Fall 2020 Commencement | CSU College of Business Undergraduate Class
congratulations graduates hello i am beth walker dean of the csu college of business and i would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you our class of 2020. you have achieved a tremendous personal milestone whether you are graduating with an undergraduate or graduate degree you completed the final steps of your academic journey from one of the best business schools and universities in the country during the final semester of your academic career many of you adjusted to a new way of learning that might have included a blend of in-person hybrid and online learning in line with csu's commitment to putting the health and safety of our community first others of you persevered with your online graduate degree programs balancing working from home and in many cases kids at home through it all you have shown remarkable resourcefulness as you transitioned to a much quieter socially distanced campus and resilience as you connected with classmates friends and student clubs and the community mostly online you rallied adapted and adjusted to new ways of learning living and engaging at home and with a campus community and today you are graduating over the years i have had many conversations with employers about why they return year after year to hire our college of business graduates while they talk about your intelligence your extraordinary work ethic and of course your integrity the quality that truly sets you apart is grit in one of my favorite books psychologist dr angela duckworth suggests that what drives success not only at work but in life is not how smart you are or the score that you earned on a test but grit that special blend of passion and perseverance that motivates you to overcome obstacles to face challenges head-on to not give up no matter what today is proof that within each of you resides in inner strength a determination grit that not only got you to the finish line today but will enable you to overcome every challenge you face in the future in a few months the world will hopefully return to normal as a business graduate you will help lead the way inspired to innovate by the new realities that confront us motivated to create new possibilities for a better way of life driven to use business create a better world as you participate in shaping our new future remember the lessons that you learned while social distancing during COVID- 19. years from now when you tell your kids stories about how you graduated during the global pandemic of 2020 you won't recall the assignment you didn't turn in because your internet connection failed or the higher grade you didn't earn because you couldn't muster the energy to study for yet another online quiz you will remember the special memories that you created with your friends and family during your unexpected time together the acts of kindness that were extended to you from a caring classmate or faculty member or the simple acts of service that you embraced out of a need to give back to your community as emerging business leaders you have the opportunity to invent a new and better future for all of us in business and in life remember that taking care of people of each other is what matters most i am extremely proud of all of you on behalf of the faculty and staff of the college of business congratulations and go rams hi i'm paul mallett associate dean for undergraduate programs here in the college of business i just want to extend my congratulations to the 2020 class you should be very proud of this achievement you've completed a rigorous academic program you've shown the resilience and agility demanded by these extraordinary times so well done so congratulations we're proud of you we look forward to what you accomplish in the future don't be a stranger and go rams hello everyone i am humbled and overjoyed to be the student commencement speaker for the 2020 graduating class to my fellow graduates congratulations this is such a monumental achievement and each and every one of us should be so proud as i was writing this speech one of my favorite quotes from booker t washington came to mind excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way the end of our college experience has been anything but common yet i can assure you that by being here today we have achieved uncommon excellence our class is filled with graduates from all walks of life who have each worked so hard to get to this moment we have not only achieved excellence through uncommon ways but each on our own unique path it is our diversity of backgrounds perspectives and experiences which have made us better students better future business leaders and most importantly better human beings who will achieve excellence in uncommon ways and while i genuinely wish we could commemorate this occasion in person joyously celebrating with one another let's not lose sight of what it means to graduate graduation is not crossing the stage having parties or the toss of our caps graduation is however a moment to reflect on so many things that have brought us joy it is a moment to commemorate our achievements receiving scholarships winning awards and receiving job offers it is a moment to recognize the small victories such as making that 8 a.m class or finally learning how pivot tables work it is a moment to appreciate relationships that will last a lifetime our friends we made in class and the professors that equipped us for our careers these are the memories that we will take with us for the rest of our lives and what commencement really celebrates my family played an invaluable role in encouraging me at csu especially my parents it was not easy to hear that their daughter who moved far from home wanted to study semi-trucks and factories thank you mom and dad for making it look effortless to my fellow graduates i am sure you have similar stories about the people who made today's graduation possible for you let's not forget to thank the family and friends who ensured that we had the backing of our wonderful communities throughout our education we have also benefited tremendously from the support of the faculty and staff in the college of business i am confident that each of us has at least one professor who has encouraged inspired and challenged us thank you all for going above and beyond and as our time as csu comes to an end it may feel like we have some big decisions still to make where will we live what job will we want to pursue what is our next step while these questions seem daunting we can benefit from shifting our perspective what if instead of answering these big difficult questions we concentrate on the small decisions we make every day something as simple as applying for one more job or taking extra time to be kind to someone are the small decisions that can create big impact and as i reflect on our shared experience in the college of business mission business for a better world i think about my fellow graduates and what lies ahead let us embrace our opportunity for impact our years at csu have prepared us to be the difference this world needs i am honored to be part of this class use your unique and uncommon talents to the class of 2020 congratulations and go rams with the recommendations of the faculty of colorado state university by the authority vested in me by the board of governors of the colorado state university system and the state of colorado i hereby confer upon each of you your degree as appropriate with all rights privileges and responsibilities pertaining thereto congratulations all i cannot wait to see where your journeys take you hello i am lisa kutcher chair of the accounting department on behalf of the faculty and staff in our department congratulations you have worked hard and you are now a csu bizram we are so proud of your accomplishments and success and we know you have the skills to go out and make a difference wishing you all the best as you start your professional career congratulations and go rams i want to congratulate each and every one of you on finishing your studies and graduating college you have accomplished something tremendous and i cannot wait to see how you will shape and change the world congratulations again on behalf of the entire department of finance and real estate and best of luck with your future endeavors dear cis graduates i'm Leo Vijayasarathy chair of the computer information systems department on behalf of our faculty and staff congratulations you've worked hard overcome multiple obstacles to earn your degree kudos to you this is your moment step forward boldly seize the opportunities and accept the challenges that lie ahead of you you're confident you'll you'll be successful in your personal and professional lives i wish you all the best in your future endeavors please stay in touch make csu proud and go rams i'm Dave Gilliland chair of the department of marketing on behalf of all the faculty in the department let me say congratulations to you on a job well done rest assured that you have the latest tools techniques and theories to do well in the business world also don't forget that you have a ram family he's still supporting you back here in fort collins stay in touch with us let us know how you're doing come back and see us the most important of all stay healthy again congratulations i'm susan golisic the chair of the management department and we'd love to congratulate all of our graduates organization and information management human resources and supply chain management we're really proud of all the work you've done we wish you all the best and we can't wait to see everything you accomplish please keep in touch with us and go rams Hail to thee, our Alma Mater, Colorado State. Memories are everlasting of this place so great! May thy Green and Gold unite us, loyal ever be. Colorado State, our Alma Mater, Hail, all hail, to thee.
2020-12-20 08:47
