Baccalaureate was held in the arena this afternoon, which I know was disappointing to the students and parents. There's something so majestic about having Old Main as a backdrop for the service, not to mention that a 'gym' baccalaureate smacks a bit of high school. But the weather doesn't always cooperate with Wofford (maybe we should graduate more future meteorologists to help us out!) so one has to look at the bright side, and find the advantages of the alternate location. At least no one got wet, or had to be nervous about approaching thunder. Perhaps it was easier for parents seated in the stands to pick out their youngsters in the rows of graduates down below. Plus, everyone could hear the speakers, along with the vocal rendition of Ave Maria, performed so beautifully by Samantha Hall. And as a middle-aged faculty member, I have to confess that the padded seats are much more comfortable than folding chairs!
To me, the best part of an indoor graduation is the procession, which takes the faculty up the center aisle between the graduates. It reminds me of the processions at FSU, where undergraduates would turn and watch as the professors and their doctoral candidates filed in. But there is a very pivotal difference between these two moments, which speaks to the importance of Wofford and other small, liberal arts schools. At FSU, an undergraduate might recognize the occasional professor, but the professor would have no reaction to the undergraduate. No professor smiled or nodded or gave that little 'hey, I'm proud of you' wave to a person receiving a BA or BS. It wasn't a purposeful shunning but a symptom of life in a place where students are little more than numbers---it would require a professor with a fantastic memory (which most of us don't have, trust me on this!) to recognize the FSU student who gave funny answers in Western Civilization, or who fell into the creek during a biology lab field trip, or always wore a Braves baseball cap to class.
At Wofford, as we came down the aisle this afternoon, I could see the smiles and the nods, and even catch a few playful 'hey, are you sure you're graduating? No, come on, not already!' jokes exchanged between faculty and their favorite students. It only takes a few minutes for us to process to our seats, but those interactions between the faculty and students are the moments that the graduates will remember long after they've forgotten other details about this day. This is a treat they would never have at a big university, where they would barely know any of their classmates, much less their professors, staff, and administrators.
And on the chance that any of the Class of 2009 are reading this (and I know you're not, because you're all at the senior party right now!) let me say that we know you're graduating at a tough time, but we think you're pretty tough, and smart, and ready to take on the world. We're proud of you because we know you. I catch myself getting sappy every time I spot one of my former students from the 2005 Sherlock Holmes Humanities, or 2008 Community of Scholars, or my 2008 Shop Till You Drop Interim. Don't get me started on the History Seniors, or I might just go to pieces all over this blog. And I promise you, it's not just me; I watch my colleagues in the department react to our majors and to students they've shepherded through capstone projects and honors theses, and they get a bit misty-eyed too. Even those very logical scientists can turn sentimental when saying goodbye to students who have been partners in research and fieldwork!
It doesn't matter where we hold our commencement exercises, really, because the interactions, the pride, and the hope for our graduates' future will always be the same, rain or shine.
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Nice Article ! I love getting blog information, as I like to reference them to research papers in college, well summer school now.
Posted by: Gold Coins | July 10, 2009 at 10:51 PM
I am glad to know about your Baccalaureate. I think you really had fun.
Posted by: Business Loans | September 04, 2009 at 01:55 PM
"the best part of an indoor graduation is the procession". I think we have the same like Dr. Tracy Revels. Thank you so much!
Posted by: Hydroponics | September 15, 2009 at 10:41 AM