900 Students Graduate During Cal State San Bernardino Fall Commencement Ceremonies

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – It was a day filled with smiling faces, misty-eyed tears of joy and swelling hearts of accomplishment as 900 Cal State San Bernardino students graduated during the university’s 15th annual fall commencement.

“Remember this day. Remember every moment of it. Remember the feelings of accomplishment and anticipation. Remember the voices of the friends, family members and faculty who are here to cheer you on,” CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales told the graduates, their families and friends, who filled the university’s Coussoulis Arena during two ceremonies on Dec. 12.

“Let the confidence that is swelling in your heart today carry you proudly through every day of your life,” Morales said. “You have just achieved something extraordinary. Just over 30 percent of all Americans have a four-year or higher university degree. You have joined the ranks of the best and the brightest in this country.”

The morning ceremony featured graduates from CSUSB’s colleges of Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences while the afternoon ceremony featured the colleges of Arts and Letters, Business and Public Administration, and Education.

Both commencement exercises started with a somber moment as Professor Kenneth Shultz, who was the bearer of the ceremonial mace in the morning ceremony and Professor Julie Paegle, bearer of the mace in the afternoon, asked the audiences for a moment of silence to remember the victims and their families of the Dec. 2 San Bernardino terrorist attack.

The December commencement is especially popular with out-of-state and international students who have completed their studies in fall and are likely unable to return for the traditional June graduation, which usually averages about 3,000 graduating students.

Morales praised the graduates for their dedication.

“I am fiercely proud of you,” he said. “I am so impressed by the quality of your work and because I know about the personal sacrifices so many of you have made to earn your degree. Some of you held full-time jobs while pursuing your studies. Others divided their days between going to school and raising a family. And many of today’s graduates are the first ones ever in their family to earn a college degree.”

In closing, Morales offered his own tribute to the graduates.

“I want to thank you. Thank you for gracing this university and all our lives with your energy, your enthusiasm and your boundless spirit.”

Archived online videos of both ceremonies may be viewed on the Office of Strategic Communication’s Video Library website at https://advancement.csusb.edu/strategic-communication/campus-services/vi....
Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually.

For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.

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