Tuesday, May 20
10 a.m.
Radio City Music Hall
1260 Avenue of the Americas
2,051 bachelor degree graduates

With central themes of diversity and community, the speeches of the College of Arts and Science’s commencement ceremony could not have been more fitting for such an enormous and varied graduating class. Imam Khalid Latif, the recipient of the Alumni Distinguished Service Award, inspired the new graduates and the entire audience — families, current students and faculty — as he recounted his 9/11 experience, living on-campus in Goddard residence hall at the time. Along with dean Gabrielle Starr and dean for Humanities Joy Connolly, Latif reiterated the importance of collaborating despite differences in background or culture to foster a meaningful community as students have done during their time at NYU. To end the ceremony, the NYU Musical Theater Ensemble sang excerpts from Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind” and a classic arrangement of the alma mater.

Hannah Treasure is deputy features editor. Email her at [email protected].