The University of Nebraska–Lincoln conferred 604 degrees during the summer commencement ceremony Aug. 15 at Pinnacle Bank Arena and awarded an honorary doctorate to a university icon and trailblazer.
Full list of graduates | Program
The 595 graduates are from 42 countries; 40 U.S. states and Puerto Rico; and 55 Nebraska communities.
“As students, you have raised our level of critical thinking and creative activity as a world-leading institution of higher learning, adding to the legacy of alumni who have earned their degrees at Nebraska,” said Interim Chancellor Katherine S. Ankerson, who presided over the combined graduate and undergraduate ceremony. “We are proud of each of you.”
Susan M. Sheridan, George Holmes Professor of educational psychology and director emeritus of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, delivered the keynote address, “The Art of Having Lived: Simple Lessons for Global Impact.” She shared a few simple lessons that the graduates learned in preschool that remain important as they leave college.
- Use nice words. “Communication is an art, a science, a skill, a tool. Use it wisely. Show respect to others as you reach out to them and touch them with your words, gestures and messages. But learn to use your voice in a way that promotes fairness, equity and good will. Your reasoned voice can be what changes biases and promotes equality.”
- Listen. “Know when to stop talking. You cannot hear others if your voice is the only one that you hear. … Let others’ opinions and perspectives, no matter how wild or wrong they may seem, germinate for a moment. You never know, they just might have something. And always, always be a learner, not a knower.”
- Be kind. “Now more than ever on this earth, we truly need each other. Together, we can begin making a difference in whatever area we decide is our passion, but only if it's done with genuineness and kindness. As you interact with an increasingly broad and interesting populace, your empathy, care and compassion will allow you to create environments that perpetuate humanness and faith in one another.”
- Share. “Give back. It doesn’t matter how much or how little. Just give back. You are now among the most privileged people in the world. You have a college education, a master’s degree or a Ph.D. … What comes with this privilege is huge responsibility. Be needed by others, not because of the material things you have or provide, but because of the meaning behind your decision to give. If you share one little bit each day, you will retire each night having purpose.”
- Participate. “You cannot use your voice, your silence or your gifts if you're not fully engaged. Be present. Lean in. Make things happen. Embrace a cause, whether it be supporting children in developing countries like Haiti or sharing a conversation with a lonely woman next door. Go out of your way to make someone’s day. If you participate in this way, I promise your world — our world — will be better. As Willa Cather so eloquently wrote: ‘I shall not die of a cold. I shall die of having lived.’”
- Give it your very best. “When you put your doubts behind and your will forward, you will land strong. You will learn how to succeed, and how to accept failure, with dignity. You did not create your masterpieces in preschool by being afraid to put your hands in the Play-Doh or your fingers in the finger paint. You went for it. Approach life with the same belief, the same dedication, the same self-respect.”
Louise Pound honored
The university bestowed a posthumous Doctor of Education on Louise Pound, a Husker alumna and longtime professor who blazed many trails in her lifetime, during the ceremony.
Pound (1872-1958) was a distinguished literary scholar, athlete, musician and advocate for women’s sports. She devoted her career to preserving Nebraska’s native folklore and pioneered studies in philology, a combination of literary criticism, history and linguistics used to study language in written and historical contexts. Born in Lincoln, she graduated from the University of Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in 1892 and a master’s degree in 1895. When American universities would not admit her for doctoral study, Pound went on to earn a doctorate at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. She returned to NU and taught in the English department for 48 years.
As a scholar, Pound crusaded for the serious study of American English and helped found the field’s leading journal. She also fought to open athletic and professional opportunities for women. Pound established the Black Masque, a senior women’s honor society, later known as Mortar Board. She also helped NU become the first university in the nation to allow women cheerleaders.
Pound was a star tennis player, winning the Lincoln city tennis championship in 1890 and the university’s men’s singles and doubles titles in 1891 and 1892. She also served as captain and played center on NU’s first women’s basketball team. She is the only woman in the university’s history to receive a men’s varsity letter, in tennis. In 1897, Pound won the Women’s Western Championship and was rated the top tennis player in the country. She was also a cyclist, figure skater, skier and golfer.
Two buildings on the university’s City Campus have been named in her honor — a high-rise dormitory, which stood from 1969 to 2017; and a multi-use building, former home of the College of Business, which was renamed in 2018. A bronze sculpture of Pound, riding a bicycle with a tennis racket and a stack of books, is set to be unveiled near Pound Hall on Sept. 18. Learn more about the project.
Building a career in golf
Among the graduates was Atirath Roy, who earned a Bachelor of Science in PGA Golf Management with high distinction from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with highest distinction from the College of Business.
Roy knew by age 10 that he wanted to build a career around golf. More than a decade later, the New Delhi native is graduating as a Chancellor’s Scholar — having earned a 4.0 grade-point average on all collegiate work — and with a job that puts him exactly where he wants to be — on the golf course. He has already started his career as the lead assistant golf professional at GlenArbor Golf Club, a private club in Bedford Hills, New York.
“I initially came to Nebraska specifically for PGA golf management,” Roy said. “It is an incredibly niche program offered at only 16 universities in the country, and Nebraska stood out as the best fit for me,” Roy said. “As I progressed through college, I became increasingly interested in the business side of the golf industry and decided to pursue economics as a second degree.”
Roy began playing golf at age 6, and by 10, he knew he wanted to compete at a high level and pursue a professional career. Then, he graduated from high school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The traditional pathway I imagined for myself changed considerably during the COVID era,” Roy said. “Nebraska’s PGA golf management major gave me an opportunity to build a career within the game I loved while continuing to develop as a competitive player.”
As his interest expanded while at Nebraska to the business that drives the golf industry, Roy knew adding economics would provide a broader perspective for his career.
“Graduating with both degrees represents a personal challenge I set for myself to explore two very different interests in depth and find ways to connect them in my future career,” Roy said. “PGA golf management was always my primary focus, but studying economics gave me a broader understanding of business, decision-making and how organizations operate.” Read more.
The August graduating class earned a new Juris Doctor degree, 356 other new graduate and professional degrees and 274 new baccalaureate degrees. The university has awarded 333,255 degrees since it was founded in 1869.
