On Tuesday, roughly 80 Global Liberal Studies students celebrated their rather unconventional academic paths of education at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The ceremony celebrated the hard work of those willing to dive into an innovative program at NYU that allowed them to become the global citizens they are today.

Remarks from Dean of Liberal Students Fred Schwarzbach came first as he praised the students in a rapidly growing program. Schwarzbach chose to look back as opposed to looking forward, by commemorating all the students’ achievements, from the majors and minors they took alongside their GLS major to the awards they received. He also commended them for the work they had done not only in New York but also globally from NYU study away sites like Buenos Aires and London.

“Today is not the commencement, but the continuation of the important work you have already begun,” Schwarzbach said.

Schwarzbach then introduced NYU President Andrew Hamilton, noting that GLS students were the first NYU students that Hamilton had contact with. Hamilton added in his remarks that when he first met GLS students in London, he was very impressed with the work they had done, especially in global sites. Calling the GLS graduates bold and dynamic, he went on to further congratulate them for their contributions to NYU, including making the university a more diverse place.

Afterwards, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of Liberal Studies Robert Squillace presented the GLS candidates from the five concentrations available in the program: arts and literature; contemporary culture and creative production; identities and representations; law, ethics and religion and politics, rights and development.

Before the ceremony ended, undergraduate student speaker Maura Reinbrecht gave the valedictory address to her class, pushing her classmates to continue making a lasting impact on the global world around them.

“Let us not lose our passion, but instead employ it to change the world,” Reinbrecht said.

Email Veronica Liow at [email protected].