Binghamton University celebrates Class of 2020, one of most distinguished in its history

“This has been a remarkable year for a remarkable class — marked most notably by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger told graduates in virtual ceremonies to be premiered on YouTube and Facebook, Sunday, Dec. 13 through Friday, Dec. 18. “So I begin by extending to this class congratulations for a job well done!

“The pandemic has transformed our families and friendships — in some ways weakening the bonds we have by limiting us to Zoom calls and socially distanced gatherings,” Stenger said. “But paradoxically, the pandemic has also strengthened these bonds as many of us suddenly found ourselves together as a family again, with everyone pulled together under one roof.”

For Stenger, that meant the empty nest he and his wife had been living in became home again to a daughter, remote-working son-in-law and two marvelous, but rambunctious grandchildren ages 5 and 2.

“Suddenly, my entire workday was thrown into an uproar, with entirely new routines and rituals,” he said. “The start of my day is much less productive, but the memories will be worth it and I hope that all of you have found as much joy working from home as I have.”

Stenger called the ceremonies a way to celebrate the culmination of all that work at home, and, though the camaraderie and friendship of a traditional, in-person Commencement is missing, he hoped graduates would reach out to each to with congratulations as they move into the next chapter of their lives.

To the doctoral candidates, Stenger spoke of his memories of earning his doctorate (in chemical engineering).

“What I remember was a tremendous sense of accomplishment, as well as relief in completing a long and taxing job,” he said. “I felt as If I had climbed a mountain, and could now look out on a future filled with opportunities and pending achievements.

“I hope that each of you is proudly wearing your robe, with someone nearby to assist you when we ask our graduates to don their hoods,” he said. “This hood will do more than keep the rain off your hair — it will give you almost magical powers.

“It will open doors at the world’s leading colleges and universities, and allow you to gain entrance to the top research laboratories and scholarly libraries and to pass into the highest corridors of government and industry,” Stenger said.

Even as he urged graduates to savor their accomplishments, he spoke of how they will make a difference in the lives of others. “We are recognizing scientists and scholars who are changing the world we live in — making us safer, healthier, more understanding and better able to confront the challenges that lie ahead,” Stenger said. “With our faculty as mentors, you have created works that are changing your disciplines, and every other student that follows will need to account for the new knowledge you have produced.

“Your accomplishments — and the sacrifices they required — are especially poignant today, as the world confronts a pandemic and our celebrations are postponed and virtual,” he added. “So I am excited to think about what your future holds for you — and for the world.”

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald Nieman also addressed the doctoral candidates, echoing Stenger’s congratulations on an exceptional accomplishment and commending them for their tenaciousness for completing their degrees.

“Your thirst for discovery and your keen intellect enabled you to pursue research at the highest level: to pose original questions, to pursue answers through rigorous, exhaustive and exhausting research; and to overcome obstacles and work your way out of apparent dead-ends to produce original knowledge that makes a significant contribution to your discipline,” he said.

“You have succeeded in what few are willing to attempt and what many who start the journey are unable to complete,” he added. “All of us feel privileged to share this day with you and to help you savor an accomplishment that has been many years in the making and that has prepared you to make unique contributions to our future.”

To the master’s and baccalaureate graduates, Stenger reminded them that they have developed a level of expertise and a deeper study of a field or discipline that will allow them to advance — or commence — in their chosen profession, adding to the quality of life we lead as global citizens.

“This is the culmination of a long and challenging journey — a journey filled with the excitement of exploration and discovery, the guidance of faculty mentors and the friendship of colleagues and peers,” he said.

“Your research became more exacting, your scholarship more penetrating, and your creativity more vibrant and thought-provoking,” he said. “In other words, you discovered a passion.”

Crediting them for their hard work in following their passions, Stenger said he hoped Binghamton University has given them the tools to that will allow graduates to continue to renew and discover into the future.

“I am so proud of Binghamton University’s graduates and the education you have received,” he said. “Your nation — and the world — need your talents.

“Today, we face great challenges — a pandemic to overcome, and perhaps most pressing, a world turning warmer, leaving political, cultural and social turmoil in its wake,” he told the graduates. “Challenges like these will require the work and the imagination of people in a wide range of fields and disciplines working together across international borders — people with skills and expertise, and most of all, a passion for solving challenging puzzles. People just like you.”

Nieman told the graduating seniors and master’s candidates that they are a remarkable group of students who have “demonstrated an amazing ability to ‘roll with the punches’ during what could be considered a tumultuous end to your time at Binghamton.”

Even during the pandemic, Nieman said, “You have shown that you have a great sense of humor, like to have fun and care about serving others. You embody the balance that makes Binghamton such a wonderful place to work and study.”

Stenger’s and Nieman’s remarks were followed by individual school ceremonies that will be premiered on YouTube and Facebook according to the schedule at the right. The links to Facebook and YouTube are being released as each ceremony premieres and can also be found on the Commencement website.