Congratulations to the Class of 2025
A Message from Joel Towers, President and University Professor
Commencement is here!
Over the last few days, in dozens of recognition ceremonies across the campus, students and their families and friends have celebrated the extraordinary achievement that is graduation. Students selected by their colleges, invited guests, deans, department chairs, program directors, and faculty have offered reflections on the meaning of their specific areas of study, this class of graduates, and the importance of their work in our times. Students’ names have been called, they have walked across stages, and they have been honored by loved ones, together with the faculty and staff closest to their programs. And in an exuberant outpouring of talent, energy, scholarship, and creativity, there have been performances, exhibitions, readings, presentations, and final reviews that have demonstrated students’ hard work, probing questions, and passionate embrace of their studies and the world. It has been a whirlwind of brilliance and emotion. I have crisscrossed the campus seeking to experience it all in what sometimes felt like hundreds of events all scheduled at the same time. Occasionally, I would just pause and let it all wash over me because to be in this community, in all its splendor and cacophony, is an inspiration and a joy of unparalleled proportion. I am certain the Class of 2025 will transform the future.
Today it all comes to a crescendo when we gather as one university community for commencement and the conferral of degrees. It is a moment of deep celebration—a chance to step back from the everyday and mark this inflection point in the lives of the Class of 2025, and in the life of The New School. Before all the tears of joy, I want to take this moment to congratulate the graduates. You inspire me. I also want to thank all the faculty and staff for a remarkable year. Your dedication to our core mission of education, research, scholarship, and creative practice have been our North Star.
See you all in Brooklyn in full regalia!