From the day I entered college as a first-year student, I have lived my life in higher education. Yet, the sight of this dazzling view of assembled graduates, representing countless hours of academic dedication and limitless potential, fills me with joy and awe.

I’d like to thank the many people who contributed their time and talents to make this weekend so special for our students and guests: the Dining staff who worked tirelessly so you could enjoy each other’s company over one last shared meal as Swarthmore students; the Grounds and Maintenance crews for the many setups and breakdowns; the Environmental Services staff who keep our campus facilities clean and well-supplied; and Public Safety for their careful preparation and planning.

We are also grateful to the Lang Performing Arts Center team for preparing us for today’s ceremony and the Communications Office for documenting the occasion. And we thank the staff members volunteering today to help make this an enjoyable experience for everyone.

To our graduating seniors — when you came together as a class at First Gathering, we assured you that you would be accompanied and supported throughout your Swarthmore journey. I invite you to join me in recognizing all who delivered on that promise: our faculty members, who nurtured your intellectual and personal development; our staff members, who cared for your physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing; and the many friends from the Swarthmore community and beyond, who have been there to comfort you, confide in you, and celebrate with you throughout your college years.

Most importantly, your parents, family members, and caregivers supported your education, cheered your triumphs, and helped you learn from the problems you confronted. Your graduation represents a moment of joy, accomplishment, and celebration for all of them. I ask that you please rise as you are able, turn, and show your appreciation.

Thank you. You may be seated.

Each year at Commencement, we honor our retiring faculty and staff as a profound acknowledgement of their many decades of service.

Faculty members retiring from the College include the Peggy Chan Professor of Black Studies and Professor of Religion Yvonne Chireau and Professor of Chinese Haili Kong.

We also recognize our retiring staff members: Catherine Burnett, Engineering;  Verona Curry, Environmental Services; Heather Dumigan, ITS; Gary Gorbrecht, Maintenance; Cecil McDonald, Environmental Services; Robert McCaughern, Heat Plant; Susan McGinley, Grounds; Carolyn Moir, Admissions; Elizabeth Pitts, Office of the General Counsel, Claire Sawyers, Scott Arboretum; Judith Strauser, Financial Aid; Kenneth Watts, Tri-College Project; and Roy Word, Dining.

I’d like to extend special thanks to Professor Kathleen Howard, who is thankfully not retiring, but is concluding her service as acting Provost and Dean of Faculty — a role she stepped into at the start of this academic year. Kathleen, thank you for leading with thoughtfulness, grace, compassion, and insight. Swarthmore is a better institution because of all you contribute to this community. 

Please join me in thanking these long-serving members of our community.

I also want to take a moment to honor all of our community members whom we lost over the past year. Each played a meaningful role in the life of the College. That includes several members of our faculty and staff who passed away. Each of them shaped experiences and touched lives in ways both visible and unseen. We remember Jason Ebersole, senior associate director of Reporting & Analytics in Advancement; Yoshiko Jo, senior lecturer in Japanese; Michael Jones, director of the Language and Media Centers and MakerSpace; Megan Salladino, administrative assistant in the Economics Department; Beatrice Thomas, a longtime food and service associate in Dining Services; and Monica Vance, director of Student Disability Services. We are grateful for their many contributions to Swarthmore and for the care and dedication they brought to our community.

Every year, among the celebrations of graduation season, we hear the all-too-frequent refrain: “What is a liberal arts education worth?” The question is meant to be thought-provoking, yet the answer, of course, is always the same: it is priceless.

To be sure, Swarthmore has prepared you to achieve professional success. You’ve gained an extraordinary amount of knowledge over the last four years, while proving your ability to work hard and to learn.

But the full value of the liberal arts exceeds any quantifiable measurement. It combines a commitment to intellectual rigor with creative exploration and the pursuit of the common good. It encourages innovation informed by a social conscience. It enriches entrepreneurship with cultural understanding. It cultivates synergistic relationships between technology and the humanities and arts.

That’s why Swarthmore stands firm in its commitment to the liberal arts and to the protection of academic freedom. A liberal arts education insists on the ability to follow questions wherever they lead — whether through scientific discovery, philosophical inquiry, or artistic expression. It demands the space to test ideas, challenge assumptions, and create without constraint. These freedoms are not only essential to your own intellectual growth; they’re vital to a democratic society. We must defend against any efforts to narrow what can be taught, studied, or imagined.

This year’s honorary degree recipients demonstrate the ways a liberal arts education shapes learning and life:

• Joseph Altuzarra has achieved critical acclaim as a fashion designer by infusing intellectual depth and cross-cultural influences into his work, establishing a globally recognized brand.
• A scholar of cognitive and developmental psychology, Kimberly Wright Cassidy has championed innovation and women’s education as provost and president of Bryn Mawr College.
• Maurice Eldridge has led a distinguished career in education and has advocated relentlessly for social justice.
• And Shamil Idriss has contributed his abilities as an organizational leader to building peace around the world.

Each of you stands to make similar, wondrous contributions.

As you go out into the world as Swarthmore graduates, your alma mater will continue to stand firmly behind its mission to bring the transformative experience of a liberal arts education, unencumbered and rigorous in its intellectual inquiry, to a diverse community of learners.  We will count on you to act as fervent advocates and sterling examples of the power of freedom in higher learning.

I know you, members of the class of 2025, have already confronted challenges with few precedents (we don’t need to recount them all). So, in your final moments as an undergraduate at Swarthmore, let me offer a piece of advice that I hope you can put into practice starting at this very moment: look for the glimmers in life.

We’ve become so accustomed to recognizing the emotional triggers around us, that we’ve lost sight of what social worker Deb Dana calls “the glimmers” — those experiences and senses that spark joy and give us a feeling of safety or hope, even for just a moment.

The glimmers in my life include the first crocuses of the season—surprise blossoms of color unfolding from spring green stems, assurances that warmer days will soon be here. Or that first evening after the dark winter months, when I suddenly notice that the glow of walkway lights has been replaced by a late-setting sun.

Notice your glimmers. They come in many forms and catch us unawares: it could be the face of a loved one; a turn of phrase;  the taste of your favorite food; the opening lines of your favorite song; the list goes one. Notice them.  Don’t discount them. Day after day they sustain us, regulating our moods and filling our lives with light. Over time, and with a bit of practice, we become better at discovering the small joys that surround us.

There’s a medical term — neuroplasticity — that describes a wondrous, even miraculous phenomenon: our brain’s ability to develop new neural pathways based on the repetition of behavior. In other words, when we intentionally seek out the charms of everyday life, our brains reorient themselves to more positive, uplifting thoughts.

The author Ross Gay, who spent a year chronicling what he described as “delights,” wrote, “the more you study delight, the more delight there is to study.” He explained that he still felt sorrow, fear, pain, and loss—the turmoil of racism and politics still weighed on him — but seeking these bright shimmers around him brought those emotions into balance.  

Dwelling on glimmers not only brings us happiness, it also gives us a sense of gratitude that these joys exist.

As the poet Gwendolyn Brooks wrote:

Exhaust the little moment. Soon it dies.

And be it gash or gold it will not come

Again in this identical disguise.

Members of the Class of 2025, I hope you are proud of all you accomplished these past four years and that you will remember your time at Swarthmore with a heart full of delights. We are proud of you, we are excited for you, and we cannot wait to follow your journey as you venture into this next chapter of life. Congratulations!