University of Tennessee Commencement, Spring 2021: Haslam College of Business
Test Test. Mangum . test. ≫ PRIMM: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, and welcome to Neyland Stadium and today's commencement exercises.
This day represents a milestone accomplishments in the lives of our students. Please remember that this is a formal academic ceremony and appropriate decorum is expected. Please be respectful throughout the ceremony and remember that the focus of the day is on our students.
Now, please stand for the academic procession. The processional is led by Chancellor Donde Plowman. She is joined by members of the campus administration, Haslam College of Business dean Steve Mangum, and administration and faculty of the Haslam College of Business. ♫♫ ≫ PRIMM: We begin today's ceremonies with the singing of our National Anthem. Please stand and, gentlemen, please remove your caps. Joining us by video is student Adia Evans singing the "Star Spangled Banner.
" Ms. Evans is accompanied by faculty brass quartet members, Arthur Zanin, Brandon Eggert, Katie Johnson, and Alex van Duuren. ♫ O say can you see ♫ ♫ by the dawn's early light ♫ ♫ what so proudly we hailed ♫ ♫ at the white's last the twilight's last gleaming ♫ [ cheers and applause ] ≫ PLOWMAN: Please be seated.
Good morning. It is my honor to welcome you to Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee for this historic commencement ceremony. I'm Chancellor Donde Plowman. And I am breathless looking at all of you and all these families. Today we celebrate the Class of 2021 -- [Applause] And we also celebrate some graduates that are joining ugs from the class of 2020. Let's hear it for them as well. [Applause] Typically, we hold this ceremony in Thompson-Boling Arena, a special venue in its own right. It's home to our men and women's
basketball teams. But when it became clear this year that an outdoor ceremony was the safest way for us to celebrate together, we seized the opportunity to create an unforgettable moment for this remarkable group of graduates. [Applause] You are the first graduates to ever have your degrees conferred on the field of Neyland Stadium. [Applause] This is storied ground, where champions have reigned and where legends from General Neyland and Johnny Majors to Peyton Manning and Al Wilson built their legacies.
It is where many of you fell in love with the University of Tennessee, where you cheered on your favorite team and formed lasting memories on those crisp autumn Saturdays. But today, we are cheering for you. you deserve it. [Applause] Like graduates before you, you have arrived at this moment after a journey filled with Triumphs and its challenges.
Some have been part of the typical college experience, the course you struggled through, the competitive internship you earned. But some were anything but typical, shifting to remote learning in the middle of a semester, juggling a changing world and family hardships. But you are here because you persevered. You pushed through, did the work, leaned on those who were here to help you and those who love you. To all the family and friends, the faculty and mentors, the advisors and classmates who have championed today's graduates, we say thank you. [Applause] Your support has made a difference in helping our graduates achieve their goals.
Every so often, a group of students graduate into a world that is entirely different than the one that existed when they entered college. I think about those students who graduated during the Great Recession, after 9/11, and during times of war. Now you join them, as the graduates who step into a world forever altered by a global pandemic. It's always hard to leave the comfort of the community you have built here on Rocky Top. It can be unsettling fore any of us to leave the familiar and begin an uncertain future.
But do not worry You may not know exactly what tomorrow will bring, but know this, you are ready. YOU are ready. You have prepared yourselves with the knowledge you have built, the relationships you have formed, and the curiosity you have cultivated. You have opened yourselves up to challenging ideas and difficult conversations. You have invested in your studies, your research, your performances, your art.
You have discovered new passions and given yourselves to the causes that move you. When you first arrived here on campus, we celebrated with a Torch Night ceremony. You lit your candle and together we committed ourselves to the Volunteer creed. "One that beareth a torch shadoweth oneself to give light to others.
" That is what you have learned to do in your years here on Rocky Top. It's what you will continue to do when you leave this campus. And it's why I know you are ready. Just a couple years ago, few people even knew what supply chain management meant. Now, billions of Amazon packages and one national toilet paper shortage later, there's a new appreciation for the expertise many of you will bring to the workforce.
And as our economy continues to rebuild, the skills each of you has developed in marketing, finance, management, business administration, and other areas, will be critical in creating the industries and the economy of the future. You may be stepping into a world still shaken by this pandemic, you are the ones who will help us find the path forward. It is you, the next generation, who will see past the norms this pandemic has dismantled and find the opportunities to build a more just, more compassionate, and more creative world. That's what Volunteers do. Congratulations, graduates.
I know you will make us proud. [Applause] ≫ PLOWMAN: None of us achieve great things without support along the way. So thank you to all the family and friends here today and those who could not be here, for the sacrifices you made and the encouragement you offered our graduates. You have been an important part of their success. To the faculty and staff, who challenge, mentor, and inspire our students from the time they arrive on campus, thank you. You have dedicated your careers to supporting and to teaching, and your guidance is invaluable.
Graduates, please stand and join me in applauding your family, your friend and your faculty. [Applause] You may be seated. Now we turn to those who will be awarded degrees today. Graduates, your presence here demonstrates your mastery in your field of study and your commitment to achieving high goals. Your degree will serve as a reminder of these achievements as you move to the next phase of your life. Friends and family, will you please join me in recognizing the tremendous achievements of today's graduates.
[Applause] I want to thank the graduates of the Class of 2021 for giving back and supporting our university. More than 1,000 of you made gifts through the university's Senior Gift program. Those gifts total more than $33,000 to support your colleges and programs. As you become alumni, Hank in a few minutes, I hope you do not stay engaged Remain connected, keep in touch with us and give back. Alumni support is critical to our success and I thank you for support. UT System President Randy Boyd isn't able to be with us in person today, but he sent a.
Short video to share his congratulations. After you hear from President Boyd, you'll hear from one of your colleagues, Joelle Jarjoura who is graduating today with a BS in Business Administration. ≫ Greeting Volunteers.
Reasoned Boyd here, president of the University of Tennessee opinion finalliy it's here. The day you thought would never arrive a sol upon, you graduation punch achieved your dream of earning a college degree. You did it, and you did it in extraordinary fashion. We are continuing to write history as we journey together through what we hope will be the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. I applaud your flexibility and tracking I go frankly your courage throughout these unprecedented times. Of your professors are also to be commender for em bracing unexpected change in how click rum ask delivered.
Going to class has become what you do, not always where you go. I'm honored to share in the significant milestone with you, your family, your professors, and your friends, and it is my honor to congratulate you on behalf of the university have Tennessee system. During the next few days seniors from our campuses everywhere ever graduating. Some will directly enter the workforce while others will continue on with their graduate studies. Regardless of your path forward, you're now set to achieve even more, and ever well-position today use the knowledge you have gained while ET Knoxville. You will be working to developing solutions for the world's nose edge ever most challenge.
Complex problems you'll be making a difference in your communities, your state, and your world. As graduate and official become UT Knox describe alumni, I hope your hearts will never leave this place. Look proudly on your time here. Be proud of what you have already accomplished live a life that will inspire future generations . Congratulations and go Vols. ≫ A shift in harbor is safe but that's not what ships are built for.
We began our college journey as freshmen, ships safe in the harbor of our new home. We charged the doors into PCB for the perfect supplies of pizza and erase need Neyland Stadium shouting Rocky top in a pair of checkerboard overalls. An Arabic class we learned to pronounce, and in accounting 101 we felt our heads spin while staring at a balance sheet. Through it all, we learned. We learned about our strengths, our vulnerable inner builts, and our passions. We learned the skills critical to the jobs of the but and we learned what we cherished with the University of Tennessee and if family we made here. Halfway through our journey, our ships faced choppy tides as we encountered countered a challenge unlike we have ever seen.
Navigating the pandemic, we learned how to adapt to courses through the screens of our computers while pushing through mental and physical fatigue. We miss oud grandparents' hugs and the charter of family over holiday meals. Leashed that FaceTime was better than text and added zooming as a new verb to our vocabulary.
Ultimately we rediscovered what we cherished about the University of Tennessee and the family we made here. We began college sailing smoothly and encountered turbulent waves and learned to adjust our sails. A ship in harbor is safe but that's not what ships are built for. Your life will be filled with moments of smooth sailing and moments of choppy tides. The past four years have given you the tools to redirect your compass and navigate any wave.
Be bold. Be brave. Navigate with confidence. An unexpected wave may guide you in a direction that is better than you could ever imagine.
Waves are a part of life, and, yes, riding a wave may take all you've got, but you've got what it takes. And remember, waves make moments of smooth sailing that much sweeter. I am proud to be a part of the most resilient class of graduates that has walked across this stage. Congratulations, class of 2021. It has been an honor to sail
alongside you. [Applause] ≫ Good morning, everyone. My name is Steve Mangum. I have the honor to serve as Dean of the Haslam college of business. I join Chancellor Plowman in recognizing the uniqueness of gathering today in Neyland Stadium. This venue is special in the history of the Haslam College of Business.
It was General Neyland that brought a young Jim Haslam, our college's namesake, from Pennsylvania, by way of Florida, to Tennessee, and the rest, as they say, is history. I likewise join Chancellor Plowman in recognizing and thanking the faculty and staff of Haslam College. At the end of the day, a college is only as good as its faculty and staff, and in our case, their quality propels us to greatness.
To you families and loved ones of today's graduates, again, thank you for always being there to share their excitement in achievement and also to help them through times of disappointment. Both were key to their success. To each of today's graduates, we are proud of you. You have enriched our lives during your time on Rocky Top.
We hope that the future course of your life is forever changed By the education that you received at UT. Think back on the four,. Or perhaps five or perhaps more years spent here Think back to your first Haslam College activity, perhaps it was the Haslam Engaged activity in Thompson Boling Arena when you were a first-year student. Reflect on what you have learned through the college's professional development series and the focus on our college's core values of integrity, inclusion, insight and impact. Think of the lasting friendships you have formed.
Think of the professors from whom you took classes. Hopefully among these there are those who challenged you, those who caused you to think, and hopefully to think differently and more critically than before, to more frequently contemplate the questions of why and how rather than just the questions of what and when, to think in terms of options and alternatives, to view situations through multiple mindsets in search for a best course of action. It may not be that every one of. These memories is a pleasant one In fact, I hope that they are not uniformly pleasant for it is . Often in struggle and in uncomfortableness that we learn the most, but hopefully every one of those memories is accompanied by one or more life lessons As you go forth, please do not reduce your commitment to learning, to pushing yourself,.
To expecting more than you first think reasonable or of what you think you are capable Continue to invite, induce and initiate learning in your life. Demand it of yourself. Require it of yourself. You are capable of great things. We know this because we have witnessed you do great things, hard things, challenging things. You are entering a fast paced, ever changing, fascinating world of artificial intelligence, machine learning, contactless delivery, digital nomadism, telemedicine, e-learning, the Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, and micro-mobility, and the list could go on. Your UT diploma is your ticket to the world and it will serve you well.
Please know that you will always be counted members of our Haslam College family. As you scatter across the globe, remember that you have family here at UT in Knoxville. Keep in touch with us and come. Visit often. As you go forth, remember what this institution and those who support it have done for you. I invite you to accept responsibility to do the same for those who will follow you across the thresholds of the Haslam Business Building, you do so by giving back and paying forward in your time, talent, and treasure.
And so, as you depart Rocky Top for adventures that await you, I share simple advice from my. Own mother, shared with me many, many, many years ago at a similar time in my life. Her advice was simple. Be wise and have fun, and if you have to choose between the two, always choose to be wise. Congratulations to each of you and to your families It is now my honor to introduce Lt. Colonel Justin Howe, Commander of the Army ROTC at the University of Tennessee.
[Applause] ≫ Will the cadets to be commissioned please come forward. While they walk forward, I want to wish all the graduates here today my best to your futures. Thank you to the the families who have supported you during your time here today. Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Lt.
Colonel Justin Howe and I serve as Professor of Military Science and Commander of the Army ROTC. On behalf lieutenant colonel Tony E step the proverbs of aerospace science I have the pleasure today to commission these three cadets into the United States Air Force. These cadets have volunteered to selfless ly serve our great nation, and we should be steadfast in our unwavering support for them. I will now administer their oath of office . Raise your right hand and repeat after me . I, state your name, having been appointed a second lieutenant in the United States air force, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That I take this obligation freely , without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I'm about to enter, so help me God. would you join me in congratulating the air force 's newest second lieutenants. [ cheers and applause ]
≫ PLOWMAN: Thank you,Lieutenant colonel. Now graduates, we have arrived. At that part of the ceremony that I know you've been looking for forward to, when I confer your degrees, and in a few moments you will move your tassel , acknowledging the transition from student to graduate This is a special moment for you to celebrate all your years of hard work and dedication.
Degree candidates, will you please stand? Your presence today demonstrates that you have done the work and. You have completed the requirements for your degrees. On behalf of the State of Tennessee and the Board of Trustees, I confer upon you the degrees for which you have been recommended. Undergraduates, you may now move your tassels from right to left! [ cheers and applause ] ≫ PLOWMAN: Congratulations, graduates! You may now be seated.
Today, our graduates will be introduced individually. Our students have worked hard to earn their degrees. I ask that you be patient as we recognize each graduate.
[reading of names] [reading of names] [reading of names] ≫ Graduates, we are so proud of you and we hope you will always remember this moment , such a special year, and the class of 2021 is like no other in this university 's history. no other in our history. so today we will start a new Volunteer tradition to be shared right here right now, with all the graduates who come after you. we're going to close the ceremony, as is our tradition, by singing the Alma Mater together for your first time as alumni.
After the Alma Mater, at my direction, we will take a few moments to celebrate and soak in this experience. at that time, graduates, you may throw your caps and snap photos, cheer, your family, friends, all of us , we're all going to be cheering as loud as we can This is a moment to celebrate yourself, all that you've . Accomplished, and celebrate all the people who have helped you along the way. So, are you ready? Are you ready? Will you please stand for the singing of the alma mater.
♫ on a hall owed hill ≫ PLOWMAN: Let's celebrate, graduates! ♫♫ [ cheers and applause ] ≫ As your celebrating, we're going to begin the processional so please remain standing. I hope have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Thank you for celebrating with us today! ♫♫
2021-05-10 14:05
