Commencement

Text on screen: Webster University Commencement, Main Ceremony, May 11, 2024

[Webster University logo]

[Transition to a stage setup for a graduation ceremony. There is a podium for speakers, seating for faculty and staff wearing ceremonial regalia and a choir standing in-front of a backdrop displaying the Webster University seal]

[An a cappella choir sings “The Star-Spangled Banner”]

O say can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight

O're the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

[Audience applauds]

[The a cappella choir sings the Webster University Alma Mater, “Webster U. You Are Our Home”]

We hold you dear and close to our heart,

With strength and pride and wisdom to impart.

We are fond and bound by our diverse community.

Webster U., you are our home.

May laughter always be found within these halls.

May success and achievement be forged within these walls.

May you make every dream a new reality.

Webster U., you are our home.

Acceptance, love and friendships we’ve made,

With memories had, which shall not fade.

The banner of blue and gold does fly,

heralding our great history on high.

And so, our dear Alma Mater we plea:

Be our home, keep us safe in loving unity.

For to us you will be always something more.

Webster U., you are our home.

[Audience applauds]

[Choir exits stage]

Announcer: Please be seated and enjoy a special message from some of our graduating students.

[Music]

[Transition to pre-recorded video featuring several Webster students]

Narrator Voice 1: Webster was the school I know I wanted to come to. I met so many great people here. I feel like Webster was much more of a home.

Narrator Voice 2: I can just be myself I can express myself and I see that reflected in other students as well.

Alejandra, BS Sound Recording and Engineering: Being here at Webster has just made me grow more as a person in my friendships in my family life and my work life and I just feel like a better person overall because of it.

Ashley, BFA Acting: This place is always going to hold a special place in my heart. I've grown so much as a person and as an artist as a performer you know it's college, it's Webster. It makes me really happy to be here and to wake up every day in this spot.

Dakota, BA Education and BA Studio Art: I have never once felt like I couldn't be who I truly am on this campus. I remember the many times I've sat in my academic advisor's office right down the hallway here and just talked about life.

Farrah, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia: My group was able to go to Cameroon Africa. We were able to teach the nurse anesthetist there about peripheral nerve blocks. It was such a fulfilling experience, and I love that we had the shared goal of taking care of the patient. it prepared me for my ultimate mission was to continue to serve the underserved both here in the United States and abroad.

Kabita, MHA Health Administration: Me and my husband we planned together to come here but unfortunately he did not get the visa, so I have to come all by myself I was very nervous and s the Webster professors and staffs and all the Community member they really make me feel welcomed and supported and now I'm graduating which I can't believe.

Brady, BA Creative Writing: By studying abroad, I came back a lot braver and able to kind of take on different challenges that I had never encountered before really like experience what the world had to offer, and it was probably the greatest experience of my entire life.

Alejandra: My experience at Webster has set me up for Success showing me all the different paths I can take in the world I want to go out and work with live concerts and shows and theater and take my skills I've learned in school out into the real world.

Dakota: I want to be known by my students as the teacher whose classroom they can go into no matter who they are and feel safe and feel like they can talk to me and feel like they can be themselves and make cool art while doing so.

Ashley: I grew up in foster care from the time that I was 12 to the time when I aged out when I was 18, I really want to open my own theater company for kids in foster care because I was able to find such a love for the Arts and the community. I think that would bring me the most joy and satisfaction in life.

Kabita: I'm ready to be a great leader in the healthcare settings to inspire the health care team and to provide a good quality care for the patients.

Brady: I'm ready to pursue my dreams and become a professor publish a book and keep living in a community of writers for the rest of my life.

Farrah: I am ready to be there during that critical moment when my patient is having surgery when they feel lonely anxious or scared, I am ready to help them to feel safe because Webster has prepared me with the knowledge and has prepared me with the technique. I am ready to graduate what are we still doing here honestly.

Ashley: I feel like I'm ready to take on the world, like I'm ready to go let's go.

[Video ends and transitions back to ceremony stage]

Announcer: Please welcome Dr Julian Schuster president of Webster University.

Julian Schuster, President of Webster University: Good afternoon, class of 2024 graduates, faculty, staff and distinguished guests. I am honored to share today’s celebration with you. Graduates, what a remarkable goal you have achieved. Years of resiliency, dedication and ambition have surmounted to an accomplishment that will guide your future. I'm certainly correct, you know, you can see the echo of this young future graduate you know as well. Your commitment to your academic journey has illustrated the success that can be achieved when you never lose the sight of what you want most for your life and your career.

Even when our time in the classroom concludes, we continue to be presented with opportunities to learn and challenges to overcome. Continue to embrace the moments that expand your knowledge and support your growth, for each one provides lessons that will guide you to the next chapter in life. Webster has a rich history of serving a diverse population through its global presence. We are proud of this year graduating class and contributions that they will make as leaders within their respective fields.

This year, we congratulate our most senior graduate at 69 years Alice McNeil. Alice McNeil, who earned a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management online. Our youngest graduate, at just 19 is Declan Brooks, who is receiving BS in Computer Science with an Emphasis in Cyber Security here at our home campus. Congratulations to both.

You can see the story of Webster very rarely you will see the people sitting next to each other all pursuing the same dreams when half of a century is between them. Very rarely, but not at Webster University. Webster University brings generations together, brings people together, brings ideas together, so that we can all build the better future for all of us.

Our graduates come from 43 States, plus District of Colombia, Guam and Puerto Rico. And from 102 countries around the world. The flags that fly at our campuses proudly represent our students. Webster has a long and proud history of supporting and educating our members of the US military. We are pleased to congratulate them today and thank them for their service. This includes 22 graduates who are currently stationed overseas. There are 176 undergraduate students receiving University Academic Honors today, and there are 309 graduate students who receive Graduate Academic Honors. We are also honored to have six graduates from our Gleich Honors College.

I am pleased to share that 47 faculty or staff members, and 11 children or spouses of Faculty or staff members are also graduating today. All in all, 4,724 students will graduate from Webster University this academic year. Let us please congratulate them.

[Audience applauds]

While courses of study, career paths and future aspirations may vary greatly, each of you shares a common desire, to use your individual passions and talents to improve your life and the lives of others. When you look back at your time at Webster, we hope you remember all the experiences, resources, tools that helped you to achieve your most ambitious goals. We hope that you will remember fondly and maintain the connections you have formed at Webster. The relationships you have developed with the faculty, staff and peers will provide countless benefits throughout your life and of course, your career. And during this and they will come handy in the most challenging times, when you need them the most so graduates as we reflect on the next step after today's milestone achievement I ask “are you ready?”

Faculty, staff, friends and family surrounding you today have the utmost confidence that you are absolutely ready. Ready with the knowledge, experiences and resources to become leaders and mentors, creating positive change in our world as you embark on the next chapter of life. We wish you success and fulfillment both personally and professionally. I sincerely hope you are as proud of your accomplishments as we are of you. Webster University class of 2024, congratulations.

[Audience applauds]

Announcer: Please welcome Nancy Hellerud, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Webster University.

[President Schuster takes his seat. Nancy Hellerud approaches the lectern]

Nancy Hellerud, Vice President for Academic Affairs: Thank you, President Schuster. Welcome graduates of 2024, family, friends and guests. As part of our annual ceremony, we also celebrate members of our community who serve as an inspiration to our graduating class.

The conferring of honorary degrees is a Webster tradition in which we recognize the impact of people who have made contributions that strengthen our communities, locally and globally. I'm honored to share a brief bio of our honorary degree candidate and then I'll invite the chair of our Board of Trustees to read the citation and present her candidacy to President Schuster.

This year our honorary degree recipient is a journalist, a producer, a world traveler and alumna of the Webster Geneva campus. Erika Josephson-Heise is an example of the heights you can climb when you are a Gorlok.

As a student in Geneva, she immersed herself in the international environment that Webster's renowned for offering. She graduated with a Master of Arts in International Relations and was awarded Graduate Academic Honors. She spent several years working at CBS News, producing stories from the US and remote locations around the world. Her career at NBC started on the NBC News Assignment Desk, and later in rolls as a Producer for “Weekend Today” and “Later Today”. She's worked as a Senior Producer on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Report”.

Today that experience is applied to her current role as Executive Producer of “NBC News Daily”, as the news coverage helps viewers better understand how interconnected we all are in our high-speed world. Her leadership of “NBC News Daily” has elevated that program to the number one spot among all afternoon news programs and her passion and commitment to help educate millions of Americans every day about what is happening around the world is an inspiration to us all.

It's now my pleasure to invite Sumit Verma, Chair of the Board of the Trustees to the lectern. he will present our honorary degree candidate Erika Josephson-Heise for the Doctorate of Letters honoris causa, and also, Erika and President Schuster, could you join me.

Sumit Verma, Chair of the Board of Trustees: it is my honor to introduce Erika Josephson-Heise as a candidate for the Doctorate of Letters from Webster University. I'm pleased to read highlights from the citation today.

As a journalist you help deliver vital news and information to audiences at a time when truth and facts are critical. As a world traveler you have expounded our views of culture and Global Affairs. As an award-winning television news producer, you have helped broaden the horizons of viewers through informative and engaging programs. As a Webster alumnus you have inspired students to apply their skills and talents to make a positive impact on our everchanging world. Webster University is very proud to confer upon you the honorary Doctor of Letters degree. President Schuster, I'm pleased to present Erika Josephson-Heise as the Doctorate of Letters honoris causa.

President Schuster: Thank you, thank you chair Verma. This is a special day in part because we have with us Erika Josephson-Heise. Her life and career embody the values of individual excellence and global citizenship, exemplifying Webster University's Mission. Webster University is proud to call her an alumna, inspiration and a friend. So, by virtue of the authority vested in Webster University by state of Missouri and upon recommendation of the Board of Trustees I hereby confer upon Erika Josephson-Heise the Doctor of Letters honoris causa degree, with all the rights and privileges pertaining to that degree.

[Audience applauds]

[Nancy Hellerud places a stole around Josephson-Heise’s neck that represents her Doctor of Letters honoris causa. President Schuster passes Josephson-Heise her diploma book and they exchange a handshake and hug]

[Applause]

[Hellerud and Verma return to their seats. President Schuster and Josephson-Heise approach the lectern]

President Julien Schuster: Erika Josephson-Heise, on behalf of Webster University, I am proud to welcome you as honorary degree recipient and to include your name in the roles of the distinguished recipients who have come before you. Congratulations.

And now, it is my pleasure to welcome to the lectern, our 2024 Commencement speaker, Dr. Erika Josephson-Heise.

Erika Josephson-Heise, Honorary Doctor of Letters honoris causa: Thank you, Chancellor Stroble, President Schuster, members of the Board of Trustees and esteemed guests, and of course the class of 2024. It is an incredible honor to be here with you today. I can't help but remember my own commencement ceremony many, many, many, many years ago and all the feelings I experienced through it. Elation. Relief. Terror. Worrying what I was going to do next. Don't worry, that feeling will go away shortly, but what I'm feeling most for you right now is excitement.

This is truly a time unlike any other in history there are infinite paths for you to explore in a world that is constantly changing and evolving so quickly, new fields and positions are being born even as I stand here speaking to you. I have to admit giving a commencement speech was not something I ever imagined myself doing. When Chancellor Stroble offered me this opportunity, it was incredibly daunting. But despite the fear in trepidation, something in my head said, “take the chance”, and that leads me to what I want to speak to you about today, taking the chance.

Listen, I want to make it very clear I'm not talking about taking gambles that can hurt you physically, emotionally or cause financial ruin. I want to make that very clear. I'm talking about taking the chances which are opportunities that will come up when you're at a crossroads in your life. When you are questioning what is your purpose on this planet? What are you truly meant to do? How can you make a difference in a world that is changing every second, when we're faced with so many global crises? Or the opportunities that pop up after you've been doing the same job for a decade in a safe comfort zone, but a voice in the back of your head tells you “You can do more than this. You should be doing more than

this.” There are plenty of people who have had these realizations. That perhaps the paths that they've put themselves on weren't necessarily the ultimate.

Ina Garten was working in nuclear energy policy at the White House when she had the epiphany that there had to be more fun than what she was doing. She saw an ad for a food store in the luxurious community of the Hamptons in New York, having never owned a business or had employees working for, her she decided this is what I was meant to do, ultimately creating a food empire as the Barefoot Contessa with far more TV shows and product lines just too numerous to list right now.

Kim Shrier was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 16 years old. She went on to become a successful pediatrician in Washington state, helping her patients and their families navigate health care, rising drug prices. In one interview she said her life as she envisioned it was to take care of children and teenagers, then teach medicine. Simply retire and teach medicine. But frustrated by how completely politicized healthcare was becoming, Dr. Shrier took a chance that completely changed the course of her life, running for congress in 2018. She's held on to that seat for six years now.

Get this one, even Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, worked as a nightclub bouncer before he had the ultimate calling and took the chance to enter the priesthood. You really can't make this up.

[Audience laughter]

In my experience, taking chances can and will lead to the greatest joys in your lives. They're the opportunities which allow you to shine, express yourselves in ways that you never have, lead, love and simply live life completely.

Back all those years on my graduation day, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. It was my dream for the time from the time that I was 7 years old to be a network News correspondent. You can ask my mom, she's sitting over there.

There was no question this was my calling. As an undergrad I reported for a weekly newscast at the local PBS station. I put together my audition tapes sent them all out and waited for the job offers to come. A few did, a lot didn't, and I wasn't sure what to do.

Luckily, I had interned with NBC while I was still in college and my old boss offered me a job as a researcher on the network news desk. This was not my dream, this was not my calling, but the voice in my head said “take the chance.”

I did, and over the course of 13 years I moved up the ranks at two networks doing what ultimately became my dream job. Field producing, traveling all around the world to cover some breaking news stories that were the most powerful of my lifetime. Some like the Columbine school shooting, and the death of Princess Diana, just heartbreaking. Some exhilarating, like stalking lions at night in South Africa, or walking over the top of the Ackland Bridge in New Zealand. In time, I learned what I really wanted unlike what I believed most in my life wasn't to be on TV but to bring stories of people around the world to TV to inform.

When I first took the chance that led me down this path I was worried I was giving up on all of my childhood dreams, but in fact I discovered what my dream job actually was, and for a long time it very much was my dream job.  I visited six continents, got to witness history up close, had the privilege of meeting some of the most inspirational and courageous people in the most dire of situations. I was on the go all the time. I literally had a go-bag packed in my apartment so if there was a story I had to go cover I could run home and get to the airport within an hour. It was exhilarating, it was intense and ultimately it was suffocating.

One night I woke up very suddenly gripped by this feeling of there's got to be more. Parachuting in and out of people's lives to cover their stories was exciting but not fulfilling. My job had become my life. What should have been my actual life felt very empty and unfulfilled. It was a major epiphany. I needed a change, and I had no idea where to start.

I want to tell you that it is very, very easy to let yourself believe that you're only capable of doing one thing in your life, whatever it is that you've spent all these years studying to do. Do not fall for that. Sometimes, you just need a little help figuring that out.

I took a vacation. I went to Switzerland to spend some time with family friends who I hadn't seen in about a decade. Sitting by a lake one afternoon with my friend Antoine, I was explaining that I felt completely lost. I was 34, I was single and my job just wasn't enough anymore. He suggested that I talk to a friend of his who worked at a University in Geneva. it was an American school with a campus there. Maybe I'd want to go back to school? I literally laughed in his face. It never crossed my mind, ever, to get a master's degree, and in Switzerland? No way. But a few days later, as I was flying back to the US, all I could keep thinking was “take the chance.” So, I literally had one week to make the deadline for applying to Webster Geneva's Master's in International Relations program. One week. No lie.

Two weeks later I received my acceptance letter, and again I took the chance. This one was a huge chance. Basically, I quit my life. I quit my job, rented out my apartment, moved away from my family, my friends, left my career entirely. All my co-workers thought I was crazy, but something inside of me was telling me that it was the right thing to do right then. Don't get me wrong, every day in the leadup to this move, I would wake up and ask myself “What the hell are you doing? Have you completely lost it?” But those feelings of apprehension and fear were tempered by some deep-seated awareness that everything was going to work out.

When I arrived at Webster Geneva, I felt welcome. Within my first hour on campus, I was meeting fellow master students from Mexico, Nigeria, Italy, Lebanon, Kenya. Some were continuing their education straight out of undergrad; others were already established in positions working in Geneva. Some of them would become my closest friends along the way. One of them even became my husband. I met my husband Steve in Geneva, who hails all the way from U-City.

[Audience laughter]

And although I was somewhat worried about going back into a classroom, having to write papers, most terrifyingly taking tests once again, I found myself and the course work totally engaging from the start. I was enthralled by subjects I never knew I'd be interested in.

International law. Diplomacy and negotiations. I went to study in Beijing for a term. I never dreamed I would live in China for three months, but it happened. Little by little, it occurred to me that I could at, age 35, deviate from the path that I'd plotted for myself so many decades ago, develop new interests and passions that could lead me to create an entirely different life for myself.

So, when I left Webster and moved back to New York I had new dreams. I wanted to work for the UN, or an NGO. I could combine my old life and my new degree working in media relations for one of those organizations. It seemed like the perfect plan. And then less than a month out of Webster I got a job offer to be the media director for boutique strategic consultancy firm specializing in communications, diplomacy and public affairs. Home run, right?

However, my first week on the job I learned the company was representing several Middle Eastern dictators right in the midst of the Arab Spring. I’m talking some very scary guys, and I was expected to sell the brighter happier sides of these dictators to the media.

Not all chances work out, but they do teach you valuable lessons, what you're willing to do and certainly, what you're not at all willing to compromise your values or beliefs for. And so, six months later, I found myself considering something I thought I'd sworn off for the rest of my life, going back to television. I didn't know if it was going to be long term or a temporary stop.

13 years later I guess you could say it's pretty long term, but this time around was different. I made sure I was able to have a life. In fact, I got married and had my daughter in the first two years of my being back at NBC and I actually got to combine my previous television experience and my Webster degree in what became another dream job, working with NBC's Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell every day on her show. It was everything I could have wished for.

Andrea is an icon. I learned so much from her, and I worked with the most supportive team I ever had the honor of working with. They became like family. Together we covered some of the most gripping, stunning and transformative events this world has ever seen. The pandemic, which forced us to work from home, learning how to work a control room from our living rooms every day. Presidential elections. We were live on air on January 6th, and the weeks that followed, filled with questions about the future of this country.

The six years I spent working with Andrea were intense and important, bringing stories that were literally changing the world to American’s every day. It was a job I never wanted to leave. it was beyond the Pinnacle of where I ever thought I could be. And then, one day last summer I got an email from a colleague with a job posting attached. There was an Executive Producer job for NBC News Now, the streaming service that was getting a lot of attention both inside the network and outside.

Take the chance. There it was again.

I have to tell you, I had no aspirations of leaving Andrea, or my job, or becoming an Executive Producer ever. I had actually just signed a new contract with Andrea to stay on her show a month earlier. I was comfortable. I was happy and I had no complaints, but something told me you have got to go for this.

And now almost a year later here I am. I get to direct the editorial vision of a two-hour Show streaming and broadcasting in homes all across this country every day. We share the most incredible stories from around the world, from breaking news to pop-culture, politics to technical innovations that will change our lives forever. It's incredible fun, it's challenging, it's exciting and legitimately the best thing that I have ever done.

But I wouldn't have gotten to this point without taking all these chances throughout my life. Without believing that other realities were possible. Believing that even when taking these chances seem scary, or questionable or untenable, everything was going to work out.

And I think that's the message that I want to leave you with today. Please, take chances. Do things you never imagined yourselves doing. Take classes, travel to as many places as possible around the world, go for the master’s degree, go out with the really nice guy from your research class, take the jobs that sound intriguing and off your intended paths,

immerse yourselves in situations where you're constantly meeting new people from with different viewpoints who you might not always agree with but might end up really respecting.

You are graduating at a time of infinite possibilities. Challenge yourselves to continuously feed your curiosities and passions. You might end up in totally different places that you could have ever imagined but think of how wonderful that could be. True growth and change begin and end at the end of your comfort zone. Believe that the chances you take can completely transform yourselves, your communities and the world.

Congratulations class of 2024 and best of luck as you embark on this next chapter.

[Audience applauds]

[Johnson-Heise exchanges a handshake with President Schuster and then takes a seat. President Schuster approaches the lectern]

President Schuster: Thank you, Erika, for inspiring and hopeful words. Vice President Hellerud, I think this is the moment our students are waiting for. Will you please present the candidates for the Degrees.

Vice President Hellerud: Thank you, President Schuster. So graduates I am going to present the candidates by school and college so when you hear the name of your school please stand and remain standing. President Schuster, I present candidates from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences for the following degrees:

Master of Arts, Master of Science, Bachelor of Arts, you may stand, undergraduate certificates, graduate certificates.

Now President Schuster, I present candidates from the College of Science and Health for the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Science and Nursing, graduate certificates, undergraduate certificates.

And now candidates from the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology for the following degrees:

Doctor of Management, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science, Master

of Arts, Master of Health Administration, Master of Public Administration, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, undergraduate certificates, graduate certificates.

And now the candidates from the Leigh-Gerdine College of Fine Arts for the following degrees:

Master of Arts, Master of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music

Education, Bachelor of Arts, undergraduate certificates.

And now our candidates from the School of Communications for the following degrees:

Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, undergraduate certificates

And now our candidates from the School of Education for the following degrees:

Doctor of Education, Educational Specialist, Master of Educational Technology, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Education Studies, graduate certificates, advanced graduate certificates.

By now all graduates should be standing. President Schuster, on behalf of the faculty I present to you Webster University's degree candidates for academic year 2023–24.

[Audience Applauds]

President Schuster: By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Board of Trustees of Webster University, and with the recommendation of the University faculty, I hereby confer upon each member of the class of 2024 the Bachelor's, Master's, Doctoral degree or certificate with all the rights, privileges and responsibility pertaining there to. Your names will be permanently entered on the role as alumni of Webster University. All classes now may move your tassels from right to left to signify your new status as graduates of Webster University.

[Audience applauds]

President Schuster: Congratulations. You certainly deserve congratulations, and you can see the joy of your supporters. Now, it's my honor to invite Chancellor Elizabeth “Beth” Stroble to the lectern to share a special message with you. Chancellor Stroble is retiring in several weeks and let me use yet another opportunity to thank her for 15 years of service to Webster University. Thank you.

[Audience applauds. President Schuster returns to their seat and Chancellor Stroble approaches the lectern and asks the graduates to be seated]

Chancellor Stroble: It is my turn to congratulate you and join everyone in this hall, online and at far distances in celebrating you, class of 2024. Commencement ceremonies are unique moments to celebrate what you have accomplished, and you are right to feel both true relief and great pride. Your tassels are turned, and you've already heard us say you are ready for what's Next. You've heard from many of us today, including, in that great opening video, your fellow graduates.

As we close out your Webster degree, and for me as you've heard, 15 years of leading this University and graduating tens of thousands of Webster students, I want to share three short words with you. These are words that have meaning for me, and I hope that they will capture the meaning of your Webster Education.

First word, connection. The sense that you belong, that you are part of a community. During your time at Webster, all of us faculty, staff, friends, family, wanted you to feel welcomed, accepted as you are, and to feel valued as a member of the Webster Community. As you're going to hear in just a few moments, the community of Webster alumni awaits now your connection with them. Connect with fellow graduates, with family with friends, colleagues, with humanity around the globe. Build communities for yourselves and others that are as vibrant and diverse and inclusive as what you have known at Webster.

Next word is competence. The abilities that you have gained, the fact that your learning, your knowledge, your skills and your talents enable you to do the work that at this moment you seek to do. Your Webster degree has prepared you well. It's equipped you for these next steps in your life and career to Excel and to continue to learn across your lifetime. You are ready, take the chance. Now go get them.

And finally, the most action-oriented of the three words. Connection, competence, contribution. We know how you have contributed to this Webster Community, how important you have been to what makes Webster distinctive, what it means to be a Gorlok. But how now are you going to make a difference after you leave here? How will you connect with a new Community? How you use your competence to contribute? What purposes are going to benefit from your talents and how and where will you lead?

We look forward, graduates, to seeing you in action, following your future path, just as we have Dr. Josephson-Heise from her days as a student in Geneva and we followed her to her impact in network news production and are so grateful for her time with us today.

I'm really grateful and glad to be present with you, class of 2024, as you graduate to build those connections to put your confidence in action to contribute in ways that we are all going to watch with pride and joy. I'm grateful for all the years that we have spent together at Webster and for the wonderful memories I take from this place. My very best wishes and congratulations.

[Audience applauds]

[Everyone on stage stands and joins in applause]

Chancellor Stroble: Thank you. So please join me now in listening to Daniel Lisella from the class of 2004, President of your Alumni Association, with his words of welcome to you graduates.

[Audience applauds. Chancellor Stroble returns to their seat and Daniel Lisella approaches the lectern]

Daniel Lisella, Alumni Association President at Webster University: Class of 2024, good afternoon and congratulations. 20 years ago this weekend, I was sitting in your seat hoping that the guy from the Alumni Association wouldn't take too much of my last, precious last weekend on campus. I empathize and we'll keep this brief.

Sincerely, on behalf of the Webster University Alumni Association I welcome you to a very proud and very loyal alumni family. You've earned your place as a member of the Alumni Association and will be automatically enrolled after graduation. No dues or registration are required. It's fast, free and forever.

Today, you join the ranks of more than 200,000 Webster graduates around the world. Actors and astronauts. Educators, producers and programmers. Poets and politicians. Service leaders and global citizens who proudly call Webster University their alma mater. I encourage each of you to display your diploma with pride display it in your home, your office, your Zoom background or another high highly visible area. Be proud of that degree you worked so hard to achieve.

Please also share your love of Webster with others. Update your LinkedIn profile post on social media and don't forget good old Word of Mouth. You never know who might be inspired to follow in your footsteps.

I encourage each of you to stay connected with through the Alumni Association, where we offer ways to network with fellow alumni, connect with friends and enjoy social opportunities. To help you on this journey we are excited to announce the launch of Webster Links, our brand new, online community dedicated to helping you build your personal and professional networks.

Webster links is an interactive website where alumni can offer their experience, provide mentorship, create local meet meetup groups share job opportunities and so much more. To join visit websterlinks.webster.edu.

I encourage you also to mark your calendars for June 6th for our annual all alumni happy hour, where we will welcome you, the class of 2024. As you continue your journey of success, remember all that you have gained from your time here at Webster. Today is not the last day here, it is the beginning of a new relationship, a lifelong relationship between and among you and the university we love. We look forward to cheering you on as you write the next chapter of your life.

Thank you and again, congratulations.

[Audience applauds. Lisella returns to their seat. President Schuster returns to the lectern]

President Schuster: Thank you for your informative speech and the words of support for our graduates.

At this point in our main commencement ceremony, I would like to ask family members, friends, teachers and other supporters of graduates to stand and be recognized.

[Audience applauds]

Because we know, that with rare exceptions, the path of education and achievement is not traveled alone, but rather with the support of and encouragement from so many. On behalf of Webster University and the graduating class, we share our gratitude and applaud you.

[Audience applauds]

Please join me also, in thanking the faculty, staff, family members, friends, alumni and donors who have helped make this success possible for you.

[Audience applause]

There is only one sentence left. I know that you are ready to embark on celebration. As you celebrate this moment of achievement, please keep each other in in your mind and in your heart, because the friendships and experiences that you have developed during your studies at Webster University will be always with you.

So, class of 2024, one last congratulations on everything that you are going to achieve from now on. Thank you.

[Audience applauds]

[President Schuster exits the lectern. “The Graduation March” begins to play]

[Screen transitions to exterior photo of Webster Hall]