The Class of 2011: Moving Forward
06/13/2011
The atmosphere was festive as participants in Franklin College's 41st Commencement ceremony gathered at the Palazzo dei Congressi in downtown Lugano on Sunday, May 15, 2011. Applause filled the large amphitheater as the seniors in their traditional black caps and gowns proceeded down the aisles followed by Franklin's international faculty members and members of the Franklin Board of Trustees. This graduating class of 94 students was the largest in the history of the College.
President Erik Nielsen welcomed members of the senior class, representing 20 different countries, their parents and friends, faculty, staff and members of the community. He then introduced Pascal Tone, the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Franklin College and, 41 years ago, Franklin’s founding president. Tone reminisced about the early years of the College and said, “Although the College has changed dramatically for the better, I sense the same eagerness and excitement on the part of students and faculty for the global educational experience which is truly unique at Franklin College.”
Two honorary degrees were granted this year. Paul Lowerre, Franklin College’s outgoing Chairman of the Board, who served in that position for the past ten years, received the first. As he accepted the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, Lowerre, an alumnus himself and husband and father of alumnae, spoke to the Class of 2011. He said, “By sharing intellectual and social engagement and discovering a global cross-cultural context, at Franklin we are changing the world for the better every day.” Wishing the seniors great and important lives, he also urged them to stay involved with the school.
P. Olivier Sarkozy, this year’s Commencement speaker, was the recipient of the second honorary degree. Managing Director and Head of Carlyle Global Financial Services Partners, Sarkozy, who has vast experience in the financial world, received his Master’s degree in Medieval History, cum laude, from St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees for St. Andrew’s, Sarkozy is also on the board of Young Citizens, Inc., a group devoted to promoting service learning in academic settings. As President Nielsen conferred the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, he recognized Sarkozy’s contributions in support of education and in promoting enlightened leadership through cultural understanding.
After accepting his degree, Sarkozy addressed the Class of 2011. Saying that this is a unique time in our evolution, he noted, "While the challenges are great, so too are the possibilities. How thrilling a time to come into the world as graduates. . . Given the quality of your university, you will be among the top one-quarter of one percent of the world from an educational perspective. That really is a rarefied position....However, with this privilege comes a great responsibility...Aim higher: approach all things with humility and compassion; maintain a healthy skepticism but avoid cynicism.”
The candidates, from many different countries including France, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Brazil, Kyrgyzstan and the United States, were presented by Dean Sara Steinert-Borella to President Nielsen and Chairman Tone who conferred the degrees. Johanna Fassl, Assistant Professor of Art History, introduced the 2011 Valedictorian, Karolina Vaickute. Addressing the crowd, Karolina thanked Franklin’s professors, to whom, she said, “we owe a greater, more colorful understanding of the beautiful and undeniably bizarre world surrounding us. It is through their generosity in sharing words and gestures of human experience that we have changed and grown as individuals.” She urged her fellow graduates to take advantage of having learned to think critically and wished them a long journey replete with passions as they write the stories of their lives.
In his closing remarks, President Nielsen encouraged the new graduates to “accept the challenge the world has to offer and go forward with the confidence that you have the ability to make a meaningful contribution to the betterment of the twenty-first century.” Inviting the graduating class to stand he announced: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you Franklin College’s graduating class of 2011.”
Visit the 2011 Commencement Gallery to see the photos of the event!
View the video of the 2011 Commencement Ceremony.
Download P. Olivier Sarkozy’s Commencement Speech.
