- COMMENCEMENT 2009
- COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM
- SPEAKER REMARKS
- CITATIONS FOR MEDALISTS
- CITATION FOR MEDALIST AND SPEAKER
- IMAGES FOR MEDIA
FOR COMMENCEMENT INQUIRIES
Lillian Appel, Commencement Coordinator
212.854.2024
lappel@barnard.edu
ABOUT COMMENCEMENT
commencement 2009
SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON URGES GRADUATES TO CONDUCT DIGITAL DIPLOMACY AND BE SPECIAL ENVOYS OF IDEALS
May 18, 2009, New York, NY – The pealing of chapel bells signaled the opening of Barnard College's 117th Commencement ceremony on the South Lawn of Columbia University this cool and breezy Monday. Faculty and trustees of the college followed the procession of approximately 625 members of the Class of 2009, Barnard's largest graduating class to date, to their seats under crisp white tents.
President Debora L. Spar opened the ceremony, welcomed the graduates, and introduced Anna Quindlen '74, Chair of the Board of Trustees, who offered the trustees' greetings and congratulations. "You are Barnard women and believe me, it doesn't get any better than that," she said, concluding her remarks by adding, "See you on page one, and on Air Force One."
Jamie Prem, president of the class of 2009, followed Quindlen and described the changes on campus and around the neighborhood over the past four years, suggesting that they reflected how she and her Barnard sisters had grown and matured over that time. "It truly has been an honor to have been among you amazing women during these past four years," said Prem, adding that although her class' time at Barnard was up, they would remain eternally united as Barnard women: "We have this connection with each other and with women throughout time that we will never forget and can never lose."
Elizabeth S. Boylan, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, recalled the words of Gandhi that she cited when the class of 2009 first assembled at convocation in August of 2005. "Real education consists in drawing the best out of yourself." She closed with the words of Garrison Keillor: "Be well, do good work, and stay in touch."
Sarah Besnoff, president of the Student Government Association and the next speaker, recalled what her mother used to say to her: "‘When I grow up, I want to be Sarah Besnoff.'" The quote reminded Besnoff that she had been given opportunities her mother never had. "Barnard is the opportunity that I have been given … today is the day that I grow up and become the woman that my mom always wanted to be.".
The SGA president recalled the same issue of choice that President Spar discussed last fall in her inaugural address. "[At Barnard,] the hardest challenge was always having to choose what to do," said Besnoff. "It is this culture of choice that is our generation's unique opportunity, a blessing our mothers were not given in equal measure." She came to an encouraging conclusion: "When two roads diverge in a yellow wood and I'm sorry I can't travel both, I'm not concerned. I know that my Barnard sister who chooses to take the other road will call me and tell me what she saw, who to avoid, and what lies ahead. Her distinct path will not be divergent from mine. Rather, it will add to the map of our joint experience. We stand here today with a woman [Hillary Clinton] who put 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling while we, the Barnard College class of 2009, have been given the opportunity to break the damn thing. When I grow up, I want to be each and everyone of the Barnard class of 2009."
President Spar then announced the Frank Gilbert Bryson Prize, which recognizes the senior who gets the most votes from her classmates for her contribution to Barnard over the past four years. Sarah Besnoff returned to the dais as the winner. Kathleen Goble, who chaired the class of 2009 Senior Fund, announced the eco-friendly fountain that the class would contribute to the Arthur Ross Courtyard. In the "Academic Reflections" address, given every commencement by the winner of a speaking competition, Sarah Nager fielded ideas about how much space women and men take up—both literally and figuratively—in areas as diverse as subway seating and leadership roles. She noted, "Barnard does not limit the amount of space women take up," and focused on how she had learned to challenge the status quo during her four years of study.
The Barnard Medal of Distinction, the College's highest honor, was then awarded to four remarkable women: PepsiCo's Chief Executive Officer, Indra K. Nooyi; Harvard University's William Dorr Boardman Professor of Fine Arts, Irene J. Winter '60; former general counsel to the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice Kay C. Murray; and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Secretary of State Clinton addressed the Class of 2009, speaking of the history of Barnard College and higher education for women. She urged Barnard graduates to take advantage of the democratization of diplomacy and act as citizen diplomats and activists: "Each of you must be a special envoy of your skills and ideals." She suggested that the class of 2009 consider "the plight of women and girls around the world…. As women of strong voices and strong values, you are in a unique position to support women worldwide who don't have the resources you do but whose lives and dreams are just as worthy as yours and mine.
"We all have an opportunity today to do so much more than I even dreamed possible when I sat where you are sitting all those years ago. You leave here empowered in a way that women and girls have never been before. It's exciting and it's daunting, but I know you're up to it. Serving the people of the world does not have to be your life's calling but I urge you to make it a part of your life, to include it in whatever you decide to do as you start out on this adventure."
After Dean of the College Dorothy Denburg '70 presented the degree candidates and they received their diplomas, President Spar addressed the class, elaborating on the contradictory environment they would face as they went out into the world. "The bad news? We're in the midst of a really bad recession. The good news is that this is actually a fascinating time to be graduating… [to be] trying to figure out how the world works and what role you want to play in it. Because what's happening right now is that all the rules are changing ….You are going to have to rethink the basic connection between business and government; between the power of the state and the role of private industry; you are going to have to reconceive the basic meanings of success…."
The Barnard a cappella singing group Bacchantae sang the alma mater, then the newly graduated Class of 2009 recrossed Broadway to the post-commencement reception on the Barnard campus where they mingled their family, friends, and faculty, enjoying Champagne and photo-ops.
— Johanna Smith
Watch a video of the ceremonies