• Home >
• News & Events >
• News >
• Rousing Speeches & Great Excitement Abound at 166th Annual Manhattanville College Commencement

News

Rousing Speeches & Great Excitement Abound at 166th Annual Manhattanville College Commencement

View Video from the Master's Graduate Ceremony.
View Video from the Undergraduate Ceremony. 

 

5.12.2007

Manhattanville College President Richard A. Berman conferred degrees on 346 graduates at the College’s 166th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 12, 2007.

“We have educated you to be ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community,” President Berman stated. “Your Manhattanville education has prepared you for whatever life may bring.”

The diverse and dynamic Class of 2007 is made up of students from 24 U.S. states and 18 countries in addition to the U.S. President Berman noted that as individuals and as a class the seniors were committed to making the world a better place. This year, the graduates and their colleagues performed over 23,000 hours of community service in projects in Westchester County and New York City and Asia, Africa and Central and South America. Many of the graduates are the first person in their family to graduate from college and some overcame tremendous hardships before coming to Manhattanville.

Three graduating seniors: Student Government President, Amanda Kis, and Senior Class Co-Presidents Christopher Leo and Nicole Vourliotis, delivered remarks. “It is the amazing people who make Manhattanville College stand out above the rest. Manhattanville College has enabled us to become the individuals we are today…The Class of 2007 will be taking over one city at a time,” said Kis.

Leo shared his father’s inspirational message to never let your past dictate your future. “Each and every day forward is a gift and with this gift you have the ability to showcase your own unique and true potential,” he said.

Vourliotis poignantly described how the members of the Class of 2007 supported one another. “We were our own professors. We taught one another lessons with tears, smiles and late night phone calls as our textbooks. We showed each other compassion, strength and acceptance.” 

President Berman then presented honorary degrees to three outstanding individuals whose accomplishments reflect the values of community and global awareness that are part of Manhattanville’s mission: Maya Lin, Wellington Mara (posthumously) and keynote speaker Ted Turner.

World-renowned artist, designer and environmentalist, Maya Lin has captivated the world with her profound and poignant sculptures, monuments and architectural projects such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. On the Manhattanville College campus, Ms. Lin designed the Ohnell Environmental Park classroom and restored the historic Holladay Lady’s Chapel.  These beautiful structures promote sustainability and enable our students to learn about creating a better world. Ms. Lin was awarded the degree Doctor of Humane Letters.

The late Wellington Mara was co-owner of the NY Giants, a dedicated family man, and a generous donor to a wide range of charitable causes. In 1997, Mr. Mara was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. John Mara accepted the degree Doctor of Humane Letters on behalf of his father.

President Richard A. Berman introduced Ted Turner as “a consummate businessman, entrepreneur, futurist and philanthropist whose bold ideas and dynamic vision have changed the world.” As the creator of CNN, Ted Turner revolutionized the news media. As chairman of the Turner Foundation, Ted Turner has devoted his time and money to improving air quality, developing sustainable sources of energy and protecting wildlife. In 1998, he pledged one billion dollars to support United Nations causes and urged other billionaires to do the same.

Turner, who was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, delivered an address that covered global warming and climate change, nuclear weapons, the similarity of the wars in Iraq and Vietnam, and the need for peace in the world.  Said Turner, “Here’s what I’ve learned like you’ve learned from your international students here (at Manhattanville): if you treat everybody with dignity, respect and friendliness, all you’ll find is friends. All over the world. Now if you’re looking for a fight like George W., [sic] our President. He likes to fight...We’ve got global warming and overpopulation and environmental degradation, overfishing oceans. We have enough problems to concentrate on without bombing each other…Instead of sending soldiers over there and bombers, what we ought to do is send them doctors and teachers.”

Turner ended on an optimistic note encouraging the graduates to join in to try to make things better. ‘We can save the world,” he concluded to rousing applause from the crowd. 

After the keynote address, three prizes were awarded to outstanding seniors. Academic Dean Imma De Stefanis awarded the Grace Cowardin Damman Award to Alan Delmonte and the Eleanor O’Byrne Prize to Kristina Maleeva.  President Berman awarded the President’s Prize, which honors outstanding contribution to the Manhattanville community, to Nicole Vourliotis. 

Scott Stoddart, the Acting Provost of the College, then presented the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees to the graduates.

In concluding, President Berman noted that many friends and family members of the graduates were watching the graduation on the Internet and sent those viewers a special greeting. The program ended with a beautiful performance of a new arrangement of the Manhattanville Alma Mater, “On the Heights”, by the Quintessentials, a student singing group.