Graduation News

Diplomats Address UMUC Overseas Graduates
Commencement Marks New Beginning for New Alumni

While UMUC graduates at commencement activities in College Park, Maryland, were congratulated by the German ambassador to the United States, UMUC graduates at our overseas locations were addressed by U.S. ambassadors to three other nations.

At commencement activities in Heidelberg, Germany, graduates listened to U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation James Franklin Collins, who has served in that post since September 1997. Considered one of the most successful American career diplomats, Collins has served with the State Department around the world and in senior positions in Russia, Jordan, and Turkey.

The 85 graduates at UMUC commencement activities in Tokyo, Japan, heard from U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Foley, who encouraged them with his own brand of wisdom. "Education is what you get when you read the fine print," Foley said during his speech. "Experience is what you get when you don't!"

In Korea, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Stephen W. Bosworth spoke to the 45 students participating in commencement activities, and addressed the diversity that marks the UMUC student body. "Not long ago," he said, "at almost any American graduation ceremony the [participants] would have been much more uniform. Only certain types of people 'went to college.' All that has changed now."

More than 1,400 UMUC graduates joined the ranks of the Alumni Association on May 30 at the university's annual commencement at Cole Student Activities Center in College Park, where they were personally congratulated by their deans.

In the words of former UMUC President T. Benjamin Massey, the graduates exemplified "the diversity that has come to characterize UMUC," ranging in age from 21 to 69, hailing from 47 states (plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) and 68 nations, and bearing names as different from each other as Beth Smith and Chukwanaru Ikwobodo Lawrence Omerennah. They had studied computer science and communication studies, gerontology and government, mathematics and microbiology. For some who had taken courses only through distance learning, this was their first visit to College Park. More than 1,000 received bachelor's degrees and about 400 received master's degrees.

"Your diversity adds to UMUC's strength," Massey said, "just as diversity has always contributed to the strength of this great nation. You have already made significant contributions to your fellow students, your employers, your families, and the university. We are very proud of you and know that we can expect even greater things from you in the future."

The graduates also brought friends and family members with them, enough to fill to capacity the roughly 13,000 seats in Cole. For all their differences, they shared one significant similarity—they were all a part of what Massey referred to as "UMUC's worldwide family."

A series of speakers, representing the USM Board of Regents, the Alumni Association, and the graduates themselves, congratulated the graduates on their achievements. Following these remarks, German Ambassador to the United States Jürgen Chrobog added international flavor to the event with his commencement address, discussing at length the expanded role of his great, unified country in the years to come and expanding upon Massey's message.

"Please keep this open-mindedness and the international spirit you experience at UMUC with you for the rest of your lives," Chrobog said. "No Web site, no technological means of communication, will ever be able to convey the intimate knowledge offered by a thousand contacts, by friendships that extend overseas, by frequent trips abroad.

"Remain inquisitive about foreign countries and cultures," he said. "Form your own impressions and opinions. Get to know other peoples and places."

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