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One hundred sixty-nine master’s degrees were bestowed on Thursday, May 21, and 334 bachelor of arts degrees on Friday, May 22. Ceremonies included addresses by student leaders, college trustees and guest speakers.
The commencement address to undergraduates was delivered by philosopher, cultural theorist, and novelist Kwame Anthony Appiah; and remarks to degree candidates in graduate studies were delivered by noted journalist Amy Goodman.
In her address to the class of 2015, college President Karen R. Lawrence focused on the unique relationship students and teachers experience at the College and noted the rousing applause as the students’ dons and professors processed up the aisle.
"This acknowledges that the artisanal nature of teaching and learning at Sarah Lawrence and leads to a student-faculty relationship that is unparalleled. Crafted by teacher and student together, the singular education this College offers depends on faculty who recognize that there is no one path to intellectual engagement and the creation of a meaningful life. This idea of education requires an extraordinary commitment of time and care. One measure of the impact of that commitment is that when Sarah Lawrence alumni get together, even at their 50th reunions, they invoke the names of the teachers with whom they studied," said Lawrence.
In his remarks to the bachelor degree graduates, Appiah said “One thing my generation can be proud of is that we can see in you, our legacy, the hope and the ambition and the capacity to build a better future. We progress, over the centuries, not so much by shifting our moral ideals as by expanding the circle of those they embrace,”
Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of the alternative radio program Democracy Now! spoke about what she considers the failure of mainstream media to air voices of people who are seeking peace.
"‘We will not be silent,’ she quoted, referring to German resistance fighters during World War II. “That philosophy, that motto should be the Hippocratic oath of the media, should be the Hippocratic oath of us all, particularly the graduating class of Sarah Lawrence College in 2015. Let it be the motto for all of us as we go out into the world.”
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