Plymouth State University celebrates 154th commencement

PLYMOUTH —  Plymouth State University celebrated its 154th undergraduate commencement on Saturday, May 10, at the Bank of New Hampshire Field House of the Active Living, Learning, and Wellness North Building on the PSU campus. A total of approximately 740 students were honored during the ceremony. Graduate and doctorate degrees were awarded in a separate ceremony on Friday evening, May 9.

“You’ve navigated the hybrid world, and now you’re stepping into one that’s increasingly digital and global, and let’s face it, more than a little bit crazy,” PSU President Donald L. Birx told ceremony participants. “But whatever the challenges, whatever the future brings, we know this: you’ll turn them into opportunities. You won’t just adapt, you’ll lead. You won’t just return to ‘normal,’ you’ll create something better.”

Chris Gloninger, an Emmy-award-winning meteorologist and 2006 PSU meteorology alumnus, delivered the undergraduate ceremony’s keynote address after the university conferred him an honorary doctor of science degree. Gloninger recounted his decision to leave a position as chief meteorologist at a Des Moines TV station after harassments and threats from some viewers over his coverage of climate change resulted in the station’s decision to cease its climate change coverage. He emphasized the importance of being true to yourself and what you believe in, and to be a “helper” guided by courage and empathy.

“You will face adversity, but stand up for what’s right, even when it costs you something,” Gloninger said. “As journalists, we’re taught that every story has a who, what, where, when, and why. I wasn’t going to leave out the ‘why,’ so I left the job instead. But I also gave up a career I loved and a paycheck that made life comfortable.”

Student Body President Olivia Griffin and Student Body Secretary Lexia Stanley also gave remarks. Griffin spoke about the shared history of the graduating class and ties that bind people together, as colleagues, friends or found family.

Two-hundred-twenty-two graduate students participated in a graduate ceremony on the previous evening in the Bank of New Hampshire Field House. Sheryl Shirley, former commissioner of the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, professor emerita of Political Science at Plymouth State University and current chair of Transport Central, a nonprofit transportation service that operates in the greater Plymouth region, addressed master’s and doctoral degree recipients at the ceremony.

“I challenge you to continue learning, building connections, and cultivating empathy, so that you may effect change,” Shirley said. “We need your energy, your skills, and your humanitarianism to meet the challenges facing our communities, the Granite State and the nation.”

For more information, visit plymouth.edu.