More than 500 undergraduates and practically 400 grasp’s college students gathered with household, associates, college, and friends to obtain their diplomas on the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 15, on the Binghamton University Events Center.
Senior Associate Dean Peter Partell, MA ’97, PhD ’99, led the ceremony as a result of Dean Atul Kelkar was celebrating an academic milestone together with his household — his daughter’s commencement from medical college.
Partell mirrored on the practically twenty years he’s labored at Watson College and the respect he’s obtained from his colleagues, though his background is in political science and never engineering or pc science.
“As you embark on your career, I hope that you are as open and appreciative of diverse perspectives and talents as the faculty and staff here in Watson have been,” he mentioned. “Be appreciative of others. If you do not understand where someone is coming from, be humble enough to understand that you can learn something from them. So ‘lean in’ more. Try to understand them. In the end, you may still disagree, but you both will be better for your efforts, and the products you develop will be better as well.”
At her first Binghamton University Commencement, President Anne D’Alleva reminded graduates about all they’ve discovered and grown from throughout their time on campus, from tutorial pursuits to experiences outdoors the classroom.
“I want to thank you for your contributions to the tremendous sense of community I’ve felt since I’ve arrived at Binghamton,” she mentioned. “I’ve been calling it the Binghamton Bond. It’s the respect you show others, the acts of kindness, and the care you display for everyone on this campus. The Binghamton Bond is one of this University’s great traditions, and I’m grateful that you’ve strengthened it during your time here.”
Provost Donald Hall hailed the Class of 2026 and mentioned that graduates are actually prepared to be “change-makers” for a greater world.
“You are leaving us with a strong foundation that has helped you hone your critical thinking, decision-making, and communication skills, and will serve you well in whatever career path you follow,” he mentioned. “Since you are well past the ‘undecided’ stage of your college years, my advice to you is to pursue the career path that you want. Make your decisions the best ones possible given the choices before you.”
Nana Banerjee, PhD ’96, obtained an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. He is a enterprise chief, strategist, and investor who beforehand served because the chief government officer of Pelmorex and McGraw-Hill Education, in addition to a senior advisor to the CEO at Cerberus Capital Management.
Banerjee appeared again on the affect that Binghamton and Watson College had on his life when he arrived on campus in 1992. He credited native residents, Watson professors and employees, and scholar providers like Off Campus College for making him really feel welcomed.
“I had not fully appreciated the spirit of Binghamton until I defended my PhD dissertation and moved into the real world,” he mentioned. “The realization that no one comes to Binghamton because they are born of the elite. There was a humility that came from being ‘of the earth,’ and from knowing that what we achieved was earned. Unburdened by entitlement, and grateful for the opportunity.”
Banerjee instructed graduates that because the world offers with wars, refugee crises, local weather change, and financial challenges, they’ve a key position to play.
“The need to act with thoughtfulness, with agility, and with high ethics is immediate and vital,” he mentioned. “Your time at Binghamton has prepared you well to meet these challenges. You now have the skills and the temperament to confront complexity, collect evidence, analyze the evidence, and build solutions.”
Dan Black ‘94, vice president of the Alumni Association, welcomed the Class of 2026 into Binghamton’s graduate ranks and gave a particular shout-out to his son Thomas, who obtained his bachelor’s diploma in mechanical engineering.
“Like all the parents, grandparents, and loved ones in attendance today, there is a feeling of pride in your accomplishments that is so genuine and so real that it simply cannot be engineered,” he mentioned.
Undergraduate scholar speaker Isabelle Saint, a biomedical engineering graduate, distinguished herself by means of her work within the classroom, the lab, and the Binghamton University neighborhood. Among different accomplishments, she labored as a scholar assistant within the Watson Career and Alumni Connections workplace, served because the chair of the Student Association’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, and interned at Kleinknecht Electric.
Saint pressured how she had discovered to take “adulting” significantly whereas at Binghamton.
“Somewhere between the all-nighters, the failed exams, the internships we were afraid of applying for, and the moment we wanted to quit — we learned responsibility,” she mentioned. “Not the kind that someone forces on you, but the kind you choose for yourself. Accountability isn’t a punishment — it’s ownership. It’s having the hard conversations we don’t want to have. It’s choosing solutions over complaints. Because venting is easy — growth is not.”
Watson College’s doctoral candidates graduated at a separate ceremony on Thursday.