Class of 2011 Celebrated with Former Astronaut as Commencement Speaker
The University celebrated its 78th commencement this past spring on Wednesday, May 18 at 1:30pm at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. Despite poor weather, the ceremony was held with the Honorable Charles F. Bolden Jr. addressing the 2011 graduating class.
“I think that this year’s May ceremony went extremely well considering that we had very bad weather that day,” said Mary Anne Nagy, Vice President for Student and Community Services. “We made a decision early in the day to preseat students to protect them from heavy rain and thunderstorms instead of having them line up and stand in the rain for the procession. I think people appreciated being dry and that added to the experience.”
The University’s guest speaker, Charles F. Bolden Jr., is a retired U.S. Marine Corps major general and former astronaut. Bolden became the 12th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on July 17, 2009, and became the first AfricanAmerican to head the agency, after being nominated by President Barack Obama and later confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
“Boundaries today are largely political,” said Bolden to the graduating class, “but even those, as witnessed by the recent uprisings in the Middle East so much fueled by the social media, are at best constructs that are rapidly changing.”
Bolden graduated in 1968 with a BS in electrical science from the United States Naval Academy, along with President Paul Gaffney II. Bolden was also the president of his class. He later earned an MS in systems management from the University of California in 1977.
“I think I met Charlie within the first week of Plebe Summer at the Naval Academy in June 1964,” said Gaffney. “He was widely known and admired as a classmate and leader of our now quite famous class. It was no surprise that he became a general and an astronaut. Now he runs America’s most exciting agency. I am proud that my classmate gave the Commencement address; I am flattered that the Administrator of NASA would honor us with his presence.
Charlie Bolden has had the stars in [his] sights since he left high school.”
Bolden served with the Marine Corps for 34 years including a 14year service as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Office, which began in 1980. Between 1986 and 1994, he traveled to orbit four times and was able to command two of the missions: deployment of the Hubble Space telescope and the first joint U.S. Russian shuttle mission. Bolden retired from the Marine Corps in 2003, his military decorations including the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was later inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in May of 2006.
“…Today you are in the business of the future,” said Bolden to the quiet, attentive crowd. “And what an exciting future it is.”
The future, Bolden explained, is in the palm of every generation’s hand. The future is full of opportunities and possibilities; it is the moment where differences can be made and every individual sitting in that room can shape and mold their destinies with the assistance of the fulfilled dreams of past generations having paved the way for future changes and achievements.
“I think students, their parents, guests and the faculty were quite impressed not only with Mr. Bolden’s speech content but they were impressed with the passion of his delivery,” said Gaffney. “Hundreds of graduates told me after the ceremony how impressed they were.”
An excerpt of Bolden’s speech was printed in The New York Times; it was one of only 13 selected.
“I thought the speaker was wonderful, humble, accomplished and an inspiration to all,” said Nagy. “All in all a great day for Monmouth University!”
PHOTO COURTESY of Blaze Nowara
