speech on college reunion

55th Reunion – June, 2022
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50th Reunion Welcome Remarks — John Hufnagel

Welcome Remarks on the First Night of the 50th Reunion John Hufnagel June 7, 2017

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our classmates, spouses, partners, friends and family.

Here we are – assembled again 50 years after graduating from the college. If asked in our early 20’s how long 50 years would be, we can all attest now that it is a hell of a lot shorter than we anticipated then.

And we are fortunately not the decrepit old men that we had envisioned then, either. I know it, you know it, we all know it to be true because our peers tell us, “You look great, you haven’t changed a bit.” We smile, suck in, and agree to this alternative truth – disregarding anything on the inside that hurts.

We also have worried about this day coming for almost 50 years when we heard tales that at our 50th we were expected to stand up in front of the whole Society of Alumni and lay down our gifts to the college and not be embarrassed.

I remember a failed scheme at our 40th reunion where we contemplated joining together to buy a lottery subscription for the following 10 years in hopes of hitting the numbers by our 50th. It never happened.

But through appreciation tempered by the passage of time, we will not be embarrassed on Saturday morning.

But 50 years IS a long time. This is not my first 50th college reunion. I went to my maternal grandfather’s 50th at Amherst (yes, Amherst!) when Robert Frost spoke of his dream for an experimental college which stressed alternative individual participation in a collegiate program. This idea became real when Hampshire College was formed in 1970.

When my grandfather was in college, the Wright brothers had not flown their plane and the First World War had not occurred

I lived close enough to Williamstown in 1981 to attend my father’s 50 th reunion at Williams for his class of 1931. He was in college with Jon Vipond’s father and Allan Stern’s father during the Great Depression and before the Second World War.

I realize — as I think you will — that in the time we have lived, we have all known people who have influenced us or whom we have influenced over that span of 100 years. The class that was reunioning when we graduated was the Class of 1917.

Now it’s our 50th. We were in college at the time John Kennedy was shot, the Vietnam War and its many protests were going on, the Great Society was forming, the marches by SNCC and NAACP on the issues of segregation were promising new freedoms, the Beatles were in their glory along with the best music ever, and the personal computer would not arrive on the scene for another eight years. And then life moved on.

For some of us who have done the planning for this reunion — together with the most gracious team from the college — we have been living daily for five years with the idea of arriving at this moment in time.

It is our wish that this be a time of reflection, a time of honest sharing, and a time where we are again exposed to the intellectual stimulation that was present while we were here and see that that treasure still exists in our college today.

I have had the pleasure recently of becoming the owner of a small Australian labradoodle puppy – Henry. We take walks to the beach down the dirt road from us everyday at low tide so that we can both be off leash and free to explore. In the middle of the long sandy beach there is a big glacial boulder surrounded by sand. Every day Henry heads for that rock and, at full speed, circles around it four or five times before heading off in all directions to explore what the beach will provide.

Several times during the walk he will return to the rock and circle it again before heading out and until we again link up with the leash at the end of the walk.

When thinking about what I wanted to say tonight, my mind kept coming back to Henry circling that rock as his daily ritual. I realized that throughout my life I do the same thing.

I circle back around those life experiences that have had a profound impact in creating who I am, and I view them with the different eyes of age and experience and use them as an anchor for my understanding of self.

Williams was for me one of those experiences.

For all of us, the four years spent here at Williams came at a critical time in our personal growth when in the fall of 1963 we were all off the leash and headed for college.

For some it appeared an easy fit. For others it was a time when we became acutely aware of how different we felt. For all of us we entered a new world alone.

We each had to navigate four years of our life in a male-dominated world fraught with conformity, competition, unimagined freedoms, and the desire to find a place within ourselves and the group.

As I read through the Class Book that Harry Matthews and others put together for us celebrating 50 years of life since Williams, there was a prevalent theme: that whether Williams was one of our life’s principal experiences or not, we all came away from those four years with more exposure to how to find facts and truths and a distinct sense of curiosity to learn more about the world we live in.

What I have noticed as common threads in reading all of your bios and the memorials is a humility about successes and failures, an underlying sense of joy even under the conditions that life imposes on us, and a desire to try and learn more. These bios recount lives of love and service and an appreciation for the gift of an education.

We took to heart what John Gardner said in his graduation speech to us: “When you are satisfied with what you have learned, you are dead.”

I commend Williams – for then and for now – for its dedication to engendering an environment of exposure to many disciplines of study and for promoting intellectual curiosity.

So I know I will be circling the rock this weekend with all of you – as Henry stayed home.

Open your hearts and minds to this occasion and enjoy a unique time to be with classmates who have also had lives rich with 50 years of experience since those original years here in Williamstown.

Thanks for coming.

Welcome Speech Ideas for a Class Reunion

A reunion speech offers a chance to elicit a lot of laughs and smiles, delving back through the decades to the school years classmates shared. Use local history and school history in the speech to reminisce with the classmates, who will enjoy remembering where they came from, as you welcome and thank participants and special guests for coming to the event.

The Class at That Time in History

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When these classmates graduated from high school or college years ago, they wore different clothes, styled their hair differently and might have had funny nicknames. Talk about what was happening at that time in history, such as current events during the graduation year, or local government buildings, stores and shops that have since been demolished or changed. Mention favorite hangout spots or points of particular interest that classmates may have forgotten about.

The Class at School

Before the speech, find the yearbooks from those four years of high school and write a speech based on school life. Take the classmates back in time and mention the politics, friendships and society that occurred at school. Quote the funniest or sweetest senior quotes and get comments from the audience on whether the quotes still apply. If the seniors were assigned superlatives in the yearbook (cutest couple, funniest person, kindest person), bring up some of these during the speech and call the people by name.

The Class Then to Now

Talk about the changes and wisdom that the classmates have experienced through the years; whatever mistakes or catastrophes happened, they made each individual who they are today. Read aloud excerpts from the old school newspapers (if possible) and remind the audience how young they were then, and what has since happened in the world to change how they view things, as well as ways in which the local area and the world have changed.

The Class Interactive

Before the reunion, distribute a questionnaire through mail or email to all of the classmates of that year. Include questions such as: number of children or grandchildren, current hobbies, marital status, current job, residence and number of countries visited over the years. During the opening speech, share with the class who has been married the longest, who has the most grandchildren, who has traveled the farthest, and other interesting or unusual facts -- the more unusual or notable, the better.

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Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet

Introduction

The word ‘alumni’ depicts the passed-out students from a school or college. Most alumni meets are conducted by the schools and colleges to show love and affection towards their former graduate students. Alumni speech should be emotional and it should help the ex-students to reminisce about their school/ college days. Alumni meet has many events organized by the present students, these events help the ex-students to relive the life they lived years ago.

Below two welcome speeches for alumni meet are given i.e. long welcome speech for alumni meet and a short welcome speech for alumni meet. The below samples help the students to understand the points that should be included in an alumni speech.

An Alumni meeting is one of those times when you get to meet your old friends who you might have lost contact with or whom you might have not met after you have graduated from your school or college. This event is just like any other formal event where you meet not only your friends but also your teachers and the principal. This hence calls for a Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet in English For Students that will let the students talk about the moments they were thankful for or the moments they wish they could live in forever. Vedantu provides all the details on how you can write a great Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet in English For Students and how to get your best foot forward when delivering the speech.

Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English

Good morning everyone! With great honor and pleasure, I welcome you all to this auspicious occasion of our Institute’s 10th alumni meet.

This day is very important, it provides an opportunity for everyone to meet each other after so many years. It also provides a chance for every graduate from the previous years to meet their farmer teachers and other staff members. It also helps the alumni to notice the various changes through which the college has gone through over the past few years.

Our college has established a tradition to stay with their contacts. Well continuing the tradition our college has again organized an Alumni meet.

I know time does not stop for anyone and it takes a lot to take some time out of your busy schedule to be here and for that I thank you. But one thing I can assure you is that at the end of the night you will miss your college days. At the end of the night, the experience you take home will be worth the time you all spared today.

It has been ten years since our college started. It was a small organization that had only 150 students to begin with. But due to the dedication shown by our teachers to teach and the passion which you all showed to learn at that time earned a name for our college. It was all possible because of you all to this date. We all are trying to compete for the excellence your batch was recognized for and I applaud you all for setting up a benchmark for all of the juniors.

I believe our college has become one of the greatest institutions in the city. It is ranked second by the education department. To achieve greatness our college has all the important prerequisites such as an expensive and balanced campus, experienced faculty, financial resources, Medical emergency services, etc.

Coming to the event, our present students have planned a very good show for you all that will surely make you all feel nostalgic. We will experience the fun, the concerts and everything in a practical yet very personal manner.

Lastly, I want to praise the multiple roles played by you all sitting over here. There are advocates, artists, scientists, doctors, actors, engineers, teachers, etc sitting in the crowd. I would like to appreciate all the effort that is done by you all for the development of our society and thank you for justifying the years spent by you at this institution.

Last but not least, I would like everyone to participate today. Hope you all like the arrangement made for your reunion. Wish you a wonderful evening. Have a good time ahead. Thank you!

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet

Good morning everyone! With great honor and pleasure, I welcome you all to this auspicious occasion of our Institute’s 10th Alumni meet.

Our college has established a tradition to stay with their contacts. To continue the tradition, our college has again organized an alumni meet.

I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend this event but I can assure you one thing that at the end of the night you all will go home with memories that you would cherish forever.

Our present students have planned a very good show for you all that will surely make you all feel nostalgic. We will experience the fun, the concerts and everything in a practical yet very personal manner.

I would like to appreciate all the effort that is done by you all for the development of our society and thank you for justifying the years spent by you at this institution.

Last but not least I would like everyone to participate. Hope you all like the arrangement made for your reunion. Wish you a wonderful evening. Have a good time ahead. Thank you!

10 Lines on Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English

Alumni meet aspires to acknowledge the contributions made by ex-students.

Alumni meet is very common in schools and colleges where ex-students meet with each other to share and relive the memories.

In workplaces such as corporate offices, the alumni meet is done for ex-employees to celebrate their achievements.

It is a very emotional event that sparks nostalgia in everyone.

During Alumni meet, the ex-students reentering the campus helps them to relive college life even for a night.

Various events are organized by the college students for the ex-students.

Ex-students are responsible citizens now in societies. They are recognized for that and appreciated for the effort to build society.

Detailed planning is done by the student to make the night unforgettable.

Various events are held like dancing, singing, etc that would definitely sparkle a sense of nostalgia in the ex-students.

Alumni meet is a tradition in a few colleges to show that the college has not forgotten their graduated students.

Tips on Delivering Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English For Students

Make sure you do not become nervous while you deliver the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English.

Use proper enunciations while delivering the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English.

Use of proper grammar and pausing at certain places is also a must.

Make sure you do not rush the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet and end it in a hurry just for the sake of finishing it.

Practice as much as you can and stand in front of a mirror to see how you deliver the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English by yourself.

FAQs on Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet

1. What is the main purpose of holding an Alumni Meeting?

The main purpose of organizing an Alumni meeting is to celebrate the old moments or old relationships that you as a student had felt. This is an official event where all of the students who had previously studied in the college or school get to gather together. This allows them to memorize not only the sweet memories but also helps them stay in contact for a long time and share their beautiful achievements. Another purpose of keeping an Alumni meet is for the teachers to see how the students that were once a part of their class have grown up to be great individuals.

2. What are the guidelines that need to be followed while preparing the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English For Students?

There are certain guidelines when preparing for the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English For Students provided via Vedantu and can be provided as follows:

Using proper grammar is a must when preparing the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English For Students

Make sure you provide a good start that will engage the audience who is hearing the speech

Highlight those memories that have been always in your mind regarding the school, institution, or college.

Make sure you mention all the individuals who have provided you with the chance to grow up and be a great person.

3. How to make an impactful introduction when delivering the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English For Students?

When creating an impactful introduction make sure to not add in a lot of slang words. Instead try and greet the elders and the seniors, teachers who are taking part in the program. You can then go ahead and ask your fellow alumni a question for example you can ask, what is that one memory that still makes you think about this place? or you can also ask when was the last time you had entered and what were the feelings that you had? By asking these questions, your fellow alumni can wonder about their feelings while relating them to the speech you will be giving.

4. Is there a need to thank all of the members of the organization while ending the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet?

When you deliver a speech it is essential to thank not only your fellow alumni for providing you with great memories but you also need to thank all the members of the organization such as your teachers, principal, the workers, the administrative members, and other people who have always been trying to make it some of the best years of your life. Mentioning them will not only make them happy but will also help them become stronger and help other students like the Alumni to come and greet them often.

5. Is it okay to be informal while delivering the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet?

While it is okay to be a bit informal, it is not recommended to use a lot of slang language that might be okay with the younger gen but might not quite sit right with the higher officials. This event, also being one of the official events, might want you to take care of the words that you speak when delivering the Welcome Speech For Alumni Meet in English. You can also try and keep it more interactive and fun by using some sentences that are not too informal.

Alumni Homecoming Speech Sample: Reconnecting, Celebrating, and Moving Forward

Discover the [Alumni Homecoming Speech Sample: Reconnecting, Celebrating, and Moving Forward] – a resource designed to deliver an unforgettable speech at your high school’s homecoming event. This speech sample focuses on highlighting the significance of reconnecting with fellow alumni, recognizing past achievements, and collectively embracing the journey forward.

Key Takeaways:

Alumni reunions are opportunities for renewing and forming relationships, and reminiscing about the past.
Alumni are delighted to return to their alma mater and connect with current students.
Welcome speeches set the tone for the event and should be delivered by someone respected by alumni and students.
Keep the welcome speech warm and welcoming, reflecting the spirit of the occasion.

Table of Contents

Alumni Homecoming Speech Sample: Connecting the Past with the Future

A homecoming is a celebration of the past, present, and future of an alma mater. It’s an occasion to reunite with old friends, reminisce about cherished memories, and celebrate the achievements of the institution that shaped our lives. As an experienced educator and public speaker, I’ve had the honor of delivering alumni homecoming speech samples that resonated with audiences and inspired them to reflect on their experiences and the impact they can have on their alma mater. In this guide, I’ll share some insights and tips to help you craft a compelling homecoming speech that resonates with your audience.

1. Embracing Nostalgia and Gratitude

Homecoming is a time to celebrate the shared experiences that bind alumni together. Begin your speech by acknowledging the nostalgia and gratitude that fills the air. Share personal anecdotes or historical facts that evoke fond memories of the institution’s past. Express your appreciation for the alumni’s contributions to the school and the community.

2. Weaving a Tapestry of Stories

Alumni come from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and walks of life. Use your speech as an opportunity to weave a tapestry of stories that highlight the unique contributions of your fellow alumni. Share anecdotes about their accomplishments, passions, and the ways they’ve made a difference in the world. These stories will inspire and motivate your audience, reminding them of the impact they can have as individuals and as a collective.

3. Acknowledging Challenges and Looking Forward

No institution is without its challenges. Use your speech to acknowledge the obstacles that your alma mater has faced in the past and the challenges it may encounter in the future. Demonstrate a commitment to addressing these challenges head-on and working together to find solutions. By doing so, you’ll instill confidence in your audience and inspire them to lend their support to the institution’s continued success.

4. Celebrating Achievements and Milestones

Homecoming is a time to celebrate the achievements and milestones of the institution and its alumni. Highlight notable accomplishments, such as academic excellence, athletic victories, or groundbreaking research. Recognize individual alumni for their outstanding contributions to their fields or communities. These celebrations will foster a sense of pride and unity among your audience, reminding them of the enduring legacy of their alma mater.

5. Calling for Unity and Support

A homecoming is an opportunity to call for unity and support among alumni. Encourage your audience to stay connected to the institution and to each other. Share stories of alumni who have given back to their alma mater through mentorship, donations, or volunteerism. Inspire your audience to follow their example and contribute to the continued success of the institution they hold dear.

By following these tips and injecting a personal touch into your speech, you can craft an alumni homecoming speech sample that resonates with your audience, celebrates the past, present, and future of your alma mater, and inspires a renewed sense of connection and support.

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Short Alumni Homecoming Speech Sample

Step on stage with confidence, knowing that you’re part of something special—a community of alumni who’ve shaped the legacy of this esteemed institution. Your presence here tonight is a testament to the unbreakable bond we share.

Alumni are an invaluable part of our community, and their contributions have shaped the legacy of our institution.
Homecoming is an opportunity to reconnect with old friends, celebrate our shared experiences, and inspire current students.
Alumni speeches can be a powerful way to share our stories, reflect on our journey, and encourage current students to make the most of their time here.

Embrace Nostalgia: Reflect on your time spent within these hallowed halls, reminiscing about friendships forged, lessons learned, and the dreams that took flight. Share anecdotes that paint a vivid picture of your college days and evoke a sense of longing for those cherished moments.

Express Gratitude: Acknowledge the faculty and staff who nurtured your growth, mentors who guided your path, and fellow alumni who supported you along the way. Voice your appreciation for the education you received and the opportunities it has afforded you.

Inspire Current Students: Share your experiences and insights with the current student body. Motivate them to seize every opportunity, embrace challenges, and make the most of their time here. Encourage them to leave their own indelible mark on the institution.

Call to Action: Gently remind fellow alumni of the impact they can have on their alma mater. Encourage them to stay connected, support the institution through their contributions, and mentor current students.

End on a Positive Note: Conclude your speech by emphasizing the enduring spirit of your alma mater. Express your confidence in its bright future and invite everyone to join hands in taking it to even greater heights.

Remember, a Short Alumni Homecoming Speech Sample is a personal expression of your journey. Embrace the opportunity to share your story, inspire others, and strengthen the bonds that unite us all.

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5 Cool Homecoming Speech Samples
Alumni Homecoming Speech

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet By Principal

Alumni reunions are opportunities to reconnect, celebrate, and refresh relationships formed in the past.
Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet By Principal should be warm, welcoming, expressing the spirit of the occasion, and short.
Thanking the organizing committee for their contributions to the success of the event.
Greeting elders and seniors with respect and acknowledging their presence.
Avoid using slang and focus on being concise.

Alumni, honored guests, faculty, and staff – welcome to our cherished reunion! It is heartwarming to see a sea of familiar faces gathered here to celebrate our shared memories and commemorate the remarkable journey of our alma mater. Tonight, we embark on a nostalgic voyage through time, honoring the bonds that transcend the annals of history. On behalf of the entire school community, I extend a warm embrace to each and every one of you. Your presence is a testament to the enduring spirit of our institution – a beacon of learning, growth, and community. Let us seize this opportunity to reconnect, revel in our achievements, and inspire future generations of students.

As you walk through the hallowed halls of your former classrooms, let the whispers of the past ignite the flame of nostalgia. Feel the warmth of friendships rekindled, the spark of laughter filling the air, and the profound sense of belonging that only a shared history can provide.

While the passage of time may have etched lines on our faces and painted strands of silver in our hair, the essence of our youthful spirits remains unyielding. Let us be like a flowing river, continuously moving forward while holding fast to the timeless lessons we learned within these walls.

I would be remiss if I did not take this moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to the organizing committee, whose tireless efforts have made tonight’s gathering a resounding success. Your dedication, unwavering commitment, and meticulous planning deserve the highest praise.

To our esteemed elders and seniors, we extend our deepest reverence and respect. Your presence among us is a reminder of the deep-rooted traditions and values that have shaped this institution. Your wisdom, guidance, and unwavering support have been instrumental in our collective pursuit of excellence.

Lastly, I urge our alumni to continue being fervent ambassadors of our beloved alma mater. Share your stories, your experiences, and your achievements with the world. Be a source of inspiration to our current students and a symbol of pride for our community. Let your accomplishments echo through the corridors of time, leaving an enduring legacy for generations to come.

Thank you all once again for making this homecoming celebration an unforgettable occasion. May the bonds we forge tonight transcend time and distance, forever knitting us together in the tapestry of our shared history.

[1]https://englishtemplates.com/alumni-welcome-speech-by-the-principal [2]

Q1: What are some common themes of alumni homecoming speeches?

A1: Common themes of alumni homecoming speeches include gratitude for the education received at the alma mater, nostalgia for the past, and the importance of giving back to the community.

Q2: What are some tips for writing an effective alumni homecoming speech?

A2: Tips for writing an effective alumni homecoming speech include keeping it concise, using personal anecdotes, avoiding jargon, and practicing your delivery.

Q3: What are some ways to make an alumni homecoming speech more engaging?

A3: Ways to make an alumni homecoming speech more engaging include using multimedia, asking rhetorical questions, and encouraging audience participation.

Q4: What is the purpose of an alumni homecoming speech?

A4: The purpose of an alumni homecoming speech is to welcome alumni back to their alma mater, celebrate their achievements, and inspire them to continue to be involved in the school community.

Q5: What is the appropriate length for an alumni homecoming speech?

A5: The appropriate length for an alumni homecoming speech is typically between 5 and 10 minutes.

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Alumni Meet Speech By Students

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed faculty, fellow alumni, and guests,A warm welcome to this momentous occasion – our cherished alumni meet at [University Name]. As we gather here today, we step into a realm of memories, camaraderie, and shared experiences that have shaped us into who we are today.We stand on the precipice of a journey down memory lane, guided by the echoes of laughter, the footsteps in the corridors, and the intellectual exchanges that once filled these halls. This alumni meet isn't just an event; it's a celebration of the bonds that continue to thrive beyond the boundaries of our alma mater.From the wide-eyed freshmen who walked in here years ago to the seasoned graduates who stand before you today, we've witnessed remarkable transformations. This meet encapsulates our collective growth – a testament to the knowledge, friendships, and values we've garnered during our time here.Beyond the nostalgia lies the beauty of diversity. We've all embarked on different paths, embracing professions that span industries and geographies. But what remains constant is the foundation we received here, propelling us towards accomplishments that stretch beyond our horizons.This gathering is more than just an assembly; it's an opportunity to reconnect, share stories, and perhaps even forge new collaborations. It's a tribute to the institution that ignited our intellectual curiosity and kindled lifelong friendships.Through the narratives, whether reflective, inspiring, or light-hearted, that we'll hear today, we'll trace the threads that weave our individual stories into a vibrant tapestry of unity.Thank you for gracing us with your presence. Let's embark on this journey of reminiscence, inspiration, and celebration, as we herald a new chapter in our shared legacy.

Template Reflective and Nostalgic Tone

Good [morning/afternoon/evening] everyone,

It's truly heartwarming to stand here today, amidst familiar faces that have journeyed alongside us in our formative years. As we gather for this alumni meet, waves of nostalgia wash over us, reminding us of the laughter, challenges, and growth that defined our time here.

Looking back, we realize how these hallowed halls shaped us into the individuals we are today. We've transitioned from wide-eyed freshmen to seasoned graduates, from novices to professionals. Our experiences, both in classrooms and beyond, have sculpted our perspectives and honed our abilities.

But this reunion is more than just a trip down memory lane; it's a testament to the bonds we've forged. The friendships that once thrived on campus haven't dwindled with time; instead, they've evolved into a network of support and inspiration. Let's seize this occasion to reconnect, sharing our diverse experiences, and continuing to learn from each other.

As we venture into our respective paths, let's remain grateful for the foundation we received here. Let's pay it forward by contributing to our alma mater's growth, and by embodying the values that were instilled in us. Let this alumni meet serve as a reminder that our journey is interlinked with the institution's journey, a journey that we'll always be a part of.

Thank you for being here today, and here's to the countless memories that bind us together.

Template Inspirational and Forward-Looking Tone

Greetings everyone,

It's an immense honor to stand before you, fellow alumni of [University Name]. As we convene for this alumni meet, we're not just commemorating the past; we're celebrating the foundation that propels us towards remarkable futures.

Our time here was a fusion of academics, friendships, and self-discovery. It's these experiences that equipped us to overcome challenges beyond these walls. We've proven our mettle in various fields, underscoring the caliber of education we received.

But as we gather today, let's remember that our journey doesn't end here. Instead, it's a new chapter marked by achievements yet to be etched. As torchbearers of our alma mater's legacy, let's leverage our collective potential to make a positive impact on society.

In an era of constant change, let's be the architects of transformation. Our diverse paths may lead us to different horizons, but our shared values bind us. Let's harness this gathering as an opportunity to collaborate, inspire, and foster growth.

I extend my gratitude to everyone who's contributed to making this alumni meet a reality. Let's embrace this moment, fortified by the memories that unite us, and march ahead with an unwavering spirit.

Template Gratitude and Celebration of Diversity Tone

Hello everyone,

What a joy it is to reunite with faces that once filled the corridors and classrooms of [University Name]. Today, we gather not merely as graduates of this esteemed institution, but as a tapestry woven with threads of diverse experiences and aspirations.

Our journey here was a blend of laughter, late-night study sessions, and lifelong friendships. These memories have stitched themselves into our lives, reminding us of the exceptional education we've been fortunate to receive.

As we've ventured into the world beyond these gates, our paths have diverged into an array of fields, industries, and pursuits. This diversity is a testament to the comprehensive education we were privileged to attain.

As we celebrate this alumni meet, let's remember to cherish not just our own achievements, but those of our fellow graduates. Every success story here is a testament to the collective brilliance that our alma mater fosters.

Let's make the most of this opportunity to reconnect, reminisce, and rejoice. Our individual journeys have been enriched by this common foundation, and as we move forward, let's remain grateful, humble, and committed to the values we've imbibed.

Thank you for gracing this occasion, and may our camaraderie continue to thrive.

Template Humorous and Light-hearted Tone

Hey there, fabulous alumni!

Can you believe we're all grown up and adulting? It feels like just yesterday we were trying to decipher complex equations and plotting elaborate schemes to secure the last piece of pizza at the cafeteria.

But here we are, reuniting not as wide-eyed freshmen, but as seasoned graduates with tales to tell and careers to flaunt. Let's take a moment to appreciate the transformation – from pulling all-nighters for exams to now occasionally pulling all-nighters at work.

Our journey here was a mix of sweat, tears, and a tad bit of procrastination. And let's not forget the friendships that often felt like a second family. Though our paths may have diverged post-graduation, our roots remain entwined.

So, as we gather for this alumni meet, let's celebrate the spirit of camaraderie, swap stories that are now legendary, and raise a toast to all the coffee that got us through those late-night assignments.

Thank you for making it here today, and let's make this alumni meet one for the books – or should I say, one for the yearbook!

Remember, the syllabus might be over, but the learning never stops. Cheers to us

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Welcome Address for New Principal

Class Reunion Message Sample: Free & Effective

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to writing a heartfelt and engaging class reunion message, including customizable templates to get you started.

Key Takeaways: Understanding the Purpose: Recognize the emotional and nostalgic value of a class reunion message. Structure and Content Tips: Learn the components of an effective class reunion message. Personal Experience Insights: Gain insight from my extensive experience writing reunion messages. Free Template: Utilize a provided template for crafting your own message . Engagement: Share your own experiences and tips in the comments.

Understanding the Purpose

Class reunions are more than just gatherings; they are a celebration of shared memories and experiences that have shaped us. When writing a reunion message, it’s essential to capture the spirit of these events.

I remember writing a message for our 20-year reunion where I incorporated fond memories and inside jokes. This personal touch not only rekindled old friendships but also set a warm, welcoming tone for the event.

Key Components

Nostalgia: Reflect on shared experiences and memorable moments.
Updates: Briefly mention personal life updates or inquire about others.
Invitation: Encourage participation and highlight the event’s significance.

Structure and Content Tips

A well-structured class reunion message should have a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Start with a warm greeting. For instance, “Dear Class of 2004,” instantly creates a connection. Follow this with a personal touch, like a memorable event or a shared accomplishment.

This is where you dive into the details. Mention the reunion’s date, venue, and any special activities planned. If you’re asking for RSVPs or contributions, make it clear and straightforward.

Conclude with an expression of excitement and anticipation. A line like “Can’t wait to walk down memory lane with all of you!” can work wonders.

Table: Class Reunion Message Structure

Section	Content	Example
Opening	Warm greeting + personal touch	“Dear Class of 2004, Remember our senior prank?”
Middle	Event details + RSVP/contribution info	“Join us on July 25th at our old high school gym…”
Closing	Excitement and anticipation	“Looking forward to reliving the good old days!”

Personal Experience Insights

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the most well-received messages are those that evoke emotions and a sense of belonging. For our 30-year reunion,

I shared a story about our high school championship game, which not only brought back fond memories but also sparked conversations among classmates reminiscing on social media.

Real-Life Example

In one message, I mentioned our old school anthem, and surprisingly, at the reunion, our class spontaneously sang it together. It was a magical and unplanned moment that bonded us again.

How to Write a Class Reunion Message (with Template)

Step 1: Start with a warm greeting.

Step 2: Include a personal anecdote or a memorable class event.

Step 3: Provide details of the reunion – date, time, location.

Step 4: Add a call to action – RSVP, contribute, etc.

Step 5: Close with a note of anticipation and excitement.

Class Reunion Message Sample

Dear [Class Year],

Can you believe it’s been [Number] years? I still vividly remember [Memorable Event/Anecdote]. Let’s reunite and relive those incredible moments!

Join us on [Date] at [Venue] for our [Class Year] Class Reunion. We’ve planned some exciting activities including [Activities].

Don’t forget to RSVP by [Date]. Your presence will make this reunion unforgettable!

Looking forward to reconnecting and creating new memories,

[Your Name]

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What Should I Write in a Class Reunion Message?

Answer: When writing a class reunion message, I like to reflect on shared memories and express excitement about reconnecting. For example, “Can’t wait to catch up with everyone and reminisce about our high school adventures! It’s been too long.”

Q: How Can I Make My Class Reunion Message Stand Out?

Answer: To make my message stand out, I often include a funny or memorable incident that most of our classmates will remember. Something like, “Who else remembers our epic senior prank? Looking forward to laughing about it again!”

Q: Is It Appropriate to Mention Changes in My Life in the Class Reunion Message?

Answer: Absolutely! I usually mention significant life updates briefly, as it’s a great conversation starter. For instance, “Since we last met, I’ve traveled the world and started my own business. Can’t wait to hear what everyone else has been up to!”

Q: Should I Keep My Class Reunion Message Short or Elaborate?

Answer: I prefer keeping it short and sweet. A couple of sentences are enough to convey excitement and curiosity. Something like, “Eager to see how everyone has changed and stayed the same. Let’s make this reunion unforgettable!”

Q: How Do I Address Everyone in the Class Reunion Message?

Answer: I address the message to the whole group to create a sense of inclusivity. For example, “Dear fellow alumni, I’m thrilled about our upcoming reunion and the chance to reconnect with each of you.”

Q: Can I Use Humor in My Class Reunion Message?

Answer: Sure! Humor can lighten the mood. I might say something like, “Ready to party like it’s 1999 again? Let’s see if we still remember our dance moves from prom night!”

Q: What If I Feel Nervous About Attending the Reunion?

Answer: It’s normal to feel nervous. In my message, I’d express this honestly but positively, like, “Feeling a bit nervous about how much we’ve all changed, but I’m excited to catch up and share our life stories.”

3 class reunion letter templates: craft perfect invites, 3 class reunion message templates: wow your alumni, 1 thought on “class reunion message sample: free & effective”.

Fantastic resource for planning a class reunion! The article’s comprehensive steps and heartfelt template make crafting an inviting and memorable reunion letter a breeze

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Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet in English for Students and Children

February 8, 2024 by Prasanna

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet: Alumni are the passed out students or members of an institution, organization, etc. Alumni meet speeches should be emotional and nostalgic. It should have the potential to take the ex-students back to their golden days.

The power of well-threaded words is enormous, and a listener can explore immeasurable depths of their nostalgia through the words being spoken. Welcome speeches must convey the message of love and belonging. The alumni must feel that they are still welcome in that particular institution and that others felt their absence.

Students can also find more English Speech Writing about Welcome Speeches, Farewell Speeches, etc.

Long and Short Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet in English for Students and Kids

In this article, we will provide a long welcome speech for Alumni Meet in 500 words and a short speech of 150 words on the same topic. We will also provide ten lines on the topic to help the readers.

This article will be helpful for students and hosts who are supposed to deliver an inaugural or welcome speech on the occasion of Alumni Meet.

Long Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet 500 Words in English

Long Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Good evening and welcome to the annual Alumni Meet of St. Peter’s institution.

It is indeed my great pleasure to welcome among us the alumni of this institution. Not only is it a moment of happiness and nostalgia for us but also an opportunity to reflect on our learning and achievements. Our alumni have established themselves as successful individuals in almost every field of their lives, and we could not be any prouder.

A school is the second home for children, and it plays a vital role in nurturing them into good human beings. Besides shaping the character of a child, the school helps him to face the world with bravery and courage. The teachers and the students share an intimate and intricate bond of love and respect.

Having our Alumni back to where they belong brings back a lot of memories. I think everyone remembers their first day in school. Some of us cried and wanted to go back home, but the day we left school to step into the bigger world, we realized what this institution truly means to us. Bidding farewell to one’s school is probably the toughest thing to do, and it is never easy to say goodbye.

Our present students have a spectacular show today for our beloved ex-students that will have them reminiscing their beautiful school days. We will travel to the depths of our memories and live the moments we have left behind. We shall dive into nostalgia and relish the best days of our lives. We shall experience the swing rides, the classes, the concerts, and everything in a practical yet very personal manner.

While talking about our old school days, I think most of us remember the innumerable times we begged our teachers for free periods. Free periods for us meant going to the field and playing. Some of us loved reading in the library, but most enjoyed a nice game of badminton or basketball in the field.

Nostalgia is a tricky business. It makes us laugh and cry at the same time. We yearn to go back to our happy days, and we also feel very blessed to have experienced such wonderful feelings. The main intention of an Alumni meet is to gather our old students and give them an evening of memories and nostalgia. All of you belong here, your hearts belong here, and home is where the heart is.

Today, let us all open the windows of our mind, take a deep breath, and venture out into the land of dreams and happiness. Let us keep aside the worries and responsibilities of adult life and indulge in the simple pleasure of childhood and innocence. The school is our family, and we have every right to be here.

Our Alumni has brought great glory to our institution. They have set the example of being a successful and good human being. They inspire us to have a clear conscience, the courage to speak the truth, and the importance of being authentic.

I extend my warm regards to every member of our Alumni and invite them to enjoy a piece of their childhood.

Short Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet 150 Words in English

Short Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Good evening everyone

I warmly welcome our Alumni to the Annual Alumni Meet of Gupta Enterprises. It is my utmost pleasure to have you here. You have been the backbone of our organization for a long time, and you deserve to be cherished and remembered.

The Annual Alumni Meet is held every year to pay our respects to those employees who have worked her dedicatedly for many years. Though some of you have retired and some others have left us for better prospects, we acknowledge your contributions to this organization. We are grateful for the time you devoted to your work and salute you for your efforts.

Our program today will comprise some brilliant performances to pay our respect to our alumni. Most of us share wonderful memories with our organization, and we shall aspire to relive our lost moments through these performances. This organization has been our extended family and has taught us a lot. The absence of our ex-workers is felt every day, and we remember every sacrifice they have made for us.

Last but not least, our alumni have taught us valuable lessons of honesty, hard work, and determination, and we shall proudly follow their example in the years to come.

10 Lines on Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet in English

Alumni meets aspire to acknowledge the contribution of ex-students and ex-workers.
Alumni meets are very common in schools where ex-students meet annually to reminisce about their childhood and relive their school life.
The purpose of the Alumni meets to remind ex-workers and students that they still belong to the particular institution. Bidding farewell is a very hard thing to do, and the least we can do is make them feel wanted when they visit their beloved school after a long time.
It is an extremely sensitive and emotional event that sparks nostalgia among everyone.
In workplaces, Alumni meets are held to pay tribute to the dedicated ex-workers who have given their best to the enterprise.
It is essential to help the ex-employees connect to their old workplace, and thus, performances are held to rekindle their memories.
Alumni meets bring old friends together, and they go down the memory lane to experience their golden days of childhood.
Memories are what we cling to in the end, and such meets are the best ways to relish lost moments.
The meet also helps people to remember their old teachers who made them who they are.
It aims to hold an evening filled with fun, memories, and nostalgia and is valuable to most of us.

FAQ’s on Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet

Question 1. What is an Alumni meet?

Answer: An Alumni meet seeks to gather the ex-employees or students of an organization to give them an evening of nostalgia.

Question 2. What is the importance of an Alumni Meet?

Answer: It helps to bring together old friends and relive cherished memories of the past. It is significant for a lot of people.

Question 3. When are Alumni Meets held?

Answer: The Alumni meets usually help annually, but some places organize it once in three years or so.

Question 4. Is it fun to attend Alumni meets?

Answer: Anybody who has an emotional connection to the place they studied or worked in would enjoy Alumni Meets as they take them back to their good old days.

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Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet by Teacher, Principal & Student

Table of Contents

welcome speech for Alumni Meet: An Alumni Meet is organised to celebrate and refresh old relationships and form new ones. It is an occasion when students gather at their Alma Mater, go down the memory lane and look forward for new interactions with new hopes. The alumni are thrilled to be back in the campus again and interact with new students. During Alumni Meets students, teachers, principals or hosts are required to deliver welcome speeches in keeping with the occasion. Here we have provided you six welcome speeches for different speakers. You can pick up any of the welcome speech as per your requirement.

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Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet By Principal

Good Evening to One & All Present Here…

It gives me immense pleasure to address you all on the auspicious occasion of our Institution’s 10th Alumni Meet. A day like today is very important for us, as it provides us the opportunity to meet with many of our graduate students after a long time as well as provides them a chance to meet each other, their former teachers and other staff members. It also enables the alumni to notice the changes & developments happened in the college campus then and now.

FGH, Noida , has a long established tradition to stay in touch with their students, continuing this tradition, FGH group of Colleges has organised an Alumni Meet at Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi this day.

Kindly allow me to express my gratitude towards each & everyone of you present here for sparing sometime to be with all of us tonight. We know that it takes a lot to take some time out of your busy schedule and come over. But, I believe that the experiences of this evening which you will take home will be worth the time you all have spared.

A decade ago, our college was a small & struggling organisation. And, if we talk about today, our graduates have widely-spread throughout the globe in search for growth, learning, knowledge and their performances make difference everywhere. Many of you are still on my mind showcasing your excellence and outstanding performance.

I believe that our college has now become one of the great institutions of the city, which was ranked number ‘2’ by the Noida Education Department. And to achieve greatness, it has all the important prerequisites such as an expansive campus, conducive environment for all-round growth, experienced faculty, dedicated students, necessary financial resources, etc.

Lastly, I would like to praise the multiple roles played by you in the society. Many of you hold the key positions of major influence in the society; I would like to appreciate your efforts being done for the development of our society and justifying the years spent by you at this esteemed institution. Last but not the least; I would like to thank all of you for your keen participation as well as the support you have always extended towards your alma mater.

Hope you like the arrangements for this great reunion. Wish you a wonderful evening & memorable moments.

Have A Good Time Ahead.

A very Good Evening to all of you present here. Respected Chairman, Principal Madam, Director Sir and my dear colleagues, all of our Alumni,

I feel deeply honoured standing here today as well as very nostalgic at getting the privilege of welcoming you all here. It’s been so many years, I still remember my first batch in 2005, your faces are still so fresh, dear children, a very warm welcome to all of you to this Alumni Meet of your school.

I appreciate this idea of Alumni Meet, which creates a special bonding between the students who have passed out & who have established themselves already in the big, outside world. I believe an Alumni Meet is a perfect platform for you all to meet your peers and teachers and revive the contacts.

The school began many years ago as a primary school but in 2006, it got successfully upgraded to +2 levels. The requirements were quite immediate; they were genuinely felt by the population of the city and the neighbouring areas. At that time he didn’t know that he was giving a major uplift to the education facilities in the region. In 2006, we started with the best faculty, experts and support staff, and I feel proud to say that over the years, we have scaled further heights of success and glory, earning a credible name in the education field.

Our past results have shown that our academic graph has been steadily going up. We have embarked on a mission to empower all sections of society with the light of knowledge. Our concern has wide parameters such as making our students good citizens at the level of city, state, nation, in fact, the entire globe. Our concern is whether we as teachers are able to create the qualities in you of respect, empathy, love, tolerance, honesty and above all, humanity.

Abc School has always set for itself higher goals to attain, the management especially Chairman Sir, Principal Madam, and Vice-Principal Madam and all other teachers including me are striving to attain perfection and it’s a long process. This meeting organised today is for us to get together, think & show our concern & for you to give your true opinion about when and where did we faulted & where all we achieved excellence.

So, once again, I welcome you dear children, although it’s been so long but it seems as it was yesterday. Faces are still very fresh for me from H to J to K to L and many more, really I am delighted to see you people and request you all to enjoy the evening & live the moment.

God Bless You

Thank you all.

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet By Student

Good Evening,

I, student of Class 12- Commerce, on the behalf of CDE College, extend a hearty welcome to all of you who represent diverse professions – doctors, engineers, advocates, businessmen, technocrats, artists, bureaucrats, architects, and what not. Hon’ble college Chairman Sir, respectable Principal Sir and of course the cluster of the intellectual minds present here, a very delightful evening to one & all….

It is indeed a privilege for all of us, to have our ex-students here with us at the Alumni Meet, 2016.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s the time to rewind your school days, when this school started nurturing you, gradually and slowly with delicate care & love. For some of you, who started here as kids, this was the place which bloomed you out of your saplings and strengthened your adolescence, I bet you remember your first day in school when you entered with tearful eyes bidding a farewell to your mother for the day, but the compassionate, bright, and cheerful smiles of your teachers with open arms, wiped your tears & warmly welcomed you to new beginnings, introducing your classmates who replaced the comfort zones of your sweet homes and that eternal connection of belongingness is today proved by your priceless presence here.

Time went on & schooling became one of the best experiences, be it the mouth watering canteen food or the not so cold “cold drink”, what an excitement do those memories bring to you. Today, we picked up those threads & continued the tradition of our Alumni Meet, so that we can weave your precious memories again.

With great enthusiasm and excitement, we request you all to share your experience of outside world with us, how far has this foundation laid by this wonderful school has taken you in life. This school has not left any stone unturned in making its students good human beings and worthy citizens. From moral values to public speaking to self-defence, all qualities and attributes have been inculcated in you.

Dear seniors, we are eager to hear from you how all this has really benefitted you and what the school has turned out is for you. So, here we welcome you all to individually come up at the dais and share your experiences, your success story or whatever you feel like regarding the school with all of us present as eager and attentive audience.

Hope you enjoy a wonderful evening with shared joy, fun and sumptuous food.

Thank you all!!

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet By Professor

A very good morning to one & all present here. Respected Chairperson, Dean of the College, Principal Sir, my dear colleagues and all of our Alumni,

I feel deeply honoured standing here today as well as very privileged to welcome you all here. It’s been so many years, I still remember my first lecture with you people, your faces are still so fresh, dear graduates, a very warm welcome to all of you to this Alumni Meet of your institution.

I appreciate this idea of Alumni Meet, which creates a special bonding between the faculty members and the ones who have graduated & have established themselves already in the outside world. I believe an Alumni Meet is a perfect platform for you to meet and of course revive the bonds with your peers and teachers.

When our college began, it began with a struggling phase due to lot of competition in the city, but gradually when our institution appointed some of the most experienced faculties, our college made its place in the Top 5 Colleges of the State & you all will be glad to know that our college is now ranked as 1 st in the city & has got many awards for the back to back outstanding performances in the university exams by the students.

The benchmark set by the graduates like you is itself a proof that our institution’s graph has been steadily going up. But, we are not limited to this; our commitment is something deeper and more pervasive, which requires a lot of introspection. Our involvement has wide parameters as to whether our students grow up into good citizens or not at the level of city, state, nation or the entire world. Our concern is whether we as faculty we were able to create in you the qualities of respect, empathy, love, tolerance, honesty and above all, humanity.

This meeting organised today is for us to get together, think & show our concern & for you to give your true opinion about when and where did we faulted & where all did we performed exceptionally well.

I still remember many of you, striving very hard to achieve your goals, worried about your career, aspiring higher and what not, although it’s been so long but it seems as if it was yesterday. I would say that I am really delighted to see you people here who spared some time for us, I hope you relish the lunch & enjoy the lovely noon.

May You Be Always Blessed

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet Collage by the Students

A very Good Morning to all! We are all gathered here for the alumni meet of the brilliant graduates of this college. It is a very momentous day as we have a golden opportunity of meeting our graduate peers after such a long period. I am sure that we all have been eagerly waiting for this day since the announcement of this official reunion as celebrating the spirit of being graduated and meeting our former classmates is a sheer pleasure.

I express my hearty gratitude to each one of you for taking out time from your busy schedules to be with us on this occasion. Some of you might have even come from another city to attend this function. I hope that your sacrifice might not go waste and give you memories that will be remembered for your lifetime.

This college has given us unforgettable impressions. Those occasional class bunks, canteen gossips, late night studies and hostel fun, life mantras from teachers and countless other memories are about to stay in our minds forever. Fests organizations and extra-curricular activities organized by the college increased our exposure and made us confident and helped us a lot in striving and becoming what we are today. The wide range of tasks performed by us has given us a sense of responsibility towards our society and raised our conscience. Not only has this institution given us a tremendous learning experience, but also given us a chance to participate in various social and cultural events. Leaving aside the non scholastic activities, the lessons taught by our proficient professors have given us indispensable knowledge and guidance throughout our session. I am grateful to my teachers and professors for all their efforts to make us better persons support us throughout our college journey and of course help us score good grades.

I have seen this institution growing and grooming every single day because of this highly ambitious and committed faculty. It is their courage, hard work and patience which have helped in producing bright students who have done well in their respective careers. I have seen many of my batch mates who have reached extreme heights in their career and have established their names in their respective industries. All thanks to our respected Principal and Teachers! Without you it would not have been possible to tread such a great path.

In the end, I would like to congratulate all the ex-graduates of this college for successfully completing your respective courses and contributing to the goodwill of this institution. I wish you all the luck and success for your future. I have a nice line well said by Tyron Edward that precisely explains the importance of a reunion.

‘’Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven’’

Thank you very much.

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet of the School By Teacher

Good morning to the respected Principal, Vice Principal, my co-workers and our dear students. I truly regard it as an honour and privilege for standing here to contribute to this unforgettable moment, as we celebrate the successful completion of the high school education of these brilliant students. We had been longing for this day from so long and finally this auspicious day has arrived where we get to meet one of our favourite batches of this school. I would like each one of you present here to give them a huge round of applause. It is a very significant day for all of us as we have the privilege of meeting you all after such a while.

It is my sheer pleasure to be a part of the school which has excelled in providing such talented youth to the nation. From the very beginning, this school has attained distinctions in sports, academics and even extra-curricular activities. I remember the day when the students of class XII brought a golden trophy and made headlines in the entire city. Such big and small achievements have always contributed to the development of this institution. This would not have been possible without the efforts of our truly dedicated and committed students and faculty members.

I know bidding adieu to the school life was not an easy job for you as you have made such sweet impressions here. It was equally difficult for us, the teachers to part with brilliant minds we had taught. I appreciate these former students for always staying in touch with us and coming to us for their major guidance and counselling decisions. As you all are in a completely different world now after stepping out of your school days, you will get to learn many lessons in life. I wish you the courage and patience to deal with the struggles and come out to be stronger and more determined. May you get to achieve your goals and become victorious in every sphere of life!

Many of you have moved to different cities for your higher education. Some are even working. I am certain about the fact that you all are performing your best whatever field you are in. In executing responsibilities of a good teacher, we have never backed out and always taught you with all our strengths to make you perform better whether it’s academics, sports or any other sphere of activity. I wish that you never give up in life and earn fame, name and a promising career and come to us to tell your success stories and reward this school with your achievements.

In the end, I would like to say that an institution’s fame rests not only on its administration and teaching staff, but also on the achievements and developments of its students. We are extremely proud and fortunate that you have been an important part of our institution and will always remain in our hearts forever.

Phillip Butler PhD

Three lives of a warrior.

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50th Reunion Speech

Will rogers high school, tulsa. oklahoma.

50th Reunion Address to the Class of 1956

Phillip Butler, PhD 9-30-06

Thank you my classmates. You are very kind and generous to this old ex con. Today I feel especially privileged to have been given the honor of introducing others in our class who richly deserve our recognition and appreciation. But before I do that, I have a few observations.

We have lived through an unparalleled and amazing 50 years in which we have experienced nothing short of an unprecedented social revolution.

First there is War. War is the gift that just keeps on giving, generation after generation.

In 1956 the remnants of our Civil War were still haunting our society even though it had ended 90 years before. But we were just beginning to work our way out. Even today, the economic disparity that still exists between our northern and southern states is in part a carry over from Civil War devastation and perceived dishonor.

Look at all our white faces here today. We grew up and graduated in a segregated and racist culture. The 1954 Supreme Court decision, Brown vs. Board of Education, launched the civil rights struggle and turmoil of the 60’s and 70’s.

Rock and Roll music got started – black music often imitated by whites.

Women also began their struggle for equal opportunity, at work and at home, forever changing stereotyped images of what women, and men, can be. Part of that change was a sexual revolution that followed the invention of “The Pill.”

President Eisenhower instituted our national highway system that gave birth to the mobile and consumer-oriented society we know today.

The television era began, changing forever the way we recreate, communicate and receive information. Other electronic wonders followed; the computer, the cell phone and other devices that to many of us might seem to have complicated rather than enriched our lives.

Space travel began and continued with landing men on the moon and the exploration of our outer solar system.

Nuclear weapons were proliferated to numerous other countries, and the Cold War nuclear standoff ultimately brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But the defining event of our lives had to be the Vietnam War. It was a long and terrible venture that left many of us in doubt. We lost 58,000 killed and hundreds of thousands wounded and emotionally shattered – our best and brightest. It also left the Vietnamese with an unimaginable 2 million killed, many millions more wounded and shattered, and a landscape that has been environmentally devastated for generations to come.

For those of us who saw it first hand, Vietnam was like all wars – chaotic, destructive, dehumanizing and I must say, disgusting. War is the worst possible thing that exists in the lexicon of human behavior.

But remember I said earlier that war is also the gift that just keeps on giving. Many of us have experienced and perhaps continue to experience anger, resentment and polarization over the Vietnam War. There were the doves and the hawks back then, so I’m told, because as you all know, I was “vacationing in the tropics” as we former Vietnam POW’s like to say. The war caused polarization even among friends and family.

But at some point my friends, all good people seek to heal the wounds of war. And that’s what I’d like us to start doing here today. Others outside this room can carry on with their resentments and anger, but let us classmates begin to heal ours here and now.

To do this, first I’d like to recognize and honor all our military veterans, those who served in any of our services, in any capacity. Would you please stand and receive our appreciation.

Second, I’d like to recognize and honor those who also struggled to end the war and bring us safely home, those of us who were the doves, protesters and activists against the Vietnam War. Would you please stand and receive our appreciation.

And finally, I’d like to recognize and honor our Vietnam Veterans who often, tragically, were not appreciated for their sacrifices. They all deserve the same welcome I received from you when I came home to Tulsa in 1973. So would all of you, my Vietnam brothers and sisters, please come up and stand on this stage with me.

(Each Vietnam veteran says his/her name, service and years in Vietnam. “Welcome home” by classmates

Finally, I hope all of us will remember our past mistakes and seek to help keep new generations of graduates from making the same ones over again. Surely all of us here today can understand and appreciate the privilege of being here, 50 years later, and the responsibility we have to pass on that wisdom. And I hope all of us will continue to help heal the wounds of war, past and present. Remember. You can hate the war but never forget to love our warriors.

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2018 The Civil Rights icon delivers a powerful message on the importance of truth, justice, and equality at a time when those values have come under assault.

Thank you so much for those kind words of introduction. I must tell you that I’m delighted, very pleased and really happy to be here. You look good! The weather is good, rain stayed away. I’m happy. It’s good to see each and every one of you. Fellows of Harvard University, members of the Board of Overseers, members of the alumni board, distinguished deans, guests, faculty and all of the students, all of the wonderful graduates, and madam president, thank you. Thank you for your leadership, thank you for getting in good trouble! Necessary trouble. To lead this great University.

I want to take just a moment to honor the tenure of a great leader, who, through her courage and vision, worked to lead this historic university to even higher heights. Madam president, thank you for being a friend, but more importantly, thank you for using your office to move Harvard toward a more all-inclusive institution. Somewhere along the way, you realized that the brilliant mind is not confined to one discipline or one way of thinking.

In fact, true genius sees connections and relationships across barriers, to build a new understanding of the world around us. Creating one Harvard is much like the work I dedicated my life to. Ever since as a young girl you wrote a letter to President Eisenhower as a little girl, you have been responding to the cry for human dignity that rings out in our world. You used your vision and your talent, you used the great resources of this university to respond to that call, and I thank you. Thank you for your contribution to human unity in our world.

Today I say to each and every one of you who graduated from this University, you must lead. You’re never too young to lead, you’re never too old to lead! We need your leadership now more than ever before. We need it! We must save our country! We must save it! We must save our democracy. There are forces in America today and around the world trying to take us to some other place. Our foremothers and forefathers brought us to this place. Maybe our foremothers and our forefathers all came to this great land in different ships but as the late great A. Philip Randolph said “we are all in the same boat now” and we must look out for each other and care for each other. You’re never too young or too old to lead! To speak up! Speak out! And get in good trouble, necessary trouble. You cannot afford to stand on the sidelines.

Another generation of young people and people not so young are inspired to get in the way. Students from Harvard, Dr. Cole, who I have been knowing for many years came to Mississippi, came to the South and gave everything you had. During the 63 young men that I knew, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwermer, and James Chaney gave their very lives while they were helping people to register to vote. The vote is precious. It’s almost sacred. It is the most powerful, nonviolent instrument or tool we have in a democratic society and we must use t if we fail to use it, we will lose it.

So during this election year, I urge you, I plead with you to do what you can to save and rescue America. To do what you can to save the planet! Save this spaceship we call earth and leave it a little cleaner, a little greener, and a little more peaceful. For generations yet unborn. We have a mission and a mandate to go out there, play a role and play it so well as Dr. King would say, that no one else can play it any better. Some of you have heard me say from time to time that I grew up in rural Alabama on a farm, picking cotton, gathering peanuts, gathering corn. Sometimes I would be out there working and my mother would say, “boy, you’re falling behind! You need to catch up.” And I would say “this is hard work.” And she said “hard work never killed anybody.” And I said “well it’s about to kill me!” We need to work hard! There is work to be done. These smart graduates will lead us. High school students lead us, and guys, I say to you, if you’re not mindful, the women are going to lead us! It is my belief, it is my feeling as a traveler of America that the women and young. People, high school students, elementary school students and College students will lead us as part of a nonviolent revolution. We will create an America that is better, a little more humane and no one, but no one can deny us of that.

I just want to say one or two words to the graduates. Take a deep breath and take it all in. But tomorrow, I hope you roll up your sleeves, because the world is waiting for talented men and women to lead it to a better place. During the 60s, people literally put their bodies on the line! Many came from this University, came from Cambridge, from Boston, throughout the state and throughout America. Just think a few short years ago that Black people and white people couldn’t be seated together on a Greyhound business or trailway bus, leaving Washington, D.C., to travel through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi. We were on our way to New Orleans to test a decision of the United States Supreme Court. We were beaten, arrested, and more than 400 of us were jailed. My seatmate was a young white gentleman from Connecticut. We arrived in a small town in South Carolina. We were beaten, left bloody. But many years later, and this was May 1961, same year that Barack Obama was born, but many years later, one of the guys that beat us came to my office in Washington. He got information from a local reporter. He was in his 70s, his son came with him in his 40s. He said, “Mr. Lewis, I’m one of the people that beat you. Beat your seatmate. I’ve been a member of the Klan.” He said “will you forgive me? I want to apologize. Will you accept my apology? Will you forgive me?” His son started crying, he started crying and I said, “I forgive you. I accept your apology.” They hugged me, I hugged them back, and I cried with them. It is the power of the way of peace, the power of love, it is the power of the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. We need to create a society where we can be reconciled and lay down the burden of hath for hate is too heavy of a burden to bear.

Fifty years ago the man that I admired, the man that was like a brother, Martin Luther King Jr., was taken from us. When we heard that Dr. King had been assassinated I was in Indianapolis, Indiana, campaigning with Bobby Kennedy. I cried. Stopped crying and I said to myself “we still have bobby.” Two months later Bobby Kennedy was gone. And I cried some more. Today we’ve got to get rid of our are tears and not be down. And not get lost in the sea of despair. We’ve got to be hopeful and keep the faith and turn the ship around. We can do it and we must do it!

Here at Harvard you’ve been well trained. You must lead. You must get out there and as Dr. King would say, be a headlight, not a taillight! It’s your time, it’s your calling. During the 60s I got arrested a few times, 40 times! And since I’ve been in Congress another five times! And I’m probably going to get arrested again! My philosophy is very simple, when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, stand up! Say something! Speak up and speak out!

When I was growing up as a young boy in rural Alabama, 50 miles from Montgomery, I had an aunt by the name of Seneva and my aunt lived in a shotgun house. Here at Harvard you never seen a shotgun house, you don’t even know what I’m talking about. One way in, one way out. What is a shotgun house? Old house, dirt yard. Sometimes my aunt Seneva would go out on the weekend, Friday or Saturday, and take a brush broom made from dogwood branches and sweep the yard very clean. One Saturday afternoon few of my brothers and sisters, cousins, about 15 of us young children were playing in her dirt yard. And an unbelievable storm came up. The wind started blowing, the thunder started rolling and the lightning started flashing and she told us to come in. We went in. The wind continued to blow, the thunder continued to roll, the lightning continued to flash, and the rain continued to beat on this old tin roof of the shotgun house. And we cried and cried. And in one corner of the old house appeared to be lifting up. And my aunt walked over to that side to hold the house down with her body. When the other corner appeared to be lifting she had us walk to that corner, we were children walking with the wind, but we never, ever left the house! I say to each of you, each and every one of us, the wind may blow, the thunder may roll, the lightning may flash, and the rain may beat down on an old house. Call it a house of Harvard, call it a house of Cambridge, call it a house of Boston, call it the house of Washington, or Alabama or Georgia, we all live in the same house. We all must hold our little house down. So I say to you: Walk with the wind. Let the spirit of history be your guide.

Thank you very much.

“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

J.K. Rowling

2008 Drawing from her own life story, the “Harry Potter” author urges graduates not to fear failure but to learn from it and emphasized the power of empathy and imagination.

Read the speech.

“If we break down the walls that hem us in, if we step out into the open and have the courage to embrace new beginnings, everything is possible.”

Angela Merkel

2019 Like the Berlin Wall, “anything that seems set in stone or inalterable can indeed change,” Germany’s first woman chancellor said.

Herman Hesse wrote, “In all beginnings dwells a magic force for guarding us and helping us to live.” These words by Herman Hesse inspired me when I completed my physics degree at the age of 24. That was back in 1978. The world was divided into east and west, and it was in the grips of the Cold War. I grew up in East Germany, in the GDR, the part of my country which was not free at that time, in a dictatorship. People were oppressed and under state surveillance. Political dissidents were persecuted. The East German government was afraid that the people would flee to freedom. And that’s why it built the Berlin Wall, a wall made of concrete and steel. Anyone caught trying to overcome it was arrested or shot dead. This wall, which cut Berlin in half, divided a people and it divided families. My family was also divided.My first job after college was as a physicist at the Academy of Sciences in East Berlin. I lived near the Berlin Wall. I walked towards it every day on my way home from my institute. Behind it lay West Berlin, freedom. And every day, when I was very close to the wall, I had to turn away at the last minute in order to head towards my apartment. Every day, I had to turn away from freedom at the last minute. I don’t know how often I thought that I just couldn’t take it anymore. It was so frustrating.

Now, I was not a dissident. I didn’t run up and bang against the wall. Nor, however, did I deny its existence, for I didn’t want to lie to myself. The Berlin Wall limited my opportunities. It quite literally stood in my way. However, there was one thing which this wall couldn’t do during all those years. It couldn’t impose limits on my inner thoughts. My personality, my imagination, my dreams and desires, prohibitions or coercion couldn’t limit any of that. Then came 1989. A common desire for freedom unleashed incredible forces throughout Europe. In Poland, in Hungary, in Czechoslovakia, as well as in East Germany, hundreds of thousands of people dared to take to the streets. The people demonstrated and brought down the wall. Something which many people, including myself, would not have believed possible became reality. Where there was once only a dark wall, a door suddenly opened. For me, too, the moment had come to walk through that door. I no longer had to turn away from freedom at the last minute. I was able to cross this border and venture out into the great wide open.

During these months, 30 years ago, I experienced firsthand that nothing has to stay the way it is. This experience, dear graduates, is the first thought I want to share with you today for your future. Anything that seems to be set in stone or inalterable can, indeed, change. In matters both large and small, it holds true that every change begins in the mind. My parents’ generation discovered this in a most painful way. My father and mother were born in 1926 and 1928.

When they weren’t as old as most of you here today, the betrayal of all civilized well values that was the Shoah and World War II had just ended. My country, Germany, had brought unimaginable suffering on Europe and the world. The victors and the defeated could easily have remained irreconcilable for many years, but instead, Europe overcame centuries old conflicts. A peaceful order based on common values rather than suppose at national strength emerged. Despite all the discussions and temporary setbacks, I firmly believe that we Europeans have United for the better. And the relationship between Germans and Americans, too, demonstrates how former wartime enemies can become friends.

It was George Marshall who gave a crucial contribution to this for the plan he announced at the commencement ceremonies in 1947 in this very place. The transatlantic partnership based on values, such as democracy and human rights, has given us an era of peace and prosperity of benefit to all sides, which has lasted for more than 70 years now. And today, it will not be long now before the politicians of my generation are no longer the subject of the exercising leadership program, and at most will be dealt with in leadership in history. Harvard class of 2019, your generation will be faced with the challenges of the 21st century in the coming decades. You are among those who will lead us into the future.

Protectionism and trade conflicts, jeopardize free international trade, and thus the very foundations of our prosperity. The digital transformation affects all facets of our lives, wars and terrorism lead to displacement and forced migration, climate change poses a threat to our planet’s natural resources, it and the resulting crises are caused by humans. Therefore, we can and must do everything humanly possible to truly master this challenge to humankind. It’s still possible. However, each and every one of us must play our part. And I say this with a measure of self criticism, get better. I will therefore do everything in my power to ensure that Germany, my country, will achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Changes for the better are possible if we tackle them together. If we were to go it alone, we could not achieve much. The second thought I want to share with you is therefore, more than ever our way of thinking and our actions have to be multilateral rather than unilateral, global rather than national, outward looking rather than isolationists. In short, we have to work together rather than alone.

You, dear graduates, will have quite different opportunities to do this in future than my generation did. After all, your smartphone probably has considerably more processing power than the copy of an IBM mainframe computer manufactured in the Soviet Union, which I was allowed to use for my dissertation in East Germany in 1986.

Today we use artificial intelligence, for example, to search through millions of images for symptoms of diseases.In order, among other things, to better diagnose cancer. In future, empathetic robots could help doctors and nurses to focus on the individual needs of patients. We cannot predict today which applications will be possible. However, the opportunities it brings are truly breathtaking.

Class of 2019, how we use these opportunities will be largely up to you as graduates. You are the ones who will be involved in deciding how our approach to how we work, communicate, get about, indeed, our entire way of life will develop. As federal chancellor, I often have to ask myself, “Am I doing the right thing?” “Am I doing something? Because it isn’t right? Or simply because it is possible.” That is something you two need to keep asking yourselves. And that is the third thought I wish to share with you today.

Are we laying down the rules for technology or is technology dictating how we interact? Do we prioritize people as individuals with their human dignity and all their many facets? Or do we see in them merely consumers, data sources, objects of surveyance. These are difficult questions.

I have learned that we can find good answers even to difficult questions if we always try to view the world through the eyes of others. If we respect other people’s history, traditions, religion, and identity. If we hold fast to our inalienable values and act in accordance with them. And if we don’t always act on our first impulses, even when there is pressure to make a snap decision.

But instead take a moment to stop. Be still. Think. Pause. Granted, that certainly takes courage. Above all it calls for truthfulness in our attitude towards others. And perhaps most importantly, it calls for us to be honest with ourselves.

What better place to begin to do so than here, in this place, where so many young people from all over the world come to learn, research, and discuss the issues of our time under the maxim of truth. That requires us not to describe lies as truth and truth as lies. It requires us not to accept shortcomings as our normality. Yet what, dear graduates, could stop you? What could stop us from doing that?

Once again, the answer is walls.

Walls in people’s minds. Walls of ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They exist between family members, as well as between groups within the society, between people of different skin colors, nations, and religions. I would like us to break down these walls. Walls that keep preventing us from envisioning the world in which, together, we want to live.

Whether we manage to do that is up to us. That’s why my full thought for you, dear graduates, to consider is this. Nothing can be taken for granted. Our individual liberties are not givens. Democracy is not something we can take for granted. Neither is peace and neither is prosperity.

But if we break down… If we break down the walls that hem us in, if we step out into the open and have the courage to embrace new beginnings, everything is possible. Walls can collapse. Dictatorships can disappear. We can halt global warming. We can eradicate starvation. We can eliminate diseases. We can give people, especially girls, access to education. We can fight the causes of displacement and forced migration. We can do all of that. Let’s not start by asking what isn’t possible, or focusing on what has always been that way. Let’s start by asking what is possible and looking for things that have never been done like that before. This is exactly what I said to the Bundestag, the German Parliament, in 2005 in my first policy statement as newly elected Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and the first woman to hold this office. I want to use precisely these words to share with you my fifth thought. Let us surprise ourselves by showing what is possible. Let us surprise ourselves by showing what we are capable of. In my own life, it was the fall of the Berlin Wall that allowed me almost 30 years ago to step out into the open. At that point, I left my work as a scientist behind me and entered politics. That was an exciting and magical time, just as your lives will be exciting and magical.

I also experienced moments of doubt and worry, for at that time, we all knew what lay behind us, but not what might lie ahead. Perhaps that reflects a little how you, too, are feeling today, amidst all the joy of this occasion.

The six thought I also want to share with you is this. The moment when you step out into the open is also a moment of risk-taking. Letting go of the old is part of a new beginning. There is no beginning without an end, no day without night, no life without death. Our whole life consists of the difference, the space between beginning and ending.

It is what lies in between that we call life and experience. I believe at time and time again, we need to be prepared to keep bringing things to an end in order to feel the magic of new beginnings and to make the most of opportunities. That was what I learned as a student, and it is what I now in politics. Who knows what life will bring after my time as a politician? That, too, is completely open. Only one thing is clear. It will again be something different and something new.

That’s why I want to leave this wish with you. Tear down walls of ignorance and narrow mindedness for nothing has to stay as it is.

It’s six things. Take joint action in the interest of the moderate lateral global world. Keep asking yourselves, “Am I doing something because it is right, or simply because it’s possible?” Don’t forget that freedom is never something that can be taken for granted. Surprise yourself with what is possible. Remember that openness always involves risks. Letting go of the old is part of the new beginning. Above all, nothing can be taken for granted. Everything is possible. Thank you.

“In a two-hour movie, you get a handful of character-defining moments, but in real life, you face them every day. Life is one strong, long string of character-defining moments.”

Steven Spielberg

2016 Don’t shy away from the world’s pain, the filmmaker urged grads. Instead, examine it, challenge it and, while you’re at it, find “a villain to vanquish.”

Thank you, thank you, President Faust, and Paul Choi, thank you so much.

It’s an honor and a thrill to address this group of distinguished alumni and supportive friends and kvelling parents. We’ve all gathered to share in the joy of this day, so please join me in congratulating Harvard’s Class of 2016.

I can remember my own college graduation, which is easy, since it was only 14 years ago. How many of you took 37 years to graduate? Because, like most of you, I began college in my teens, but sophomore year, I was offered my dream job at Universal Studios, so I dropped out. I told my parents if my movie career didn’t go well, I’d re-enroll. It went all right.But eventually, I returned for one big reason. Most people go to college for an education, and some go for their parents, but I went for my kids. I’m the father of seven, and I kept insisting on the importance of going to college, but I hadn’t walked the walk. So, in my fifties, I re-enrolled at Cal State — Long Beach, and I earned my degree.I just have to add: It helped that they gave me course credit in paleontology for the work I did on Jurassic Park. That’s three units for Jurassic Park, thank you. Well I left college because I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and some of you know, too — but some of you don’t. Or maybe you thought you knew but are now questioning that choice. Maybe you’re sitting there trying to figure out how to tell your parents that you want to be a doctor and not a comedy writer.

Well, what you choose to do next is what we call in the movies the “character-defining moment.” Now, these are moments you’re very familiar with, like in the last “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” when Rey realizes the force is with her. Or Indiana Jones choosing mission over fear by jumping over a pile of snakes. Now in a two-hour movie, you get a handful of character-defining moments, but in real life, you face them every day. Life is one strong, long string of character-defining moments. And I was lucky that at 18 I knew what I exactly wanted to do. But I didn’t know who I was. How could I? And how could any of us? Because for the first 25 years of our lives, we are trained to listen to voices that are not our own. Parents and professors fill our heads with wisdom and information, and then employers and mentors take their place and explain how this world really works. And usually these voices of authority make sense, but sometimes, doubt starts to creep into our heads and into our hearts. And even when we think, “that’s not quite how I see the world,” it’s kind of easier to just to nod in agreement and go along, and for a while, I let that going along define my character. Because I was repressing my own point of view, because like in that Nilsson song, “Everybody was talkin’ at me, so I couldn’t hear the echoes of my mind.” And at first, the internal voice I needed to listen to was hardly audible, and it was hardly noticeable — kind of like me in high school.

But then I started paying more attention, and my intuition kicked in. And I want to be clear that your intuition is different from your conscience. They work in tandem, but here’s the distinction: Your conscience shouts, “here’s what you should do,” while your intuition whispers, “here’s what you could do.” Listen to that voice that tells you what you could do. Nothing will define your character more than that. Because once I turned to my intuition, and I tuned into it, certain projects began to pull me into them, and others, I turned away from. And up until the 1980s, my movies were mostly, I guess what you could call “escapist.” And I don’t dismiss any of these movies — not even 1941. Not even that one. And many of these early films reflected the values that I cared deeply about, and I still do. But I was in a celluloid bubble, because I’d cut my education short, my worldview was limited to what I could dream up in my head, not what the world could teach me.

But then I directed “The Color Purple.” And this one film opened my eyes to experiences that I never could have imagined, and yet were all too real. This story was filled with deep pain and deeper truths, like when Shug Avery says, “Everything wants to be loved.” My gut, which was my intuition, told me that more people needed to meet these characters and experience these truths. And while making that film, I realized that a movie could also be a mission. I hope all of you find that sense of mission. Don’t turn away from what’s painful. Examine it. Challenge it. My job is to create a world that lasts two hours. Your job is to create a world that lasts forever. You are the future innovators, motivators, leaders and caretakers. And the way you create a better future is by studying the past.

“Jurassic Park” writer Michael Crichton, who graduated from both this college and this medical school, liked to quote a favorite professor of his who said that if you didn’t know history, you didn’t know anything. You were a leaf that didn’t know it was part of a tree. So history majors: Good choice, you’re in great shape…Not in the job market, but culturally. The rest of us have to make a little effort. Social media that we’re inundated and swarmed with is about the here and now. But I’ve been fighting and fighting inside my own family to get all my kids to look behind them, to look at what already has happened. Because to understand who they are is to understand who we were, and who their grandparents were, and then, what this country was like when they emigrated here. We are a nation of immigrants at least for now.

So to me, this means we all have to tell our own stories. We have so many stories to tell. Talk to your parents and your grandparents, if you can, and ask them about their stories. And I promise you, like I have promised my kids, you will not be bored. And that’s why I so often make movies based on real-life events. I look to history not to be didactic, cause that’s just a bonus, but I look because the past is filled with the greatest stories that have ever been told. Heroes and villains are not literary constructs, but they’re at the heart of all history.

And again, this is why it’s so important to listen to your internal whisper. It’s the same one that compelled Abraham Lincoln and Oskar Schindler to make the correct moral choices. In your defining moments, do not let your morals be swayed by convenience or expediency. Sticking to your character requires a lot of courage. And to be courageous, you’re going to need a lot of support.And if you’re lucky, you have parents like mine. I consider my mom my lucky charm. And when I was 12 years old, my father handed me a movie camera, the tool that allowed me to make sense of this world. And I am so grateful to him for that. And I am grateful that he’s here at Harvard, sitting right down there. My dad is 99 years old, which means he’s only one year younger than Widener Library. But unlike Widener, he’s had zero cosmetic work. And dad, there’s a lady behind you, also 99, and I’ll introduce you after this is over, okay? But look, if your family’s not always available, there’s backup. Near the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life” — you remember that movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”? Clarence the Angel inscribes a book with this: “No man is a failure who has friends.” And I hope you hang on to the friendships you’ve made here at Harvard. And among your friends, I hope you find someone you want to share your life with.

I imagine some of you in this yard may be a tad cynical, but I want to be unapologetically sentimental. I spoke about the importance of intuition and how there’s no greater voice to follow. That is, until you meet the love of your life. And this is what happened when I met and married Kate, and that became the greatest character-defining moment of my life.Love, support, courage, intuition. All of these things are in your hero’s quiver, but still, a hero needs one more thing: A hero needs a villain to vanquish. And you’re all in luck. This world is full of monsters. And there’s racism, homophobia, ethnic hatred, class hatred, there’s political hatred, and there’s religious hatred.As a kid, I was bullied — for being Jewish. This was upsetting, but compared to what my parents and grandparents had faced, it felt tame. Because we truly believed that anti-Semitism was fading. And we were wrong. Over the last two years, nearly 20,000 Jews have left Europe to find higher ground. And earlier this year, I was at the Israeli embassy when President Obama stated the sad truth. He said: “We must confront the reality that around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it.”

My own desire to confront that reality compelled me to start, in 1994, the Shoah Foundation. And since then, we’ve spoken to over 53,000 Holocaust survivors and witnesses in 63 countries and taken all their video testimonies. And we’re now gathering testimonies from genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, Armenia and Nanking. Because we must never forget that the inconceivable doesn’t happen — it happens frequently. Atrocities are happening right now. And so we wonder not just, “When will this hatred end?” but, “How did it begin?”

Now, I don’t have to tell a crowd of Red Sox fans that we are wired for tribalism. But beyond rooting for the home team, tribalism has a much darker side. Instinctively and maybe even genetically, we divide the world into “us” and “them.” So the burning question must be: How do all of us together find the “we?” How do we do that? There’s still so much work to be done, and sometimes I feel the work hasn’t even begun. And it’s not just anti-Semitism that’s surging — Islamophobia’s on the rise, too. Because there’s no difference between anyone who is discriminated against, whether it’s the Muslims, or the Jews, or minorities on the border states, or the LGBT community — it is all big one hate.

And to me, and, I think, to all of you, the only answer to more hate is more humanity. We gotta repair — we have to replace fear with curiosity. “Us” and “them” — we’ll find the “we” by connecting with each other. And by believing that we’re members of the same tribe. And by feeling empathy for every soul — even Yalies.

My son graduated from Yale, thank you …

But make sure this empathy isn’t just something that you feel. Make it something you act upon. That means vote. Peaceably protest. Speak up for those who can’t and speak up for those who may be shouting but aren’t being hard. Let your conscience shout as loud as it wants if you’re using it in the service of others.

And as an example of action in service of others, you need to look no further than this Hollywood-worthy backdrop of Memorial Church. Its south wall bears the names of Harvard alumni — like President Faust has already mentioned — students and faculty members, who gave their lives in World War II. All told, 697 souls, who once tread the ground where stand now, were lost. And at a service in this church in late 1945, Harvard President James Conant — which President Faust also mentioned — honored the brave and called upon the community to “reflect the radiance of their deeds.”

Seventy years later, this message still holds true. Because their sacrifice is not a debt that can be repaid in a single generation. It must be repaid with every generation. Just as we must never forget the atrocities, we must never forget those who fought for freedom. So as you leave this college and head out into the world, continue please to ‘reflect the radiance of their deeds,’ or as Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan would say, “Earn this.”

And please stay connected. Please never lose eye contact. This may not be a lesson you want to hear from a person who creates media, but we are spending more time looking down at our devices than we are looking in each other’s eyes. So, forgive me, but let’s start right now. Everyone here, please find someone’s eyes to look into. Students, and alumni and you too, President Faust, all of you, turn to someone you don’t know or don’t know very well. They may be standing behind you, or a couple of rows ahead. Just let your eyes meet. That’s it. That emotion you’re feeling is our shared humanity mixed in with a little social discomfort.

But, if you remember nothing else from today, I hope you remember this moment of human connection. And I hope you all had a lot of that over the past four years. Because today you start down the path of becoming the generation on which the next generation stands. And I’ve imagined many possible futures in my films, but you will determine the actual future. And I hope that it’s filled with justice and peace.

And finally, I wish you all a true, Hollywood-style happy ending. I hope you outrun the T. rex, catch the criminal and for your parents’ sake, maybe every now and then, just like E.T.: Go home. Thank you.

“Facts and truth are matters of life and death. Misinformation, disinformation, delusions, and deceit can kill.”

Martin Baron

2020 “Imperfect though [it] may be” an independent press is key to ensuring that facts are presented and truth defended in society,” the Washington Post executive editor said.

Good morning from my home. Like you, I wish we were together on campus.There is so much now we can no longer take for granted. The air we breathe is first among them. So, those of us who are healthy have ample reason to be grateful. I am also grateful to Harvard and to President Bacow for inviting me to be with you. To the Harvard Class of 2020, congratulations. And congratulations to the parents, professors, mentors and friends who helped you along the way. Joining you for graduation is a high honor.

For me, this is an opportunity – an opportunity to speak about subjects that I believe are of real urgency. Especially now during a worldwide health emergency.

I would like to discuss with you the need for a commitment to facts and to truth. Only a few months ago, I would have settled for emphasizing that our democracy depends on facts and truth. And it surely does. But now, as we can plainly see, it is more elemental than that.

Facts and truth are matters of life and death. Misinformation, disinformation, delusions and deceit can kill. Here is what can move us forward: Science and medicine. Study and knowledge. Expertise and reason. In other words, fact and truth. I want to tell you why free expression by all of us and an independent press, imperfect though we may be, is essential to getting at the truth. And why we must hold government to account. And hold other powerful interests to account as well.When I began thinking about these remarks, I expected, of course, to be on Harvard’s campus. And I thought: Not a bad place to talk about a free press. Not a bad place to talk about our often-testy relationship with official power.

It was in Boston, after all, where the first newspaper of the American colonies was founded. Its first edition was published September 25th, 1690. The very next day, the governor and council of Massachusetts shut it down. So, the press of this country has long known what it means to face a government that aims to silence it. Fortunately, there has been progress. With the First Amendment, James Madison championed the right of “freely examining public characters and measures.”

But it took a very long time before we as a nation fully absorbed what Madison was talking about. We took many ominous turns. We had the Alien and Sedition acts under John Adams, the Sedition and Espionage Acts under Woodrow Wilson, the McCarthy era. It was not always clear where we as a nation would end up.

Finally, witnessing the authoritarianism of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, we began to secure a free press in this country. The Supreme Court would forcefully emphasize the press’ role in guaranteeing a democracy. Justice Hugo Black said it well decades later: “The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.” Not only the secrets of government, I would add. Our duty to inform the public does not stop there. Not by a long shot.

That was evident during my years as a journalist in Boston. Amid today’s crisis, it seems like another era. And I guess it is. But I want to tell you about it — because I think it remains instructive about what a strong, independent press must do.

I started as editor of the Boston Globe in the summer of 2001. One day prior to my start date, a Globe columnist wrote about a shocking case. A priest had been accused of abusing as many as 80 kids. A lawsuit alleged that the cardinal in Boston at the time knew about the serial abuse, didn’t do anything about it — and repeatedly reassigned this priest from parish to parish, warning no one, over decades. The Archdiocese called the accusations baseless and reckless. The Globe columnist wrote that the truth might never be known. Internal documents that might reveal it had been sealed by a judge. On my first day of work, we asked the question: How do we get at the truth? Because the public deserved to know.

That question led us to challenge the judge’s secrecy order. And our journalists launched an investigation of their own. In early 2002, we published what we had learned through reporting and by prevailing in court. We published the truth: The cardinal did know about the abuse by this priest. Yet he kept him in ministry, thus enabling further abuse. Dozens of clergy in the diocese had committed similar offenses. The cardinal had covered it all up.

And a bigger truth would emerge: Covering up such abuse had been practice and policy in the Church for decades. Only now the powerful were being held to account.

Late in 2002, after hundreds of stories on this subject, I received a letter from a Father Thomas P. Doyle. Father Doyle had struggled for years – in vain — to get the Church to confront the very issue we were writing about. He expressed deep gratitude for our work. “It is momentous,” he wrote, “and its good effects will reverberate for decades.” Father Doyle did not see journalists as the enemy. He saw us an ally when one was sorely needed. So did abuse survivors. I kept Father Doyle’s letter on my desk — a daily reminder of what journalists must do when we see evidence of wrongdoing.

Harvard’s commencement speaker two years ago, civil rights pioneer John Lewis, once said this: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” We as journalists have the capacity – along with the constitutional right — to say and do something. We also have the obligation. And we must have the will. So must you. Every one of you has a stake in this idea of free expression. You want to be free to express your views. You should be free to hear the views of others, the same or different. You want to be free to watch any movie. To read any book. To listen to any lyrics. You should be free to say what you know is true without threat of government reprisal.And you should acknowledge this if you value these freedoms that come with democracy: Democracy cannot exist without a free and independent press. It never has.

Leaders who crave more power for themselves always move quickly to crush an independent press. Next, they destroy free expression itself. Sadly, much of the world is on that worrisome path. And efforts in this country to demonize, delegitimize and dehumanize the press give license to other governments to do the same – and to do far worse.

By the end of last year, a near-record 250 journalists worldwide were sitting in prison. Thirty of them faced accusations of “false news,” a charge virtually unheard-of only seven years earlier.

Turkey has been trading places with China as No. 1 on the list of countries that jail the most journalists. The Turkish government has shut down more than 100 media outlets and charged many journalists as terrorists. Independent media have been largely extinguished. China, of course, imposes some of the world’s tightest censorship on what its citizens can see and hear.

In Hungary, the prime minister has waged war on independent media. Harvard Nieman fellow Andras Petho, who runs an investigative reporting center there, notes that the prime minister’s business allies are “taking over hundreds of outlets and turning them into propaganda machines.”

Like other heads of state, Hungary’s prime minister has exploited the pandemic to grab more power, suppress inconvenient facts, and escalate pressure on news outlets. A new law threatens up to five-year jail terms against those accused of spreading supposedly false information. Independent news outlets have questioned how the crisis was managed. And the fear now is that such accountability journalism will lead to harassment and arrests, as it has in other countries.

In the Philippines, the courageous Maria Ressa, who founded the country’s largest online-only news site, has been battling government harassment for years on other fronts. She now faces prosecution on bogus charges of violating foreign ownership laws. By the end of last year, she had posted bail eight times. Her real violation? She brought scrutiny to the president. In Myanmar, two Reuters journalists — Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo – were imprisoned for more than 500 days for investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys. Finally, a year ago, they were released. In 2018, an opinion writer for The Washington Post, Jamal Khashoggi, walked into Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to marry. He was murdered there at the hands of a team sent by highest-level Saudi officials. His offense? He had sharply criticized the Saudi government. In Mexico, murderous vengeance against journalists is common. Last year, at least five were killed, more than in any other country. I think also of the risks that American journalists have taken to inform the public. Among them are colleagues I can never forget.

One is Elizabeth Neuffer. Seventeen years ago this month, I stood before her friends at the Boston Globe to report that she had died covering the war in Iraq. Elizabeth was 46, an experienced foreign correspondent, a mentor to others; vivacious and brave. Her Iraqi driver was traveling at high speed because of the risk of abductions. He lost control. Elizabeth died instantly; her translator, too. Elizabeth had a record of fearlessness in investigating war crimes and human rights abuses. Her goal: Reveal the world as it is — because someone might then make things better.

Another colleague was Anthony Shadid. In 2002, I visited Anthony, then a reporter for the Globe, after he was shot and wounded in Ramallah. Lying in a hospital in Jerusalem, it was clear that he had narrowly escaped being paralyzed. Anthony recovered and went on to report from Iraq, where he won two Pulitzer Prizes for The Washington Post. From Egypt, where he was harassed by police. From Libya, where he and three New York Times colleagues were detained by pro-government militias and physically abused. He died in 2012, at age 43, while reporting in Syria, apparently of an asthma attack. Anthony told the stories of ordinary people. Without him, their voices would have gone unheard.

And now I think constantly of reporters, photographers and videographers who risk their own well-being to be with heroic frontline health workers — frontline workers of every sort – to share their stories. Anthony, Elizabeth and my present-day colleagues sought to be eyewitnesses. To see the facts for themselves. To discover the truth and tell it. As a profession, we maintain there is such a thing as fact, there is such a thing as truth.

At Harvard, where the school’s motto is “Veritas,” presumably you do, too. Truth, we know, is not a matter of who wields power or who speaks loudest. It has nothing to do with who benefits or what is most popular. And ever since the Enlightenment, modern society has rejected the idea that truth derives from any single authority on Earth.

To determine what is factual and true, we rely on certain building blocks. Start with education. Then there is expertise. And experience. And, above all, we rely on evidence. We see that acutely now when people’s health can be jeopardized by false claims, wishful thinking and invented realities. The public’s safety requires the honest truth. Yet education, expertise, experience and evidence are being devalued, dismissed and denied. The goal is clear: to undermine the very idea of objective fact, all in pursuit of political gain. Along with that is a systematic effort to disqualify traditional independent arbiters of fact. The press tops the list of targets. But others populate the list, too: courts, historians, even scientists and medical professionals – subject-matter experts of every type.

And so today the government’s leading scientists find their motives questioned, their qualifications mocked — despite a lifetime of dedication and achievement that has made us all safer. In any democracy, we want vigorous debate about our challenges and the correct policies. But what becomes of democracy if we cannot agree on a common set of facts, if we can’t agree on what even constitutes a fact? Are we headed for extreme tribalism, believing only what our ideological soulmates say? Or do we become so cynical that we think everyone always lies for selfish reasons? Or so nihilistic that we conclude no one can ever really know what is true or false; so, no use trying to find out? Regardless, we risk entering dangerous territory. Hannah Arendt, in 1951, wrote of this in her first major work, “The Origins of Totalitarianism.” There, she observed “the possibility that gigantic lies and monstrous falsehoods can eventually be established as unquestioned facts … that the difference between truth and falsehood may cease to be objective and may become a mere matter of power and cleverness, of pressure and infinite repetition.”

One hundred years ago – in 1920 – a renowned journalist and leading thinker, Walter Lippmann, harbored similar worries. Lippmann, once a writer for the Harvard Crimson, warned of a society where people “cease to respond to truths, and respond simply to opinions … what somebody asserts, not what actually is.” Lippmann wrote those words because of concerns about the press itself. He saw our defects and hoped we might fix them, thus improving how information got to the public.

Ours is a profession that still has many flaws. We make mistakes of fact, and we make mistakes of judgment. We are at times overly impressed with what we know when much remains for us to learn. In making mistakes, we are like people in every other profession. And we, too, must be held accountable. What frequently gets lost, though, is the contribution of a free and independent press to our communities and our country — and to the truth.

I think back to the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 when the Miami Herald showed how lax zoning, inspection and building codes had contributed to the massive destruction. Homes and lives are safer today as a result. In 2016, the Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia exposed how opioids had flooded the state’s depressed communities, contributing to the highest death rates in the country. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana’s newspapers were indispensable sources of reliable information for residents. The Washington Post in 2007 revealed the shameful neglect and mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. Corrective action was immediate. The Associated Press in 2015 documented a slave trade behind our seafood supply. Two thousand slaves were freed as a result. The New York Times and The New Yorker in 2017 exposed sexual predators in elite boardrooms. A movement of accountability for abuses against women took root. The New York Times in 1971 was the first to publish the Pentagon Papers, revealing a pattern of official deceit in a war that killed more than 58,000 Americans and countless others. The Washington Post broke open the Watergate scandal in 1972. That led ultimately to the president’s resignation.Those news organizations searched for the truth and told it, undeterred by pushback or pressure or vilification.Facing the truth can cause extreme discomfort. But history shows that we as a nation become better for that reckoning. It is in the spirit of the preamble to our Constitution: “to form a more perfect union.” Toward that end, it is an act of patriotism.

W.E.B. Du Bois, the great scholar and African American activist — and the first African American to graduate with a PhD from Harvard – cautioned against the falsification of events in relating our nation’s history. In 1935, distressed at how deceitfully America’s Reconstruction period was being taught, Du Bois assailed the propaganda of the era. “Nations reel and stagger on their way,” he wrote. “They make hideous mistakes; they commit frightful wrongs; they do great and beautiful things. And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all this, so far as the truth be ascertainable?”

At this university, you answer that question with your motto — “Veritas.” You seek the truth — with scholarship, teaching and dialogue – knowing that it really matters.My profession shares with you that mission — the always arduous, often tortuous and yet essential pursuit of truth. It is the demand that democracy makes upon us. It is the work we must do. We will keep at it. You should, too. None of us should ever stop.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for honoring me. Good luck to you all. And please, stay well.

“While the legacy of enslavement, racism, discrimination, and exclusion still influences so much of contemporary attitudes, we must never conclude that it is too late to overcome such a legacy. For it is never too late to do justice.”

Ruth J. Simmons

2021 The president of Prairie View A&M University and former president of Brown University and Smith College exhorted graduates to fight inequality and foster diversity and inclusion.

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Good day and congratulations to the Harvard University Class of 2021.

It is a singular honor to be invited to address you on this important milestone occasion. To all completing their studies today, I offer my best wishes as you undertake the next exciting phase of your lives. That you have succeeded so well during such a time as this is commendable and augurs well for the years to come when the world will rely greatly on your knowledge, your discernment, and your empathy for those less fortunate than you.

When first approached about delivering this Commencement address, I was, frankly, taken aback. I did not immediately feel up to the task. Recalling occasions when I sat in Tercentenary Theatre looking across the expanse of graduates to the steps of Widener Library, I could not picture myself confidently delivering remarks from a dais where so many more eminent figures had stood and, indeed, made history. Growing up on a constant Jim Crow diet that offered assertions of my inferiority, I’m always that same little Black girl trying to believe in and demonstrate her worthiness. Further, I thought about the challenge of what I might impart in such a pivotal national moment when social gains seem more like losses, when clarity gives way so easily to confusion, and when much heralded progress recedes like a trompe l’oeil that was never real.

I extend greetings from the faculty, administration and students of our 145 year old institution, Prairie View A&M University. And, though I have not been anointed to do so, I also bring greetings from the collection of Historically Black and Minority Serving institutions that have the weight and privilege of advancing access, equity and opportunity for so many communities across the world. Our university, like many others HBCUs, was founded at the end of Reconstruction when Blacks were thought to be unable to perform the highest level academic study. I speak to you, in fact, from the Prairie View campus whose 1500 acres were once the site of the Alta Vista Plantation. That plantation, before being sold to the State of Texas, was the site where 400 human beings were held in slavery. Thus, our very steps as they daily tread upon vestiges of the suffering of our ancestors, call to us constantly to do our duty as full citizens. Painful as such memories are, they are a powerful force that calls us to action when challenges arise.

During the 145 years following our 1876 founding, it would take many years for most universities in our nation to grant access to Blacks. So, universities like Prairie View, designed with limited resources, served the state and nation by admitting students to whom full access to the fruits of liberty was intentionally blocked. We are therefore proud of our legacy of endurance and even prouder of the fact that we converted an assertion of the inferiority of African Americans into a triumph of human capacity. Like other HBCUs, we made a place to empower rather than disparage, to open minds rather than imprison them, to create pathways to promise rather than to stifle opportunity.

Such is the task of every true university. Those of you graduating today can well attest to that. When you first arrived at Harvard as undergraduate or post-graduate students, you most likely could not have imagined the many ways that your ability would be tested, your insights sharpened and expanded, and your prospects in life improved by studying at the University. I certainly didn’t expect such results when I arrived at Harvard and yet I know now that it is likely primarily because I studied at Harvard that I have had the deeply rich and satisfying career that I’ve enjoyed for so many years.

A product of a segregated upbringing in Houston and undergraduate study at an HBCU, I am ashamed to say that in my youth, I secretly bought into the prevailing racial assumptions of the day: that someone like me would be ill-prepared to benefit from and contribute to study at a university of Harvard’s stature. I expected to be flatfooted if not oafish in the company of well-heeled and urbane students who had the advantage of the best education and a wealth of experiences. While not outwardly immobilized by fear of failing the biggest test of my life, I was inwardly terrified that I would fail to measure up. Uncertainty and malaise governed my early days at the university.

Harvard was, you see, a place steeped in other peoples’ traditions—traditions that I could not easily access. My reaction was very much akin to the French expression denoting window shopping: “lécher les vitrines.” Those of us who are outsiders are often as mere observers looking through windows, salivating and wondering how we might ever be able to attain a sense of inclusion, acceptance and respect. Just as when, as a child, I was banned from white establishments, I identified as the outsider looking enviously at others who not only had full access to Harvard’s history and traditions but who also could so easily see themselves reflected in them. Few things that I could see at Harvard at the time represented me. Perhaps it is the memory of that feeling that moved me to remain in university life to make that experience easier for others who felt excluded.

The need to make universities more aware of how first generation and underserved communities reacted to the stultified tradition in many universities shaped my conviction about the importance of individuals feeling fully embraced and respected as learners, erasing vestiges of disparagement that inevitably accrue in an unequal society. Having been profiled and racially isolated and having carried within me for so many years the weight of that sentence, I understood that to change our country, we had to insist that everyone’s humanity, everyone’s traditions and history, everyone’s identity contributes to our learning about the world we must live in together. I came to believe what Harvard expressed in its admission philosophy: that such human differences, intentionally engaged in the educational context, are as much a resource to our intellectual growth as the magnificent tomes that we build libraries to protect and the state of the art equipment proudly arrayed in our laboratories. The encounter with difference rocks!

I believe that each of us has a solemn duty to learn about and embrace that difference. That undertaking takes not a month or a year but a lifetime of concerted action to ensure that we are equipped to play a role in caring for and improving the world we inhabit together. This responsibility should encourage us to commit to our individual as well as professional role in advancing access, equality and mutual respect.

Thus, I believe that the task of a great university is not merely to test the mettle and stamina of brilliant minds but to guide them toward enlightenment, enabling thereby the most fruitful and holistic use of their students’ intelligence and humanity. That enlightenment suggests the need for improving upon students’ self-knowledge but it also means helping them judge others fairly, using the full measure of their empathy and intelligence to do so. In an environment rich in differences of background, experience and perspectives, learning is turbo charged and intensified by the juxtaposition of these differences. Those open minded enough to benefit fully from the power of this learning opportunity are bound for leadership in this time of confusion and division. The Harvard model intentionally and successfully provides to students a head start in understanding how to mediate difference in an ever more complex reality in which some exploit those differences for corrupt purposes.

Today, irrational hatred of targeted groups is seemingly on the rise, stoked by opportunists seeking advantage for themselves and their profits. What stands between such malefactors and the destruction of our common purpose are people like you who, having experienced learning through difference, courageously stand up for the rights of those who are targeted. Your Harvard education, if you were paying close attention here, should have encouraged you to commit willingly to playing such a role. If you follow through on this commitment, in addition to anything else you accomplish in life, you will be saving lives, stanching the flow of hatred and the dissolution of our national bond. You will be serving the mighty cause of justice. If we are to thrive on this orb that we share, our schools and universities must contribute deliberately to increasing our understanding of the ways to interact meaningfully with others.

Harvard is, in some ways, the most powerful university bully pulpit in the nation. It did not achieve that status merely through its age and wealth; it attained that status principally through the efforts of its faculty and graduates’ scholarly and professional output. Through its gates have come generations of scholars with immense intelligence and passionate purpose to whom fate bequeathed the laurels of success. But it is important that universities model in their own values and actions the high purpose that they hope to see in the actions of their scholars.

In that vein, Harvard has a special responsibility as both a prod and steward of the national conscience. It could sit on the hill and congratulate itself on its prowess but it could also use its immense stature to address the widening gaps in how different groups experience freedom and justice. I spoke earlier about the heroic work of HBCUs and minority serving institutions that keep our country open and advancing the cause of equality and access. Yet, many of them have been starved for much of their history by the legacy of underfunding and isolation from the mainstream of higher education.

I call on universities like Harvard to acknowledge the limitations imposed on these institutions over the past decades. While universities like Harvard had the wind at their back, flourishing from endowments, strong enrollments, constant curricular expansion, massive infrastructure improvements, and significant endowment growth, HBCUs often had gale force winds impeding their development. Our nation is finally coming to terms with the consequences of the underfunding of HBCUs but we are far from where we need to be if we are to be assured continued progress in the fight for equal educational benefits.

I ask the university that did so much for me to add to its luster by embracing the opportunity to stand alongside these historic and other minority serving institutions to build stronger partnerships, advocate for greater funding, and elevate the fight for parity and justice to the level it deserves. Let us not complain in a hundred years that those historically excluded from access and opportunity continue to ask how much longer it will take to gain the respect, inclusion and support that their service to the nation deserves.

Many minority serving institutions accept students from impoverished underserved communities where educational preparation often lacks the pre-requisites needed for certain careers. Children in those communities may experience the same or a worse fate than I and my peers did during the pre-Civil Rights era. Consigned to underfunded schools and alienating curricula, they must wonder as I did what will befall them in life. ublic schools saved me and they have the burden still of saving millions of children across this land. In so very many cases, these institutions are the only hope for many children and their families. Support for public education in this moment is as important as it was in the early days of the country when Horace Mann first called for universal education. For Mann, it was a matter of what our young country would need; it still is today as Mann’s emphasis on civic virtue continues to ring true.

Further, in such a moment, universities and all of you must play a leadership role in reversing the designation of the teaching profession as less intellectually worthy, less glamorous, and less important than the high-flying careers of financiers and technologists. Attention to and investment in K-12 teacher preparation and curricular content remains one of the most important ways for universities and the average citizen to contribute to the civic good.

None of us is exempt from responsibility for the future we give our children. Harvard has its role and so do all of you. I have come to ask you who graduate today what you are prepared to do to acknowledge and address the historic biases and inequities that so many continue to experience. Will your actions point us in a more uplifting direction? For, just as we recount the moral bankruptcy of those who cruelly enslaved others, we also tell the story of those who were equally guilty because they refused to challenge the practice of slavery. In the future, the history of these times will reveal both what we do and what we fail to do to address the unjust treatment of marginalized groups. Among all that you will have learned at Harvard, I hope that the consciousness of your responsibility in the struggle for equality remains with you. While the legacy of enslavement, racism, discrimination and exclusion still influences so much of contemporary attitudes, we must never conclude that it is too late to overcome such a legacy. For it is never too late to do justice.

Today, I call on all of you to declare that you will not give sanction to discriminatory actions that hold some groups back to the advantage of others. I call on you to be a force for inclusion by not choosing enclaves of wealth, privilege and tribalism such that you abandon the lessons you learned from your Harvard experience of diversity. I call on you to do your part to ensure that generations to come will no longer be standing on the outside fighting for fairness, respect and inclusion.

Today, after decades in the academy, my path has taken me back to a place where students are waging the same battles that were so hard fought when I was a teenager: safe passage in the face of bigotry, the right to vote, and equal access to educational and professional opportunities. Sandra Bland, a Prairie View alumna, was stopped for a minor traffic offense at the entrance to our campus. Jailed for this offense, she was found deceased in her cell three days later. Must every generation add more tragic evidence of the racial hatred that has troubled the world? Our work is not done as long as there are young people growing up with the thought that they matter less than others. As long as they have fewer and narrower educational opportunities. As long as they must fear for their safety every moment of every day of their lives. As long as their full participation in society is circumscribed by policies that willfully chip away at or block their rights.

Just as I ask Harvard to use its voice on behalf of minority institutions that have been unfairly treated across time, I ask you to add your voice to the cause of justice wherever you go. Help the children of need wherever they are: in underfunded public schools, in neighborhoods bereft of resources, in search of a way to belong. If they do not hear your voices advocating for them and their worth, what must they conclude about their place in the world?

If you take up the cause of these children, you are taking up the greatest cause—that of justice. Today, you earn your laurels as a scholar. Taking up the cause of justice, you will earn your laurels as a human being.

Congratulations, once again, and God speed.

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How to Actually Have Fun at Your College Reunion

Hope you’ve been brushing up on your small-talk skills, because we’re right in the middle of college-reunion season, that time of year when you travel long distances to talk to near strangers. (It’s also family-reunion season, which is more or less the same thing except that you have to feel worse about forgetting someone’s name.)

The reason why these events exist is pretty straightforward — universities like money, and alumni ostensibly have some to give — but less clear, for many people, is why they feel compelled to actually attend. For all but the most school-spirited extroverts, going to a college reunion can feel like going on dozens of first dates, all at the same time: The stakes are low but the awkwardness is high, along with the pressure to seem both interesting and interested. You hope it will be fun, and then you actually arrive.

If you’ve already committed yourself to attending, though — or if you’ve already been to this year’s and are considering whether to ever go again — there are ways to make the experience an enjoyable one. Consider this a skeptic’s guide to actually having fun at one of these things.

Set an intention.

What is it you actually want to get out of the weekend? Reconnecting with old roommates? Meeting new people? Having a little time to let loose and relive the responsibility-free days of your youth? Whatever it is, there’s your goal. Everything else is secondary — if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed or hesitant, use this one thing to put you on the right track.

Stalk everybody first.

The key, says clinical psychologist Jerome Short, a psychology professor at George Mason University, is to go in with the right mind-set. You don’t have to sit through classmates you don’t really know droning on about the last however many years of their lives; you get to hear about their lives, and get answers to all the things you’ve idly wondered over the years about the people you used to interact with regularly. It’s IRL Instagram stalking. To that end, Short recommends doing a little light social-media, um, research before you go to give yourself an information baseline: Who looks like they have a fascinating job? Who’s done an enviable amount of travel? Who used to be a total overachiever and then graduated and … got kind of strange? Then, instead of approaching each conversation as a blank slate, you’ll know how to target questions to keep things interesting.

Brainstorm some nostalgia points.

Along the same lines, it helps to go in armed with some references that will get people on the same page. “Think about movies or music that might trigger some additional memories” of your college years, Short says, or even a few school events that could serve as a common reference point: that bar in town that all the underclassmen snuck into, that football game with the miraculous last-minute win, that one weird school-specific tradition. You may not know what you have in common with these people anymore, but using what you did have in common can be a good jumping-off point to move past stilted what-do-you-do chitchat and into actually reconnecting.

As quickly as possible, leave.

Thinking of the school-sponsored activities on the schedule as the icebreaker, not the main event, will take some off the pressure off. There’s only so much fun to be had at an overcrowded happy hour where everyone’s wearing a name tag. Instead, “create fun that’s not taking place at the reunion,” Short says. Invite whoever you’ve clicked with to join you out later. If you live locally, maybe offer to host people back at your place for a low-key get together; if you’ve traveled, cobble together a group to do something touristy or revisit an old favorite hangout. Whatever the activity, just keep the numbers relatively small — the goal is to create a more intimate, relaxed setting, one where people can unwind a little bit from all the hubbub.

Make it all about you.

Yes, the unspoken rule of reunions is that you’re free to let your judgmental side run wild. But surrounding yourself with people from your past is also a chance to turn your gaze inward.

“We crave meaning in life. We want to make sense of, how did we end up where we are now?” Short says. “At a reunion, you’re around people who you shared a lot of past experiences with, and a common understanding of that time of life.” Mentally traveling back to visit your younger self can serve as a helpful point of comparison: Are you where you thought you’d be by now? Is the path you want for yourself different than it was back then, and why did it change? If you don’t get anything else out of the weekend, then, at least you can leave with a better understanding of who you’ve become.

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Speeches > Amy Fennegan > Part of Something Greater

Part of Something Greater

Amy fennegan.

President of the BYU Alumni Association

April 27, 2017

What a beautiful sight! It is my privilege to stand before an audience as full of promise and potential as this one. As president of the BYU Alumni Association, it is my privilege to hereby confer on each of you graduates lifetime membership in the Brigham Young University Alumni Association. I offer you congratulations and welcome you into this great association of more than 415,000 alumni.

Our alumni association had an ad campaign prompting us to remember our time at BYU with the tagline “Remember when; remember why.” We all have a BYU story. Recently I asked some of you graduates why you chose to come here.

One of you said:

Both of my parents went to BYU. Hearing their stories and seeing the relationships they built here made me want to have that experience for myself.

Another graduate answered:

I chose BYU because of the concentration of goodness I found when I first visited the campus.

I can relate to these reasons. I fell in love with BYU at a young age, when my family lived in Heritage Halls for a couple of summers while my dad worked on his doctorate.

But some of you might have had very different reasons for attending BYU. My husband came here on an athletic scholarship. He knew very little about Mormons then. Imagine his surprise on the first fast Sunday when the Cannon Center did not open for breakfast.

Regardless of why we chose to attend this university, we all now have in common a BYU experience. Some of the fond memories that you graduates have shared with me include this one:

Professors knew my name, wanted to hear about my life, and cared about me as a person.

Another graduate shared the following:

One of my professors asked our class to tour the Education in Zion exhibit. During my visit, I realized that I was part of something greater than just earning my bachelor’s degree. I realized the sacrifice that was required to build such an elite institution, and I realized that I had a part to play in continuing the tradition of educating Zion, wherever I went forth to serve.

Finally, here is something recalled by another alum:

We would meet for church every Sunday in the Clyde Building foyer. I will never forget watching from the long windows as the snow fell when I received the prompting that I should serve a mission.

Our BYU stories have played a major role in shaping us. We all leave this place with memories and experiences that have shaped our future for good and serve as a springboard for the next phase of life.

The BYU Alumni Association is really all about this next phase. Our purpose is to help you stay connected to BYU. One way alumni help that happen is by mentoring and supporting current students.

Carrie O’Dell is a recent graduate of BYU. Like you, she worked hard and sacrificed to make the most of her BYU education. Because of a family hardship, she needed a little financial help. She got that help in the form of a replenishment grant that was funded by BYU alumni who live close to her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is now back in Tulsa, serving as a leader in a BYU Alumni chapter there. It is the same chapter that helped her when she was a student. Carrie is excited to be involved and is doing what she can to bless the students from Tulsa with the opportunity for a BYU education.

You will soon start to receive BYU Magazine in the mail. I hope you will read it. I hope you will join the BYU Alumni chapter where you live. Go to alumni.byu.edu to find your chapter, to learn about other inspiring alumni, and to share your own story.

Congratulations, graduates. Welcome to the family. Your fellow alumni are rooting for you. We love you and want all the best for you. As you go out into the world, remember your BYU story and stay connected for good.

Amy Fennegan, president of the BYU Alumni Association, gave this commencement address on April 27, 2017.

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3 Valuable Life Lessons Learned from a 50 Year Class Reunion

Cotton High School. Class of 1946.

It was a highlight of my year. I came away with some valuable insights I wish I had learned long ago.

1. Time is not on our side.

Time doesn’t take sides. Time can be an enemy or a friend. It’s what we make it. It is a window of opportunity. We are each given an unknown allotment of time to be optimized or wasted and every second of every day the allotment diminishes. This shouldn’t be depressing, it should be a motivating truth that drives us to cherish and maximize every moment.

2. We shouldn’t allow time to erase past relationships.

You might ask, “Why should anyone try to keep in touch with classmates from 50 years ago?” Because we were friends. Because every one of our classmates are children of God. Time doesn’t change that.

I spent 12 years with my classmates. Getting my diploma was not an excuse for not keeping aware of what is happening in their lives. Every relationship we have is a gift to be cherished and with today’s technology there is no excuse for not staying informed. I’m not suggesting that we have to constantly communicate with everyone we meet, but I regret not staying connected.

Had I kept in touch, I could have known of the personal loss some of them suffered. I could have prayed for my friends as they faced challenges and cheered their victories. I can’t do it over but I am committed to keeping track of these wonderful people.

I know that the busyness of our own personal lives and careers makes it hard to keep up with old friends . But I came away from this reunion wondering…

“If we are too busy to nourish old relationships, perhaps we are too busy.”

3. Time destroys the artificial social structure of High School. Thank God!

All of that nonsense dissolves with time. The people at a 50 year reunion aren’t trying to impress anyone. We reveled in memories of youth and gloried in sharing the blessing and difficulties time has brought our way.

I had more fun reconnecting and reminiscing with my old friends than I’ve have had in a long time. I want to thank Linda, Buddy, Gary, Patty, Kent, Curtis, Duane and Richard for taking time to come. You made my 50 year reunion a remarkable, memorable day. You reminded me of the relentless march of time and the importance of relationships. See you next year!

Good, Bad or Ugly, tell me about your reunion experience! Any lessons you learned? [reminder]

Class of ’64 I think, you’re not that old to be class of ’46 🙂

I was counting the years and I was thinking that you all looked great to be in your 90s! You are so right about keeping up with old friends and those you promise to call. I am starting to keep a log of who I check on and what we talked about. That way I can use that to pray from and to remind me to call them about what we spoke about. It helps me as a counselor, so I was thinking it can help me in other ways. … It seems the older I get, the shorter my memory and my attention span gets. God bless you and yours Ken.

Thank you for your comment Marie

I know you posted this several years ago. I am Class of 1973. I recently attended mine. Yes, time has change us. There were more men at our class reunion than women. Some I didn’t recognize, because it was first one they attended. You are right, we don’t have enough time left. Some classes have started combining their reunions with other classes. I am grateful for you putting this out here. Instead of getting together every 5 years do it often. That’s what my class decided to do.

Sadly, this was to be my 45th class reunion., Because there weren’t enough of us to commit to attending, it has been canceled. We do look forward to our 50th. I think the economy has a lot to do with the non commitment. I do keep in touch of many of my classmates, we pray for each other, haven’t seen some for many years but it seems like yesterday.

P.S. Class of 1946?

Change two numbers… any two number and you will see the right year. I change numbers and letters all the time. YOu can do it!!!!

I celebrated my 35th reunion last fall and had a fabulous time. It was my first in many, many years. The connections made were priceless. I’ve reconnected with many classmates and we now keep in touch via Facebook. It made me wonder WHY I had declined to go all the other years. I especially resonate with your third point, Ken…even at my 35th, no one was trying to impress anyone. We just had plain, simple FUN together! So, people,…if you haven’t been to a class reunion in many years it’s time to GO!! 🙂

I’ll second that!

Now I know why I like you b/c your just like ’em’, dyslectic! 1946/1964. Keep ’em’ laughing.

ADHD, Licdystic…. I got it all. Thank you for making me smile. It was actually 1964….. or was it 1864?

How wonderful!!! So glad you went and connected with old friends!!

Best dressed = guy in the Gophers shirt

My 30 year reunion is tonight and I didn’t go because I find them immature. I am unattached to people of this world and attached more to Godly people. The people in high school were never good people and they would hurt others. What stumps me is that no one liked one another back then trying to stay home from school and away from each other, had clicks and didn’t want to attend high school at all and now they pay to go to a reunion? It’s all backwards. Lol

Hello Ken.- I just read your article on reunions, in 2015 I had the opportunity to attend a 35th reunion in Washington State, you see I am actually from Mexico but had a blast in 1980-81 as an exchange student at Springdale Washington, so it was the first time I visited my host family an high school friends! It truly was awesome so I am planing to visit them more often, of course I am in contact with many of my friends by facebook. Too bad some people cant forget some bad memories from the past and just cant attend reunions, I think it´s really a mistake. Cheers!

I went to my 30th last year (class of 1987) and was able to reconnect with many people still in my hometown and learned some things from them and how they view things differently then what went on in highschool. Many of us keep in touch through Facebook since we are all across the United States. But as we mature the friendships are still there. We also talk about those that died young before their time. I’m not quite yet fifty, but several classmates died when they were in their mid 30’s to mid 40’s due to health related issues, but two classmates died before graduation due to health problems and the other an auto accident. So no matter what age we aren’t invincible. What I find when I go to these reunions is how time has changed our perspective and what we find important now versus then is our family and friends are much more valuable to us then the dumb stuff we lived for then. God is always there for us and many of us have placed him first and foremost more now then we did then. Maturity has benefits to learningwhat is important to us, because we leave this earthly world someday and we want to know we made a difference somewhere along the way. Loved the article. My mom goes to her class reunions when they occur. She has also maintained many of her friendships and occasionally letters and updates would get sent, but now they keep up by Facebook because it’s quicker and easier. I think she graduated class of 1964. She looks forward to personally reconnecting with everyone.

I hope that many of us will still be around for our 60 year class reunion. there were app. 80 or so in our graduating class of 1966. So far, 13 aren’t with us anymore. It’s sad. I will attend our 60 year class reunion, if we have one.

I bet a 50 year reunion would be such an interesting experience. We’ve been planning our 20th reunion and it seems like it’s been so much longer than that. Our group has been using http://www.alumniclass.com to find our classmates and teachers – We’ve also been able to plan the entire thing through Alumni Class as well. I hope I’m able to help plan our 50th reunion, how fun!

Topics for Class Reunion Speeches

8th Grade Graduation Speech Ideas

It's been years or possibly decades since you saw your friends from high school. If you have been selected to give a speech in front of your former classmates, you might have those same fears from the first time you gave a speech in school. You can feel your stomach start to turn and your knees wobble. Choosing a subject you are comfortable with can help you relax and put those reactions aside.

Class Accomplishments

Choose a representative for the class to give an introductory speech for the class reunion. In that speech he should mention any major accomplishments by classmates. These can range from athletes that have succeeded in major league sports to those that are respected as experts in their fields of business. Other classmates to point out could be groups such as those serving in the military or the government to help the country.

How The World Has Changed

Give a speech about how things have changed since you were in high school. Mention various types of technology that have changed how you complete tasks today and laugh at all the work you had to put into those tasks in the past. Recall some of the world's political and social issues back when your class was in school and how they have changed over the years since graduation.

Teachers That Influenced Your Life

While attending school, you may not have recognized or valued all the information that your teachers provided. Now that you have been out of high school for a period of time, the value of the information the teachers provided is now realized. Give a speech about one or two of your favorite teachers from high school and how his teachings have helped you succeed in your current career choice.

Remember The Fallen

Not everyone can attend a class reunion. Some former students may live too far away or have schedules that don't allow them to attend. Others though, may have passed away since the last class reunion. A speech does not have to be given for each student, and they all don't have to be singled out by name. A short speech sharing some memories about some of those classmates and asking everyone to keep them in their hearts is sufficient. Include in the program a list of those which you are referring to in case the list is too long to read.

Informative Speech Topics for Speech Class

How to Do a Acknowledgement Speech

Graduation Quotes

50th Anniversary School Ideas & Activities

Activities for a High School French Club

Theme Ideas for a 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony

How to give an annual day speech in school, how to highlight your high school accomplishments.

Alan Kirk has been writing for online publications since 2006. He has more than 15 years' experience in catering, management and government relations. Kirk has a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Maryland.

How To Create An Exciting Virtual College Reunion Schedule of Events

Post author By Adam Riggs
Post date June 30, 2021

Blond haired White man opening a box with materials for a virtual reunion avtivity.

If you’re planning a virtual college class reunion , it’s common to face a few initial questions:

How can you adapt an in-person class reunion for an online audience?
What does a typical virtual college reunion agenda look like?
What activities take place during an online class reunion?

Drawing from examples from leading universities with the most robust alumni networks in the U.S., we’ve gathered the essential virtual college reunion activities and additional fun ideas to help you create a complete experience that will truly impress your alumni.

Essential Elements of a Virtual College Reunion Agenda

Your virtual college reunion schedule should include a variety of activities throughout the day and into the night to appeal to the range of alumni reunion goals and expectations.

Some alumni will want a family-friendly experience and the opportunity to show their children or loved ones their alma mater. Others will want high-energy, adult-oriented activities focused on reliving the excitement of college, and reconnecting with the people who made those years special.

When MIT hosted its alumni reunion on Frameable Events , it found that small group conversation space with themed conversations starters were essential for providing an ideal alumni experience.

The best way to understand your alumni expectations and maximize your potential attendee satisfaction is to survey them ahead of the reunion to understand what sort of activities they are or are not interested in. We share a few essential pre-reunion survey questions in this overview of planning a virtual reunion .

Generally, though, there are a few core elements of college reunions that your planning committee should at least consider adding to your reunion agenda during the mornings and afternoons:

Welcome Address: Start your virtual class reunion with a welcome address from a member of your planning committee or a notable member of your university leadership. This is an opportunity to greet attendees, explain what they can expect during your reunion, and ultimately set the tone for the rest of the event.
Alumni Spotlight Conversations: Feature notable alumni or group alumni based on current role or industry to discuss their work and their views on how their world of work is changing. This can help your attendees connect with other alumni who now work in similar fields, offering invaluable professional networking opportunities.
College Leadership and Faculty Remarks: Host speeches, panel discussions, or informal fireside chats with key leadership members from the university, including the president, vice president, dean, or your student body leaders. These can involve inspirational or thought-provoking discussions (in the style of a TED Talk), an examination of current world events or trends, or a speech that celebrates the class and its accomplishments.
Current Student Remarks: Spotlight current students and their stories to help alumni understand how the university is creating opportunities for its students to thrive, and how they can help those efforts.
Identity and Faith-Based Discussions: Provide open networking spaces or coordinate a discussion of topics related to gender, race, identity, or religion (as appropriate).
Remembrance Ceremony: Honor the deceased members of your collegiate community with a special program. Consider including a photo slideshow and offer dedicated rooms for alumni to openly grieve those that they have lost.

To better understand how you can approach each of these agenda elements, check out these virtual class reunion agendas from Cornell , Smith College , and Amherst College .

8 Virtual College Class Reunion Activity Ideas

The above essential elements of a college reunion are just one piece of your schedule. You will also want to layer in fun activities and networking areas that allow your alumni to freely connect with one another throughout the event.

Include these fun college class reunion activities to keep the energy high during your event and break away from more structured talks:

Breakout/Open Networking Rooms: Your alumni are excited to reconnect, and a virtual environment is ideal for enabling guests to hop in and out of rooms at their leisure. Select a virtual event platform that allows you to create small group breakout rooms, ideally with a thought-starter prompt. These can include questions like “What Restaurants Do You Miss” or “Favorite College Memory,” or instead use categories like “Sports Fans,” “Greek Life,” “Now Based In [State or Region],” or “[Dorm or Residence Hall].”
Campus Tour: What is new on campus? What little-known facts can you share? Pre-record a campus and community tour, or take attendees on a live tour of select locations. This campus tour video from D’Youville or this from Williston Northampton shows how you can approach your tour.
Fun Run: Encourage alumni to complete a fun run and submit their time with the alumni association. You can learn more about how to plan a virtual fun run in this walkthrough .
Game or Trivia Night: Host a variety of online card or board games, or coordinate a trivia night that focuses on the history of your college or fun facts about your graduating year.
Happy Hour Or Wine and Paint: Offer an open happy hour networking time, or add structure by turning it into a “wine and paint” or similar activity. To elevate the experience further, mail your attendees cocktail mixes to try, or a themed paint kit.
Recipe Sharing: Appeal to the bakers and foodies in your alumni network by hosting a recipe sharing or how-to cooking or baking session. Mail supplies or grocery lists to alumni ahead of time so that they can follow along from home.
Talent Performance: Let your class performers take the stage to sing, perform an instrument, or showcase some other talent that they have. These performances can be recorded ahead of time and streamed so that attendees can all watch and engage with each other.
Yoga or Group Exercise: Allow your attendees to take a moment to unwind and recenter themselves in a yoga or similar group exercise class.

Remember to not pack your agenda too full to allow attendees to take part in one or more of these activities. Your reunion guests need ample time to network with each other and gain the full value that they can from your agenda. If you offer too many exciting activities, or don’t have time in the schedule set aside for these opportunities, your alumni will need to make tough choices on what main events to attend, and that could detract from their experience.

How To Delight Your College Online Reunion Attendees

With the core agenda elements set for your class reunion, your planning committee can now focus on the finishing touches that will turn a perfectly acceptable reunion into a truly outstanding experience.

Pre-reunion Engagement Opportunities

Ahead of the event, create branded hashtags to help alumni keep up with the latest information and join conversations about your reunion. Mail your attendees swag bags and other goodies to get them excited for the reunion. These can include class apparel or useful items like USB drives, as well as any items they’ll need for your reunion activities. And create virtual backgrounds for attendees to use during the event, like these alumni background examples from Stanford University or these from Williston Northampton School .

Keep the Momentum Going During the Event

During the event, include a playlist that features popular songs from your college years. Or, live stream a band or similar musician that performs covers of those songs. Further this trip down memory lane with a photo slideshow or video montage in an easy self-service area for alumni to revisit memories at their leisure.

After the Event

Once your event is over, there are a few final ways to provide value to your attendees. First, share a copy of your virtual photo album, campus tour, or other assets that your alumni may want to revisit. Ensure that they are aware of any social media community groups that they can join to continue engaging with one another after the reunion.

Finally, ensure that you conduct a post-event survey that can help inform future class reunions. Ask about each attendee’s overall satisfaction with the event, their favorite sessions or activities, and any ways that the experience can be improved.

Make Your Online College Reunion an Event to Remember

By hosting a mix of essential in-person college reunion activities and fun, online-friendly activities and networking venues, your alumni are more likely to have a fulfilling reunion experience.

Are you looking for a virtual event platform that can provide your attendees with a number of large and small group activity options? Learn more about how Frameable has hosted alumni events for some of the nation’s top universities.

Tags college reunion , virtual class reunion , virtual class reunion activities , virtual college reunion

Take your virtual events to the next level

16 Best Graduation Speeches That Leave a Lasting Impression

By Kristi Kellogg and Noor Brara

Listen to words of wisdom from the best graduation speeches.

Some of the most impactful and inspiring sentiments are shared during graduation speeches delivered by the leaders we look up to. Graduation speeches from celebrities , entrepreneurs, authors and other influential thinkers are motivational, inspiring, thought-provoking and just might make you reach for the nearest tissue. After four years of hard work, stress, and exhausting self-discovery, lucky graduates are privy to a life-changing speech to top it all off.

Here, we rounded up up 16 of the best graduation speeches of all time, including words of wisdom from Natalie Portman, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and more.

1. Steve Jobs: Stanford, 2005

"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

2. Michelle Obama: Tuskegee University, 2015

"I've found that this journey has been incredibly freeing. Because no matter what happened, I had the piece of mind knowing that all of the chatter, the name-calling, the doubting...all of it was just noise. It did not define me, it didn't change who I was, and most importantly, it couldn't hold me back."

3. Natalie Portman: Harvard, 2015

"I just directed my first film. I was completely unprepared, but my own ignorance to my own limitations looked like confidence and got me into the director's chair. Once there, I had to figure it all out, and my belief that I could handle these things, contrary to all evidence of my ability to do so was half the battle. The other half was very hard work. The experience was the deepest and most meaningful one of my career."

4. Amy Poehler: Harvard University, 2011

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"What I have discovered is this: You can't do it alone … Listen. Say 'yes.' Live in the moment. Make sure you play with people who have your back. Make big choices early and often."

5. Meryl Streep: Barnard College, 2010

"This is your time and it feels normal to you but really there is no normal. There's only change, and resistance to it and then more change."

6. David Foster Wallace: Kenyon College, 2005

"Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about quote the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master."

7. Barack Obama: Howard University, 2016

"You have to go through life with more than just passion for change; you need a strategy. I’ll repeat that. I want you to have passion, but you have to have a strategy. Not just awareness, but action. Not just hashtags, but votes."

8. Kerry Washington: George Washington University, 2013

"You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that can write the story that you were meant to tell."

9. Conan O'Brien: Dartmouth College, 2011

"There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized. Today I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality … Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen."

10. J.K. Rowling: Harvard, 2008

"I stopped pretending to be anything than what I was. My greatest fear had been realized. I had an old typewriter and a big idea. Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

11. Oprah Winfrey: Harvard University, 2013

"Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are. And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to develop an internal moral, emotional G.P.S. that can tell you which way to go."

12. Joss Whedon: Wesleyan University, 2013

"You have, which is a rare thing, that ability and the responsibility to listen to the dissent in yourself, to at least give it the floor, because it is the key—not only to consciousness–but to real growth. To accept duality is to earn identity. And identity is something that you are constantly earning. It is not just who you are. It is a process that you must be active in. It's not just parroting your parents or the thoughts of your learned teachers. It is now more than ever about understanding yourself so you can become yourself."

13. George Saunders: Syracuse University, 2013

"Do all the other things, the ambitious things … Travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in wild jungle rivers (after first having it tested for monkey poop)—but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness."

14. Nora Ephron: Wellesley College, 1996

"Be the heroine of your life, not the victim."

15. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Wellesley College, 2015

"As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, get your hands dirty way."

16. Admiral William H. McRaven: University of Texas at Austin, 2014

"If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right."

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Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet

An Alumni Meet is organised to celebrate and refresh old relationships and form new ones. It is an occasion when students gather at their Alma Mater, go down the memory lane and look forward for new interactions with new hopes. The alumni are thrilled to be back in the campus again and interact with new students. During Alumni Meets students, teachers, principals or hosts are required to deliver welcome speeches in keeping with the occasion. Here we have provided you six welcome speeches for different speakers. You can pick up any of the welcome speech as per your requirement.

Alumni Meet Welcome Speech

Welcome speech for alumni meet by principal.

Good Evening to One & All Present Here…

Hope you like the arrangements for this great reunion. Wish you a wonderful evening & memorable moments.

Have A Good Time Ahead.

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet by Teacher

A very Good Evening to all of you present here. Respected Chairman, Principal Madam, Director Sir and my dear colleagues, all of our Alumni,

God Bless You

Thank you all.

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet By Student

Good Evening,

It is indeed a privilege for all of us, to have our ex-students here with us at the Alumni Meet, 2016.

Hope you enjoy a wonderful evening with shared joy, fun and sumptuous food.

Thank you all!!

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet By Professor

A very good morning to one & all present here. Respected Chairperson, Dean of the College, Principal Sir, my dear colleagues and all of our Alumni,

May You Be Always Blessed

Welcome speech for Alumni Meet of a College by the Student

‘’Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven’’

Thank you very much.

Welcome Speech for Alumni Meet of a School by the Teacher

Related Information:

How to Write and Deliver a Welcome Speech

Welcome Speech for Chief Guest

Welcome Speech for Fresher’s Party

Welcome Speech for Seminar

Welcome Speech on Teachers’ Day by Students

Welcome Speech for Award Ceremony

Welcome Speech on Annual Day

Best farewell speech for outgoing students, farewell speech for colleague, farewell speech for teacher, farewell speech for seniors, farewell speech for boss, gandhi jayanti speech.

70th Reunion

Class of 1954.

Our 70th Reunion is May 30-31! You’ll find our schedule below. Our online registration form has now closed, but walk-in registration will be available for all reunion events at Reunion Headquarters, in the Cabot Science Library in the Science Center. If you have any questions about the schedule, feel free to call our office at 617-496-7001, or email our class inbox at [email protected] . We can't wait to see you!

Who's Coming List Reunion Schedule

Reunion Packages Price Breakdown

The 70th Reunion will be completely free for all classmate attendees and guests.

Schedule

Thursday, may 30, bus departs for sever quad, harvard faculty club.

Doubletree Hotel, 400 Soldiers Field Rd

Bus departs for Sever Quad

Freepoint Hotel, 220 Alewife Brook Pkwy

8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Harvard Faculty Club

Please come check in when you arrive on campus. You will receive your name badge and additional Reunion materials. Please note there is no luggage storage available at headquarters, except on Friday.

Bus departs for Harvard Faculty Club

9:00 - 10:00 a.m., light breakfast, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., free speech presentation and q&a.

Reading Room, Harvard Faculty Club

A panel discussion featuring members of the Harvard Faculty to discuss the future of free speech on college campuses, its role in liberal education, and our civil discourse writ large.

Panelist details to be announced.

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Class luncheon.

Main Dining Room, Harvard Faculty Club

1:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Class photo, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m., curated presentations of current and new exhibits at harvard art museums.

Harvard Art Museum

The Harvard Art Museums welcome the 70th reunion classmates and families to an exclusive viewing of a curated selection of Dutch drawings, generously gifted by our classmate, George Abrams. Visit the museum’s Art Study Center anytime between 2 and 5 PM to explore Works by Rembrandt and his contemporaries and meet the curators.

Bus departs for Freepoint Hotel

Sever Quad (via gate on Quincy St)

Bus departs for Doubletree Hotel

Bus departs for corner of oxford & kirkland st, bus departs for johnston gate, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., the traditional clambake dinner.

Wadsworth Tent

Corner of Oxford and Kirkland St

Johnston Gate, Harvard Yard

Friday, May 31

Check-in at headquarters.

Cabot Library, Science Center

Please come to headquarters to check in when you arrive on campus. You will receive your name badge, favor, and additional Reunion materials. Luggage storage will be available for a small fee on Friday, May 31, from 8am-8pm. Pre-register for luggage storage here. Please see additional information on the FAQs page .

Bus departs for Corner of Oxford & Kirkland St, Harvard Faculty Club

Memorial service.

Appleton Chapel

Harvard Alumni Day Parade Line-up

11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., harvard alumni day parade & program.

Tercentenary Theatre

All Harvard alumni are invited to join the Harvard Alumni Association for the third annual Harvard Alumni Day, a day for and in celebration of Harvard’s vibrant, global alumni community!

Suggested dress code is smart casual.

1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Tree spread luncheon.

Parlor, Phillips Brooks House

2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Radcliffe institute open house.

Radcliffe Yard

The Radcliffe Institute invites you to join us for an open house in Radcliffe Yard to reconnect with friends and classmates and to learn more about the work of the Radcliffe Institute today. Light refreshments will be provided in Fay House; selections from the Radcliffe College archives will be on display in the Schlesinger Library; and the Institute’s current gallery exhibitions, Rewrite, Organize, Remix: Visions of Feminist Organizing and A Female Landscape and the Abstract Gesture will be on view.

Please register here if you plan to join us. This is a drop-in event, so please feel free to arrive at any time during event hours.

If you have any questions, please contact Radcliffe Events at [email protected] or 617-496-1984. We hope to see you there!

3:00 - 4:15 P.M.

Allston campus tour.

Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe, 6 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138

These student-led tours last about 75 minutes. Attendees are asked to meet the shuttle over to the Allston campus at Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe at 6 Brattle Street, Cambridge MA 02138. The Shuttle will bring participants back to Campus following the conclusion of the tour.

3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Preserving our stories: a celebration of the radcliffe college alumnae oral history project.

Knafel Center, Radcliffe Yard or Zoom

The event will recount some memorable moments from the interviews with alumnae of the classes of the 1940s to 1970s followed by a reception for alumnae and interviewers to meet, mingle and reminisce. Separate registration is required for this event.

18 Mason St, Cambridge, MA 02138

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Alumni Day 2024 Remarks

As delivered.

I hope that Harvard will always continue to be a place where free speech continues to thrive. Greetings, fellow travelers. What a long strange trip it’s been.

With a special shoutout to the Class of 1974. And many of you will remember that you first heard those words on an album that was released during your first semester of college. And I bet they’ve gone through your heads many many times since then.

This has been an difficult year for all of us who love Harvard and who cherish our connection to this extraordinary institution and to one another. I cannot recount everything that’s happened over these past two semesters—we would be here through Sunday no doubt—but I can tell you that I have never felt more grateful for what usually happens here.

We learn, and we teach. We devote ourselves to research and scholarship. We ask questions—and more questions. We expand knowledge. We discover and innovate. And—in too many ways to count—we make life better than it was yesterday.

All of that happens every year. It happened this year, too. Across the University, students had the kinds of experiences and conversations—with friends and with faculty—that set the course of my future when I was an undergraduate. Across fields and disciplines, faculty had the kinds of insights and breakthroughs that expand the frontiers of knowledge and propel humanity forward. Despite challenging circumstances—despite conflict and upheaval—despite relentless scrutiny and public criticism—Harvard never stopped humming with the energy of possibility.

When I spoke with the Harvard College Class of 2024 last week, I focused on some of the ways in which they saw and seized possibilities over these past four years, and I encouraged them to look to one another for inspiration in the years to come, as you surely look to your own classmates and contemporaries. And, when I spoke with the entire Harvard Class of 2024 two days later, I encouraged them to look to research universities for inspiration because no other institution can do what they do to make the world a better place.

Individuals and institutions: This gathering—our gathering—represents the power that exists at that intersection. Harvard is each of us, and each of us is Harvard. It is impossible to imagine all that has been achieved by everyone in this space—and the many more of us who are making contributions around the world. That thought—of effort and excellence that surpasses measurement—makes me incredibly proud to be part of this place, even when times are tough. Especially when times are tough.

I trust that our community can emerge from our trials better and stronger. To do that, we must work to value generous listening at least as much as informed speaking, to celebrate passionate discourse and reasoned debate, to champion decency, empathy, and integrity, particularly in times of conflict and division. We have, perhaps, taken these skills for granted as they have eroded in wider society. Now is the time to think creatively and ambitiously about how we can expand our efforts to rebuild a culture of civility and respect, a culture that empowers people to come together in a spirit of goodwill.

We have just taken an essential step forward on this front. In April, Provost Manning and I asked a working group to consider whether and when Harvard should speak on public issues. On Tuesday, the group’s final report was released. Going forward, in accordance with recommendations accepted by the president, the provost, and the deans—and endorsed by the Corporation—neither the University nor its leadership will issue official statements on matters that do not directly affect our core functions. This approach is intended to preserve open inquiry and academic freedom by making it easier for all members of the community to express their views. It is a foundational commitment, and I am eager to see it implemented.

I will have more to share with you when we meet one year from now—all good things, I hope. I look forward to charting our path forward, keeping our community on firm footing, and ensuring that the University succeeds in its core mission of excellence in teaching, learning, and research.

Finally, some words of gratitude. You, the alumni community, have been a source of wisdom, inspiration, and joy for me over the decades. Never more so than in the past five months. When days seemed longer and stranger than I could have dreamed, there always seemed to be a Harvard person who had just said or done something wonderful—islands of calm through change and through storm.

Enjoy your precious time together. And enjoy this precious place, which is better beyond measure for your being part of it.

Yale Alumni Logo

Yale College Reunions 2024 Highlights

The Yale Alumni Association and the entire Yale campus community were excited to welcome back over 4,800 alumni to New Haven to celebrate their quinquennial reunions across two weekends, celebrating 14 classes.

Reunion attendees were treated to nearly 500 unique programs, including special tours of the newly renovated Sterling Library L&B Reading Room and Peabody Museum.

Another weekend highlight was the return of the “ Hidden Handsome Dan ” quest that saw alumni searching for 200 miniature figures of Yale’s beloved bulldog mascot, Handsome Dan. Alumni and their guests were encouraged to uncover a bulldog figure hidden around campus and register him online for exclusive digital content.

“The joy and energy emanating from the reunion tents is contagious! At my milestone 25th, I was able to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. I was amazed by their personal and professional achievements. I saw the same things happening across all classes over the two weekends – memories made, and friendships strengthened,” said YAA Executive Director Alison Cole ’99. “Yale has a unique gift of attracting the most incredible people who go on to do wonderful things – nothing showcases that gift more than Yale College Reunions!”

All alumni are invited to re-live the fun of Reunions 2024 by looking through the hundreds of photos and videos from the events. Keep an eye on the Yale College Reunions homepage for updates on future reunions!

Yale College Reunions homepage
Professional photos from Weekend #1 and Weekend #2
Instagram Highlights for Weekend #1 and Weekend #2
Stock up on Yale Gear

Note: The YAA is incredibly grateful to the over 300 Yale staff and students who worked over 9,000 hours throughout the two weekends to make the events so successful! We couldn’t have done it without them or the amazing hospitality, housing, or facilities teams on campus.

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Colgate Celebrates Past, Present, and Future at Reunion 2024
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Photo by Mike Roy

Last weekend, nearly 2,100 alumni returned to campus for Reunion 2024 to reconnect with longtime friends, reflect on the history of Colgate, and look toward its future. This year marked the anniversaries of several key moments in University history, including the 50th anniversary of graduates in the Class of 1974 — Colgate’s first fully coeducational class.

During a Q&A session with alumni, President Brian W. Casey provided a Third-Century Plan update and revealed sketches of the Lower Campus revitalization project. Work begins this month on the first two residences, 66 and 70 Broad St., kicking off a $200 million effort to enhance student and residential life on Colgate’s Lower Campus.

“This is the beginning of a long-term project that will transform the way Colgate students live,” says Casey. “We want to ensure that every Colgate student, by the time they’re juniors and seniors, has access to a robust social living experience.”

Casey also affirmed the impact of the Colgate Commitment, an initiative in access and affordability, originally launched in 2020. Since its implementation, the commitment has steadily increased its impact, now replacing student loans with University grants for students whose household incomes are less than $175,000 per year and covering additional costs of attendance. Students from households making less than $80,000 per year attend Colgate tuition-free.

“Colgate is most fundamentally about people,” says Casey. “We try to bring the best students, faculty, and staff to campus, because when you do that, everything else follows. So, we must have the resources to make sure our financial aid packages are sufficient — that may be one of the most important things we do.”

Later, the University welcomed alumni and friends into the new Robert H.N. Ho Mind, Brain, and Behavior Center at Olin Hall, another key Third-Century priority.

Throughout the weekend, reunion college events underscored the full scale of the liberal arts experience and celebrated a range of disciplines — from natural sciences to the arts — while also marking key milestones in Colgate history.

On Saturday afternoon, alumni gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Upstate Institute .

“The Upstate Institute is small but mighty,” said Director Catherine Cardelús, professor of biology and environmental studies. “To create linkages between Colgate and the regional community, we focus on addressing community-identified needs.”

Cardelús was joined by this year’s cohort of Summer Field School Fellows , who took to the microphone to describe their projects with several community-serving organizations, including The Center for refugees arriving to Utica and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro.

Many alumni led Reunion College sessions, including Eamon Javers ’94, who recapped an exposé he broke as a senior correspondent with CNBC. In this in-depth conversation, Javers described how he uncovered the story of Xu Yanjun, a Chinese spy who was subsequently convicted in U.S. federal court of trying to steal intel from GE Aerospace.

“There are several factors that can cause a person to spy,” says Javers. Money, ideology, compromise, and ego could be to blame, but “in this case, I think it was flattery.”

That evening, alumni of the Swinging ’Gates took to the stage for a 50th anniversary concert mirroring Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. Alumni from four eras of the Swinging ’Gates — from the ’70s to the present — performed a few songs each, from “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & Papas to “Green Light” by Lorde.

Reunion 2024 also honored the 50th anniversary of UNIDAD, the forerunner of the University’s Latin American Student Organization.

Another key part of each reunion weekend is the annual Alumni Council Awards Ceremony, which recognizes alumni, faculty, and staff members for outstanding commitment and service to the University. Four alumni received the Wm. Brian Little ’64 Award for Distinguished Service to Colgate. The council also awarded 13 Maroon Citations, the Alumni Corporation Humanitarian Award, and three Ann Yao ’80 Memorial Young Alumni Awards.

“I never pictured Colgate being such an important part of my identity five years out,” said Emily Kahn ’19, one of those who received the Ann Yao award. “My Colgate friends are still my best friends.”

Following the ceremony, alumni marched down the hill in the Torchlight Procession, led by the Class of 1974. “I was thrilled when I arrived at Colgate and shared a pioneering spirit with the women in my class,” says Sarah Rubinton Laditka ’74, who married Jim Laditka ’73 during her graduation weekend. “My 50th Reunion was a double celebration.”

Third Century

COMMENTS

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50th Reunion Welcome Remarks — John Hufnagel

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