandra, Sejuti Das Gupta, Amanda Flame, Jennifer Get, Yasumasa Komori, Russell Lucas, Anna.

Pegler-Gordon.

Forensio Rojo, Susan Stein-Rogenbach, and Jennifer Sykes.

We would also like to recognize and thank Sandra Smith, who will be translating for the open captioning at our ceremony today.

We would also like to recognize and thank the MSU College of Music's Jazz Orchestra for their performances today, under the direction of professor Randy Napoleon.

We pay tribute today to graduates who have the distinction of maintaining the highest grade point average in the class, thereby earning a 4.0 grade point average to be eligible for a 4.0.

At least 60 credits for the degree must be earned in residence at Michigan State University with numerical grades by th close of the preceding semester.

This honor is designated by the green, white, and gold braided cord worn with the academic robe.

This semester at MSU, 271 total students qualified.

James Madison College has eight graduates who have earned thi distinction Carolyn Beck Crow, Nardini Bhandari William Casimir, Jack O'Brien, Ava Parsons, Ross Rogers, Sylvia Lasky, and Samuel Wright.

Students, could you please rise and remain standing for accept our congratulations?

Award recipients.

You should be proud of your outstanding academic records that honor you in the university.

On behalf of your classmates, the faculty administration, and the trustees of the university, I congratulate you and wish you the best.

Please be seated.

Student who participate in and fulfill the requirements of the Honors College by completing enhanced programs of study are identified as graduatin with Honors College Distinction.

These graduates were white, so with the HC designation.

All students graduating a members of the Honors College.

Please ris and accept our congratulations.

Students who attain a grade point average of 3.98 and higher are awarded University High Honor.

University honor is awarded to students have earned GPAs of 3.88.

These honors are designated by the gold cord added to the academic robes, with all students who have graduated with high honor and honor.

Please stan and accept our congratulations.

I would like to recognize Brian Bogan, who has worked diligently as Senior Class representative during the past year.

We commend and congratulate you for your outstanding contributions to the senior class in the University community.

Please stand so that we can recognize you as well.

In recognition of Michigan State's ongoing commitment to study abroad, I ask graduates who have had an international experience as a study abroad student outside of the United States to please ris and accept our congratulations.

In addition to those students who have traveled abroad, Michigan State is committed to supporting students traveling from other countries to study here at MSU.

I ask graduate for our international students who have traveled here to study at MSU to please ris and accept our congratulations.

I'll first.

I'm losing my voice already.

Oh, first generation graduates, please stan and accept our congratulations.

We are so very grateful you selected MSU.

Graduates, if you transfer to MSU to complete and earn your baccalaureate degree, please rise and accept our gratitude and congratulations.

It is a distinct privilege to introduce our commencement speaker the Honorable Jeffrey Cummings.

A proud graduate of James Madison College.

Judge Cummings earned his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University beginning a lifelong commitment to the pursuit of justice in defense of civil rights.

His distinguished legal path began as a law clerk for the Honorable Anthony Williams, followed by an impactful career in private practice.

In 2019, he transitioned to public service on the federal bench as a U.S.

Magistrate Judge.

In 2023, following his nomination by the president of the United States, he was confirmed as he United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.

His journey from the classroom to the heights of the federal judiciary is a testament to the power of integrity, tireless advocacy, and rigorous scholarship.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome our keynote speaker the Honorable Jeffrey Cummings.

Good afternoon everyone.

Thank you very much, Dean.

Thais, thank you to everyone who had a hand in inviting me here today.

I'm thrilled to be here today with you, to just have a little bit of your tim to celebrate with the graduates.

This is a day that I hope you never forget.

And I want to begin by thanking the family and friends who are here to support you.

Please join me i giving them a round of applause.

Graduates.

I know that I wouldn't have made it here today and through James Madison, without the support of my family and my parents in particular.

They spent their lives in public service and public education, and they paid my tuition and even drove me here from Wisconsin.

And they were supported me every step of the way.

So I'm very grateful for them.

I'm grateful for my entire family, including my wife and my daughter who's joining us here today.

My daughter loves green and she is in heaven.

And I know you're very grateful for your friends and family as well.

I want to tell the friends and family that Madison James Madison College has the highest academic standards, and that is a fact that is not just recognized here on this university.

Last year, I was online and I came across an article that was entitled something to the Effect of Michigan colleges give out a lot of A' and some give more than others.

And so this is on M line.

So I clicked on it and I said, I was curious.

And the very first line of that article said James Madison has prided itself on not giving easy A's.

So I said, okay, let me keep reading.

So I went through and the author summarize his research, and here is his conclusion from 2023.

He looked at every public college and every public universit in the state, and James Madison College was the only college in this state where the average grad was something other than an AA, which means the toughest standard in the state.

And I had to tell you, tha speaks very well of our faculty.

I'm glad that there are no easier on you than than they were on us when I was here.

It's good to see that maintained, but I think that speak very well of you, the graduates.

I'm sure you realized, as I did when I came here shortly after I arrived, that I could have found an easier major.

Ha!

I could have found a major where maybe I maintained that close to four point average.

Something that I got in high school and I could have transferred to a different school, but instead you stayed.

You persisted in the face of those high standards.

You persevered through th challenges that your professors gave you, and today you have prevailed.

You are graduating from the toughest, most demanding college in the state of Michigan.

Congratulations.

You're second to none.

And I think you have a beautiful future ahead of yourselves.

Now, I would encourage you to aim very high, because this country needs that sort of leadership that you can provide in the field, whatever field you go into.

But along the way, yes, we need your leadership.

We need your energy.

We need your perseverance and persistence and strength because it's difficul and there are difficult things we're confronting, but we're always going to be up for the challenge.

Now, along the way, you may find that you have some disappointments, some rough spots you may find occasionally there's someone out there that underestimates with you're capable of.

And I can tell you, when I was here at Case Hall, I worked at the dishwasher and scrub pots and pans in the cafeteria, and one time a shift came open for, a student supervisor and went to the head of the dining hall and applied, and he turned me down.

And that was okay.

But what he said next was something I won't forget.

But you said you're a very nice guy, Jeff.

But I just don't think, you you have what it takes to supervise or lead anyone.

And so, I thought to myself that I don't think I want to be scrubbing pots and pans the rest of my life, and I think maybe there's a little bit more life holds a little bit more for me.

And so I carried on with my dutie and graduated and did all that.

But the point is, when someone underestimates you, don't listen to them.

Now, on the other hand, there will be people that you meet in your life.

You might have them that someone like that here that sees something in you that mayb you don't even see in yourself.

And I had a person like that here.

We had a professor named Kathryn O'Sullivan.

See, we called her KDC for short.

I had her for several classes, and when I was applying to law school, she came to me and she said, well, where are you applying?

I told her.

She said, well, I think you should apply to northwestern.

I hadn' really considered northwestern because I knew it was a great school, but I also knew that at that time it had the highest tuition, for whatever reason.

Anywhere.

And so I was not really looking toward northwestern, but she said they have a scholarship there, and I think you can get it, and it offers tuition, it offers living expenses.

They'll get you a job your first and second year.

And I'm like, she thinks I can get that.

Well, I don't know.

I'll try.

And I applied and she was right.

I got that scholarship and that kind of launched me along my legal path.

But it was because of her and and I listened to her.

And so the lesson is, when someone sees something in you positive, listen to them.

They, they there's some good judges of character up here and around in your life that you take their words and you go with those now, the other thing I would advise you to do is stay close to the people that are sitting right around you, your friends, your classmates.

I had to tell you, I came here from Wisconsin.

I, my dad dropped me off at case, so I did not know one person on this campus.

I was like, wow, what am I going to do?

And I started meeting people.

And, then I ended up making the best friends of my life here.

To this day, we still get together, we have fun, we support each other, we're inspired by each other or doing different sorts o things and all kinds of fields.

And we are there for each other in the tough times in life as well.

And I encourage you to stay close to the friends that you've made here, JMC and I, I guarantee you will serve you well.

Now, sometimes if you aim high, there will be things that you try to get where perhaps you are an underdog and the odds are long against you and you might face some disappointment, but you got to stay in there and don't give up.

My, my journey to the district court.

I applied not one time, not two times, not three times, but the four time I got some traction.

You fill out a long application, you get interviewed by a committee, they send you on to the senators.

If they like you, the you get an FBI background check.

Then you get put on the list, and then the president picks your name off a list.

Then you go to DC and you testify in front of the Senate, and you have to get a couple of Senate votes.

And then you finally you become a judge.

So it's a very long process.

And I could tell you there were a lot of ups and downs through that process.

But you need to kind of persistence and perseverance that you've shown from graduating from this colleg to achieve your dreams in life.

So I urge you not to give up too quickly.

Now, one thing I would like to address that didn't exist when I was here, which was artificial intelligence.

That is, a new thing.

Well, it's it's several years old, was new for my time, and, it can do incredible things.

It it is revolutionizing our economy and a lot of different things in our country and our world.

But there are few things about it that you should keep in mind.

And the first thing is, in some ways it is very human.

And by that I mean it can hallucinate, it can make up information.

And in my field, how that comes out as lawyers or people will file papers with the court, they'd have fake cases or they'll take a real case and they'll make up a quote.

The AI will make up a quote, and there is not a day that goes by that I don't read about a lawyer or someone getting in trouble for that.

And so you gotta watch that.

It's not infallible.

It's kind of human in that way.

But I think the more important thing is what it can't do for you.

And that i I cannot give you good judgment.

I cannot give you good ethics.

I cannot giv you a sense of accountability.

I cannot provide you with the sort of creativity and imagination that it takes to address some of the real issues that we face in this country and throughout the world.

And those are the qualities that I believe that all of you have.

And all of you are developing and that you have.

I also kno that you are analytic thinkers.

You're creative thinkers.

You've developed have with our fine faculty that are sitting behind me throughout your years here.

And so keep that in mind.

Don't be one of the folks who does what some commentators call cognitive surrender.

And by that I mean they surrender their thinking to the AI.

They let the AI write their papers, they let it write their emails they letter write their memos, and they lose their creative thought.

Don't be one of those people.

Instead, rely on the skills and the judgment and the experiences that you've had here.

And I guarantee you, you will be in for a long and very successful career.

So with that, I wish you the very best.

I can't tell you how happy I am for all of you today.

And I will say lastly, go green.

Thank you very much.

(Music Performance) Good afternoon and congratulations to everyone who's graduating today.

I am so honored to introduce our commencement speaker, Samuel Wright, to everyone today.

I still remember the first time I met Sam in my introduction to International Relations class as a professor.

I sorry, as a professor, I was a bit nervous myself.

It was my only second year of teaching at JMC and I had returned, from my summer break.

While many of you ma not realize is that professors also need time to readjust, after a long break, so what I, I walked into the classroom, and that's where I met Sam.

He stood out right awa as he seemed a little bit older than many of other students in the classroom.

I began my own PhD later than most, so I understand that pursuing your studies later in lif can come with unique challenges.

But Sam consistently rose above the challenges that semester.

He excelled in his studies and worked collaboratively with his classmates.

Sam has many admirable qualities.

Since then, I have had the pleasure of teaching Sam for three semesters in a row.

In fact, this is my first semester this spring semester is my first semester.

I haven't had him in my class.

Sam has many of the memorable qualities.

He's hardworking, deeply committed to his studies, and has a strong work ethic.

But what I admire him the most is his openness and flexibility.

He supports and respects his classmates, and when challenged in class discussions, he responds with thoughtfulness and kindness.

That is not an easy qualit to develop, when one might feel they have more life experiences than others.

I am incredibly proud of hi as he moves on to the next stage of his journey, pursuing his legal studies at MSU Law School on a full scholarship with stipends.

I'll be cheering him on every step of the way.

His future is bright just like all of us here today.

Without further ado, please join me in welcoming Sam to deliver his speech.

Thank you so much, professor Lee, and thank all of you.

Good afternoon, class of 2026.

Friends, family and supporters.

I am a husband, a father, a first generation college student, a community college transfer student, and I am a Madisonian.

Thank you.

The first class I took at James Madison College was Qualitative Research with Professor Flame.

I still remember our very first reading assignment using Thematic Analysis an Psychology by Bryan and Clark.

I would read a paragraph then stop and get on my computer not to take notes but just to look up definitions.

It seemed like there were ten words per paragrap that I had never heard before.

By the end of the reading, I wasn't sure if I had learned anything at all, but I was certain of one thing I was in over my head.

I didn't belong here.

When I came into the next class, I had a pretty serious case of imposter syndrome.

Everyone else seemed comfortable speaking the language.

Sitting in a circle, my classmates spoke just like the text itself, and I was still trying to figure out what I had gotten myself signed up for.

After class, I stayed behind to talk to Professor Flame.

I told her I was having second thoughts about this whole college thing, about whether I was really cut out for James Madison.

She listened and then she told me something simple but incredibly important.

She told me that I could do this, that I belonged here, that struggling at the beginning didn't mean I wasn't capable.

It meant that I was learning.

And with that, I was convinced to stay.

And I'm really glad she did, because I did do it.

And if you're here today, you did too.

By the end of that first semester, I knew what words like phenomenology, ontological security, and epistemology meant.

Although I can't promise I'll ever use them all in casual conversation, but I'll have them if I need them.

But those weren't the only word I learned that first semester.

Being around students half my age gave me an immersive introduction to words like Simone de Lulu Riggs and six seven.

Though low key, I still don' know what that last one means.

And while those words might not show up on a syllabus any time soon, they reminded me that learning doesn't just happe in classrooms or in textbooks.

It happens in conversations and disagreements and asking your peers for help.

And in the moments when you realize you're not doing this alone.

That's one of the things James Madison College does exceptionally well.

It brings togethe people from incredibly different backgrounds and somehow make everyone feel like they belong.

I came in as someone who, from the outside, didn't seem to have much in common with most of my classmates, but that never mattered.

People invited me in to study groups.

They added me to group chats.

They explained thing when I didn't understand them, and they never made me feel like I should have already known.

They didn't just challenge me intellectually, they supported me personally.

And that made all the difference.

What I learned that James Madison wasn't just theory, policy, or research methods.

I learned what it feels like to be in a spac where curiosity is encouraged, where questions are welcomed, and we're struggling is seen as part of the process, not a failure of it.

I also learned the importance of staying staying after class to ask a question, staying in a program when you feel behind, staying in conversations that challenge you.

It can be tempting, especially in moments of doubt, to walk away, to assume that discomfort means you don't belong.

But my experience at James Madison taught me that discomfort is often the first sign you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

All of us here today have had moments when we wondered if we belonged in this college, in this discipline, or even in this version of ourselves.

What got us here wasn' always that we felt confident.

It was that we stayed.

And often we stayed because someone else believed in us befor we fully believed in ourselves.

For me, that belief came from my amazing wife, my beautiful daughter and from people like Professor Fleming, professor Lee Professor Brathwaite, Dean judge and so many others that helped me along the way.

I walked into James Madison not knowing what phenomenology meant.

I'm leaving, knowing something far more important that learning is a collective effort, and belonging is built through generosity.

And that's sometimes th most important thing you can do is stay long enough to realize you're capable of far more than you thought.

Congratulations to the class of 2026.

We did this and we belong her and wherever else our journeys may take us.

Thank you.

So it's m honor to be able to participate in your graduation ceremony today.

As most of you first came to Madison in the fall of 20, 2022.

I was among the first to welcome you into the JMC community as the chair of the MC 201 teaching team.

That was a time of new beginnings, as is this one.

We began by addressing one o the biggest issues of the day.

Why are people in the United States and around the world polarized about public and international affairs, especially the fundamental foundations of the United States' political, economic, and social system, and how those challenges matter for our future?

We noted how some of the bi challenges of public life have been at the heart of debates since our country's founding, and then they continue toda in different forms of inequities and threats to liberal political and economic systems.

We made sure to position us challenges to those being faced in other parts of the world.

In our case, we looke at Brazil and South Africa, but we could have explored anywhere and that was the point.

The challenges facing publi affairs are global and timeless.

This is not meant to sound alarmist or cynical, but rather to encourage your continued devotion to concern for these issues and to remain vigilant against complacency.

But I also want to note that I did not meet all of you that same day four years ago.

And that gets to an important point about pathways.

Well, many of you have completed your degree in four years.

Some of you have sped throug and three and others have taken, let's say a slower, more deliberate road.

Additionally, others have transferred to James Madison College from community colleges, other universities, or other colleges at MSU.

Your willingness and ability to make your own paths to graduation day needs to be acknowledged and rewarded because there is no path, one path to life.

Despit what you may have been taught.

And that is a point.

I believe a degree from JMC reinforces a liberal arts degre with a focus on the public good will enable you to have meaningful and purposeful life, both professionally and personally, throughout your career at Madison.

You were exposed to a collection of wide ranging ideas, issues, and perspectives.

Your abilit to clearly and critically read challenging and varied texts, synthesize them, and confidently express yourself orally on paper.

Have guided your studies throughout your James Madison and Michigan State career.

We emphasize these skills because a well-educated population matters to our local, state, national, and international society.

Thus, it's exciting to see Hugh.

You see you all here again as a collective body and for the first time for some and reflect upon all that you have already accomplished and what marks you will certainly make in the future.

And your futures will also have very different pathways.

No two of you are alike, and that's a great thing.

You will have different career trajectories and that is to be expected.

Even if it promotes some fear.

But speaking for myself I kind of neatly mapped out on my own journey has taken place or will continue to evolve.

When I was in your seat, but I was confident I had the skills and the desire to chart my own course.

My colleagues and I hope we have positioned you to find success on your own terms, in your own way.

We hope that you have you that we hope that you use your skills developed here, as well as your passion to make a difference.

And however you determined well while interacted with many of you at the very beginning of your career at James Madison College.

And since I am especiall honored to be here on this last and very important and most meaningful day.

Now, will the candidates please rise?

Do so on behalf of the faculty, I present to you the candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts from James Madison College and Michigan State University.

On behalf of the president, to whom the Board of Trustees has delegated the authorit of the State of Michigan, vested in the Board of Trustees, I confer upon all of you the degrees for which you have been recommended.

With all the rights and distinctions to which they entitl you surely know, we'll announce the names of graduate as they receive their diplomas.

We ask the audience to be considerate in applauding your graduates as names are read.

The candidates may come forward to receive their degrees.

Each graduates name should be heard.

The candidates may come forward now to receive their degrees.

(Conferral of degrees reading graduate names) Distinguished faculty, honored guests, families, and graduates of the class of 2026.

It's my privilege to be here with you today.

I want to begin by highlighting some of the work today's graduates have done during their time at Madison.

At last week's research showcase, many of you presented your Senior Honors thesis.

The topics ranged as widely as any audience is likely to encounter today.

One of today's graduate spent this year exploring Saudi Arabia's divergent strategies in Syria and Yemen.

Another trace the return to confrontational Russia.

West relations after the Cold War.

Others wrote on liberation theology is the framework for understanding oppression and inequality in 20th century Latin America and the politics of contemporary state and private militaries.

On the expropriation of the Texas Plains, on the persistenc of black liberalism in America unleashes a moralism red against Adam Smith's moral theory.

Yes, on the lessons Indian independence offers from liberal democracy in South Asia.

I share the range because it reflects something essential about this colleg and you as its newest graduates.

No two of these projects sit in the same place.

They move across continents, centuries, disciplines and methods, and they each began with one of you choosing a question and committing to it.

Your MC 401 reflections, grounded in your field experiences demonstrate something similar in your paper as you tackle th structural constraints of U.S.

refugee resettlement, the role of fundraising an superPACs in American elections, the politics of higher education funding, the impact of trade policy on the U.S.

Canadian automotive relationship, Irish defense policy, justice and criminal jury trials, and the relationship between political apathy and digital overstimulation.

The range is extraordinary, and I want to highlight the thread that connects it.

A Madison educatio encourage you to take a question seriously enough to stay with it, to read primary sources closely, to move between frameworks, to debate, to test theory against practice in the classroom, as well as in campaign offices, consulates and courtrooms.

These are demanding habits, an they are increasingly uncommon.

They are the habits of people who believe that understanding something well is worth the effort it requires.

You are graduating into a moment that will test these habits.

Public institutions are under strain, often prioritizing speed over patience and precision.

The fields many of you are entering in government, journalism, advocacy, law, research, education are changing in ways we couldn't have anticipated.

A generation ago.

You will be asked often whether the kind of thinking you did here still matters, and whether careful work can compete with confident noise.

You have already begun to answer these questions in the theses you wrote, in the arguments you made in your senior seminars, and the work you did during your internships and your semesters abroad over the past four years, you've shown what careful thinking can do.

Your time at Madison and the breadth of your scholarship have already demonstrated what this education makes possible to the family and friends of today's graduates.

Thank you.

You supported them through late nights and hard classes and challenging questions.

We have had the privilege of teaching them, but we have not done it alone.

Class of 2026.

You join more than 10,000 Madison alumni carryin this education into the world.

Carry it into the work you do, the institutions you build and repair, the debates you enter.

Stay with hard questions.

Do the careful wor even when it is the harder path.

Congratulations.

Now, according to custom, you may move your tassels from the right side of your caps to the left.

This act represents the conclusion of a great achievement and marks the beginning of a lifetime of dedicated service.

Congratulations, MSU alumni.

Please rise if able, and sing the alma mater with the help of MSU College of Music's Jazz Orchestra.

(Singing and performance of MSU Alma Mater) (MSU Fight Song performance)