Boston University

09/01/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/02/2024 01:49

“Class of 2028: Today Is the First Day of a Great Adventure”

"Class of 2028: Today Is the First Day of a Great Adventure"

Presiding over her first Matriculation ceremony, BU President Melissa L. Gilliam welcomed new students to the University

Melissa L. Gilliam, BU's 11th president, welcoming the Class of 2028 as formal members of the University. "Today is also my first Matriculation ceremony at Boston University," she said during Sunday's ceremony at Agganis Arena. "I am so excited to be here with you and to be a part of this remarkable community of people who care deeply for one another."

Matriculation

"Class of 2028: Today Is the First Day of a Great Adventure"

Presiding over her first Matriculation ceremony, BU President Melissa L. Gilliam welcomed new students to the University

September 1, 2024
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Boston University is many things for many people-it's a top-tier research hub that produces cutting-edge work; it's a world-class educational institution where students from around the world learn and grow; it's a home to nearly 500 clubs and affinity groups, and so much more. And yet, at its core, BU is a vibrant, thriving community, made better by each new person who joins it.

That community got a big infusion on Sunday, when more than 3,300 new students officially joined BU's ranks during the University's Matriculation ceremony and events. Presiding over the ceremony was yet another new addition to the BU community: Melissa L. Gilliam, BU's 11th president, who took the stage to deliver her first major public address, to the Class of 2028 and their families and friends.

Sunday's events included the annual Matriculation Walk: students from East and West Campus made their way along Commonwealth Avenue to Agganis Arena for the Matriculation ceremony,.

"It's wonderful to see you all. I am so pleased to mark this moment with each of you, your friends, and families," she said to the crowd of thousands filling Agganis Arena, many who were proudly decked out in scarlet and white. "You are now officially members of Boston University. You are now at an institution that will challenge you in new ways, introduce you to new people and perspectives, and help further your understanding of what it means to be a citizen of an increasingly complex world. You will also make lifelong relationships and friendships. Today you will become part of a new fellowship, a new family, that will be here for you for the rest of your lives.

"Today is also my first Matriculation ceremony at Boston University," Gilliam said, to a round of applause. "I am so excited to be here with you and to be a part of this remarkable community of people who care deeply for one another."

Gilliam will be formally installed as University president during an inauguration ceremony at Agganis Arena later this month. During her address on Sunday, she invoked a predecessor, William Fairfield Warren, founding president of BU.

Warren, she said, "describes entry into the university as a life membership in a society dedicated to realizing the highest known ideals in individual and social character and life and propagating these ideals from one generation to another."

She took a moment to expound upon those foundational ideals at BU, including freedom of speech, the areas of academic study, and an openness to people from all backgrounds.

"We claim as members of our community some of the great thinkers of our time: Howard Thurman [Hon.'67], Martin Luther King, Jr. [GRS'55, Hon.'59], Elie Wiesel [Hon.'74]. Their examples of having faced adversity and yet going on to create positive impact emphasize, among other things, the following: we have a responsibility to each other to uphold an environment that allows for civil discourse and the free and open exchange of ideas," she said.

The 3,318 students in the Class of 2028 were admitted from a pool of more than 78,000 applicants, Gilliam said. BU's newest students come from 49 states (Wyoming being the exception) and 86 countries worldwide, and roughly 20 percent of them are the first in their family to go to college.

"Make this experience your own, and don't be afraid to challenge yourself," she urged the freshmen, adding later: "Class of 2028: Today is the first day of a great adventure. Have a wonderful time along the way, and take care of each other while you do. Let's say hello, one Terrier to another, when we see each other on campus and on Comm Ave. I can't wait to see all the ways in which you will make a positive impact on our University and on our world."

Class of 2028: Today is the first day of a great adventure. Have a wonderful time along the way, and take care of each other while you do.
Melissa Gilliam, BU president

Gilliam was joined during the ceremony by a host of other speakers. Dean of Students Jason Campbell-Foster emceed the event; the Rev. Dr. Robert Allan Hill, dean of Marsh Chapel, delivered the invocation; Student Body President Akwasi Antwi (CAS'25) welcomed the new students on behalf of their peers; Professor Wesley J. Wildman welcomed them on behalf of the faculty; and University Provost Gloria Waters introduced and formally matriculated the members of the Class of 2028.

Matriculation is one of the oldest collegiate traditions, with roots in medieval Europe, and students participated in the ceremony to recognize the special status they held in the society of that time. BU faculty and members of the administration wear academic dress and banners representing the University's undergraduate schools and colleges are displayed. The Matriculation ceremony marks the beginning of the academic year and is the first of only two occasions when an entering class will gather together (the other is Commencement).

During his remarks, Antwi asked students to consider a question: "Who are you here for?"

Akwasi Antwi (CAS'25), Student Body president, encouraged the new BU members "to reflect on the mosaic of people that have helped you sit where you are today," inviting them to "honor their efforts by paying it forward to someone in your community."

"On its face, the answer seems simple: 'Well, of course, I'm here for myself. In four years, I'll take the required classes and my name will be on the degree.' This answer, while true, completely misses the point," Antwi said. "You see, it goes to negate the influence of the breadth of individuals, communities, and entities that have invested in the development of your best self. This answer fails to realize their efforts as part of your story. Most importantly, it fails to see the true impact that your ideas and actions here can have on the world. Simply put, you shouldn't just be here for yourself."

Antwi explained that he was at BU, in part, because of his mother, Rejoice Antwi. Born and raised in Ghana, Rejoice Antwi always wanted to attend college, her son said. But, given the chance to emigrate to the United States in search of a better life for their children, his parents took it, sacrificing their own ambitions of higher education in the process.

"Together, she and my dad made the excruciating but familiar decision of so many immigrants: to choose others, to pay it forward, to do it for someone else," Antwi said. "Although she couldn't realize her personal dream of higher education, she made sure that my siblings and I got the chance that she never did. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about the sacrifice that my parents made to place me where I am today."

He encouraged the new members of BU "to reflect on the mosaic of people that have helped you sit where you are today," inviting them to "honor their efforts by paying it forward to someone in your community."

In his remarks on behalf of BU's faculty, Wildman, a professor of philosophy, theology, and ethics in the School of Theology and a professor of computing and data sciences in the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences-told those gathered that he takes public transit to and from work. This, he says, gives him the opportunity to soak up some advice from his commuting comrades, advice he shared with the Class of 2028.

BU's newest class: 3,318 students from across the United States and around the world.

He encouraged students to plan for the future, question everything, be themselves, and grasp opportunities as they come, among other pearls of wisdom. His number one piece of advice, though, was to "Kiss the moments as they fly.

"This is a precious time in your life, so don't take it for granted, and allow yourself to relish every moment."

And, like Gilliam and Antwi, Wildman emphasized the communal aspect of BU.

"Right now, I see thousands of intricate life tapestries, already interwoven with thousands more, some of whom are your guests today, including wise and long-suffering parents," he said. "Soon you will be adding new threads to your life tapestry, interweaving with the very people among whom you are sitting."

Toward the end of the ceremony, the new students from BU's various schools and colleges were introduced by Waters and their respective deans. Groups of students stood as their school was called, slowly filling Agganis Arena with a crescendo of cheers and applause. Waters then presented the new class to Gilliam for their official introduction to BU.

"I hereby formally admit you to student status and declare you matriculated members of the Boston University Class of 2028," Gilliam said to thunderous applause and more than a few tears in the audience of families and friends. "Congratulations! Study hard, and good luck."

In addition to the Matriculation ceremony, Sunday's events included a special breakfast in campus dining halls, an interdenominational Matriculation service at Marsh Chapel, and the annual Matriculation Walk: students from East and West Campus making their way along Commonwealth Avenue to Agganis Arena. Afterward, a bustling Comm Ave Fest, featuring food trucks and a BU women's soccer game, offered ample opportunities for new and returning students to gather and reinvigorate the Charles River Campus.

As students paraded along Comm Ave during the Matriculation Walk, they encountered members of the Residence Life Union, who had gathered for the second day of their strike. A group of nearly 30 resident assistants (RAs) lined both sides of the sidewalk from Marsh Plaza to the George Sherman Union and handed out informational flyers to the incoming freshmen as they processed to Agganis Arena.

Sophie Yarin contributed to this report.

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