Ursinus College Graduates Ready to Take Next Steps in the World

Cheer and excitement brightened the cloudy skies at on Saturday morning as the members of Ursinus' class of 2011 and their friends and families gathered under the large, white tent on the campus' front lawn to celebrate graduation.

The six peaks of the giant tent made shelter for more than 3,000 audience members, and still the grass bordering it was flooded with smiling people who were eager to see their accomplished loved ones take their walks across the stage and receive their diplomas from Interim President John Corson.

Before they held their precious diplomas, though, the students were addressed by their class president, Karli Scott, the Honorable Kimberly McFadden Guadagno, the first lieutenant governor and current secretary of state of New Jersey, and elected class speaker Danielle Chmelewski.

Also before diplomas were distributed, three honorary degrees were given. Guadagno received a Doctor of Laws, Alice Parker a Doctor of Humane Letters, and the Rev. Dr. Shawn Zambrows, baccalaureate speaker, a Doctor of Divinity.

Kim Guadagno, a 1980 graduate from Ursinus herself, began her address thinking back to her own graduation, and the guest speaker who had been before her that day. She laughed, though, because she could not remember who it had been, let alone anything this mystery speaker had said. The lieutenant governor found “liberation” is this discovery of the impact – or lack thereof – her commencement speaker had had on her. As she put it, speaking to the graduates, “at least I can do you no harm!”

Guadagno did have some valuable advice to share with the graduates and their families, however. The Monmouth County sheriff standing in a pink graduation cap advised audience members to wear whatever color they wanted, no matter what the social expectation of a “sheriff.” The New Jersey lieutenant governor advised parents to finally relax, and know they made wonderful decisions in sending their children to Ursinus. “Rest easy, moms and dads. Ursinus College has served me and continues to serve me well.” And then the Ursinus alumna told the tent full of avid listeners, “You gotta be able to write your life’s plan in pencil,” and preached the importance of always having a Plan A and a Plan B.

The multi-talented success also spoke on matters of friendship, and how important it is. “The friends that you have now, you will have for the rest of your lives,” she told the graduating class. “These are people who have learned more about you in the last four years than your parents will ever know,” she professed to the understanding smiles of the students and to the uneasy laughter of wondering parents. “You are sitting next to your maids of honor, best men and godparents.”

Elected class speaker Danielle Chmelewski continued Guadagno’s comments in calling her classmates “friends who became family.” She nodded to many smiling and understanding faces as she said, “We have grown these last four years to embrace ourselves, who we are, and, in that, we’ve come to embrace each other.”

Chmelewski, speaking to her “family” members, recalled with everyone the ant hills they used to see as monumental and the insects of the hills they used to study as children. She marveled at the transition from then to now.

“The mountains of reality” lie straight ahead of us, she said, but impressed upon her classmates that not one of them had anything to fear. The graduate expressed the utmost confidence in the tools with which Ursinus equipped its students and said confidently to her classmates, “We are ready.”

Themes of friendship and the future dominated the graduation ceremonies, which was to be expected, but the day was also a time for the Ursinus community to remember and honor the beloved President John Strassburger. Dr. Robert Lovett, vice-chair of the Ursinus Board of Trustees, included the former president in his opening remarks.

“We miss him dearly,” Lovett said to many nodding heads. He then moved on to recognize Corson, who has been in the position since Strassburger’s departure from the college. Though Dr. Bobby Fong will be taking over the Ursinus presidency in July, Lovett commended Corson’s work in the interim. “The board is grateful to Jeff Corson for stepping up and doing a wonderful job.”

Though Ursinus is very eager to welcome “BoFo” to its community and family, the students agreed with Lovett’s assessment of Corson’s work through the last year. As Corson gave his closing remarks, he shared a story Dean Deborah Olsen Nolan had told him. After Nolan was informed Fong would not be joining the Ursinus community for the graduation celebration, she relayed the information to several students. According to the administrator, the students’ reactions were, though mildly disappointed, some of relief. “’Oh, that’s great. We want President Corson to give us our degrees,’” Corson quoted them.

And he did. Corson gave out 19 bachelor’s degrees of business administration, 211 bachelor’s degrees of arts, and 176 bachelor’s degrees of science, and, sometime around noon, Rice said a benediction that ended the graduation ceremony and sent a few hundred more Ursinus College alumni out into the world.