2022 Undergraduate Commencement Remarks, May 21, 2022

Remarks by SUNY Geneseo President Denise A. Battles

On March 12, 2020, spring was in the air around Geneseo as the first buds were appearing on the trees and the temperature reached 52 degrees, promising moderate weather to come after a long winter. On campus, seniors were thinking ahead to Commencement in May and what would come next in their lives. The Ice Knights were preparing for an NCAA Championship run after eliminating Oswego in the SUNYAC finals in front of a packed house the Saturday before. And over in the Alice Austin Theatre, the stage version of the musical Damn Yankees was nearing final preparations as posters for the April 1st opening appeared all over campus.

The next day, the world changed.

Of course, we knew something monumental was coming. COVID-19 had already begun, affecting our lives, but none of us could really comprehend what was going to happen and how long it would last.

The campus shut down on March 13th, classes went virtual, the expected commencement was canceled, and we all learned what “social distancing” really meant. The College Green fell silent and only squirrels busied themselves in Sturges Quad. And for months, it stayed that way.

So, we found ways to adjust: Zoom classes, living indoors, and wearing masks. Diligent hand-washing and periodic testing became our new norm. And we endured.

The following months brought societal turmoil, a national stirring toward social justice, and a contentious presidential election, all during a pandemic. We lost a number of our citizens, family, and friends along the way.  And still college life went on, the Geneseo community persevered, and we got through that year as One Knight.

Life started to return to something approaching normal, more like the Geneseo you experienced on your arrival. Slowly the masks came off, in-person classes returned, and we saw the smiles of friends and family again. We took the brunt of what COVID-19 could deliver and came away stronger as a result.

And you, the members of the Class of 2022 were finally able to truly plan for this day… your graduation.

You have overcome obstacles not faced by Geneseo students in the College’s history, save perhaps those who faced the 1918 influenza pandemic. The current pandemic has been both a global and individual journey, and you have shown the determination, resilience, and adaptability that our College’s graduates are renowned for. You will carry these hard-earned lessons into your future lives, more formidable and ready to face your next chapter, no matter what comes. I could not be prouder of you and the entire Geneseo community on this special day.   

For a year after the shutdown, I would pass by those posters for Damn Yankees still hanging around campus, haunting reminders of that terrible spring, unrealized potential frozen in time. Like that musical that never happened, commencement for the classes of 2020 and 2021 went virtual, a necessary substitute for the more traditional ritual. So today, as we come together, we are right to acknowledge the challenges we have endured even as we celebrate the fact that we ARE here together, with you receiving your diploma and taking your place in the long line of the College’s distinguished and accomplished alumni.

It falls to you to take up the mantle of graduate and set out into the world to find your place and make your mark, whether that be thousands of miles away in another country, back home in your community, or somewhere in between. I see before me tomorrow’s change makers and leaders, highly capable individuals who feel an obligation to give back and make the world a better place.
You have the talent, drive, and perseverance to succeed, and I have no doubt you will do great things. 

So, to you - the Class of 2022 - I say well done. We are thrilled by your accomplishments and cannot wait to hear what you will do in the future. Membership in the Geneseo community is for life. So keep in touch, and join us for reunion, as some 1,800 of your predecessors will do in just a few weeks; we’ll be here. Emmeline will still be perched over the fountain, the radiant sun will still set over the Genesee Valley, and your Geneseo home will be here waiting…