“You have seen a world in flux, politically, environmentally, economically, and socially. And yet, you’ve held firm to your values, you’ve adapted with grace, persevered with determination, and grown into the kind of leaders the world urgently needs: thoughtful, ethical, and engaged. That’s the role of higher education, and it is essential to a healthy democracy.” See more from the …

“You’ve learned to respectfully share ideas across difference, you’ve pushed outside of your comfort zone, and taken on new challenges on campus, and beyond. You are the thoughtful, innovative, hard-working, clear-thinking researchers, creators, leaders, teachers, and citizens that our world needs.” See more from the 2025 St. Lawrence University Commencement.   St. Lawerence University Commencement was one of seventy campuses …

  See more from the 2025 Lewis & Clark College Commencement.   Lewis & Clark College Commencement was one of seventy campuses participating in From Campus to Community a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season. More from President Robin Holmes-Sullivan.

See more from the 2025 Hamilton College Commencement.   Hamilton College Commencement was one of seventy campuses participating in From Campus to Community a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season. More from President Steven Tepper.

See more from the 2025 Grinnell College Commencement.   Grinnell College Commencement was one of seventy campuses participating in From Campus to Community a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season. More from President Anne Harris

See more from the 2025 Drew University Commencement.   Drew University Commencement was one of seventy campuses participating in From Campus to Community a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season. More from President Hilary Link

“Speaking of the future, it is my sincere hope, class of 2025 that you will take Depauw’s values of equal commitments to freedom of expression and to welcoming, supporting and affirming a diverse community whose different experiences, perspectives and viewpoints are the foundation of a liberal arts education out into the world in which you are entering. There are, sadly, …

See more from the 2025 Dartmouth Commencement.   Dartmouth Commencement was one of seventy campuses participating in From Campus to Community a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season. More from President Sian Beilock.

See more from the 2025 Colby College Commencement.   Colby College Commencement was one of seventy campuses participating in From Campus to Community a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season. More from President David Greene.

See more from the 2025 Bates College Commencement.   Bates College Commencement was one of seventy campuses participating in From Campus to Community a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season. More from President Garry Jenkins

“I urge you to choose the discipline of hope over the ease of cynicism, fortitude over fatalism. That is advice from writer, educator, and activist Brittany Packard Cunningham. You are exactly what the world needs, the values that are foundational to our campus and to higher education, listening with curiosity and empathy, analyzing ideas rather than dismissing others, reaching across …

“To engage in honest dialogue across difference is rare, and precious, and essential. It is what connects us through the common thread of our shared humanity. Because we don’t grow just by living in echo chambers. We grown through conversation, through disagreement, through curiosity, and through compassion. You have done that. Now you need to carry it forward. You are …

“You wisely chose not to live in an echo chamber but to pursue your education at a college that in line with our founding president’s inaugural address embraces the idea that the best learning community thoughtfully, intentionally, brings together students who identities, experiences, interests, and opinions vary greatly. Cultivating interest in people who care about things that may leave you …

“The temptation in chaos is to shrink. To wait for the storm to pass. But Bennington has never done that. And you won’t either. Our democracy needs more than defenders. It needs builders. You are uniquely equipped to be both. As you step into your uncertain, exhilarating future, know this: you are part of a lineage of creative disruptors. Your …

“Higher education matters.  As George Washington knew, it is essential to a healthy democracy.  It prepares citizens to think critically about complex issues, and to work constructively with those who see things differently.  Our world needs people with these abilities—people like you—more than ever.”   See more from the 2025 Washington and Lee University Commencement.   The Washington and Lee …

“Character without critical thinking can be easily manipulated driving up passions without reason. Critical thinking without character is empty. If you can reach conclusions based on the tools we have given you, but you are unwilling to speak out, unwilling to stand up, unwilling to do anything about it, then it is all pointless.” See more from the 2025 Otterbein …

“I applaud you, I congratulate you, and I urge you to put to work anywhere in the world you find yourself next, the knowledge you’ve developed and the skills you have honed here to address the challenges and opportunities we face as global citizens.”   See more from the 2025 Clark University Commencement.   Clark University commencement was one of seventy …

“As we mark this milestone together, it feels right to pause and say clearly: This moment is also a reaffirmation of what we hold most dear at Roanoke College—the values, and the value, of higher education for the lives of graduates, their communities, the nation, and the world. Recently, I joined hundreds of college and university presidents in signing a …

“I recognize that the value and values of higher education are being questioned today in ways that are perhaps unprecedented in our country’s long history. Although I find this deeply concerning, the reasons and causes are beyond what we can or should explore in today’s setting. Still, as I look out over this remarkable class, I see in very tangible …

“This year has been one in which institutions of higher education, particularly, have been on trial. Some have lost trust, and the navigation of political attacks seems far from over. In this time, I have been and am deeply proud of and indebted to the students and faculty, who have animated Vassar with peaceful protest, with written and spoken dissent, …

“Academic freedom has recently become a recurring topic in the general media with claims from across the political spectrum that free speech and expression are being suppressed on college campuses, but a new study, published last month by the Lumina Foundation and Gallup, demonstrates that this is a false narrative. Among many of the findings, “74% of bachelor’s degree students …

“At Wellesley College, we seek truth, and we understand that there is such a thing as truth, even though the search for it may never end. We perceive what our second president, Alice Freeman Palmer, called “the wealth that lies in differences.” We acknowledge that we grow when we encounter people who are unlike us in perspectives and experiences—and begin …

“Listening is the companion verb to caring. When I listen, I connect, I understand, I affirm the dignity of another. Doesn’t mean we agree, or don’t argue, quite the contrary, to truly disagree, I need first to listen. Through listening, we uphold our common humanity and our commitment to democracy that is at the heart of our human enterprise, of …

“Because in a world increasingly marked by polarization, the ability to engage across difference, to think deeply and critically, and to uphold the dignity and worth of all people is not optional, it is essential. And so as you forge your way in this world I urge you to remember and carry with you the values of this institution—values I …

“In America, colleges and universities are anchor institutions for our democracy, providing private value, of course, empowering you as graduates to pursue productive careers and meaningful lives, but they also are a public good, providing you with the knowledge and understanding to be active, engaged, responsible citizens in our diverse democracy. I am trying to paint a larger picture for …

“As a society, we find ourselves in a time of deep polarization. Our empathy for others is not just in decline – it’s in free fall. Compromise is a lost art. Constructive dialogue—real, human interaction—feels increasingly rare. Too many of us have retreated into our own political and cultural silos. We surround ourselves only with the voices that echo our …

“Macalester, and across the whole higher education sector, we have a powerful opportunity and a unique responsibility to prepare students to engage with and tend to our democracy as a core part of our educational mission. The world may seem especially challenging right now, but confronting complex problems is what a liberal arts education teaches people how to do. Despite …

“You are now part of a long, proud tradition of colleges and universities asking hard questions, supporting free expression, and studying democratic values while simultaneously strengthening them. That remains at the heart of a Kenyon education, and it is exactly what a healthy democracy needs. You have played an important role thus far, becoming informed citizens, embracing difficult conversations, and …

“In a world so often divided by speed and certainty, you have practiced something much rarer: curiosity across difference. You have found common cause in labs and lounges, in late-night debates and in early-morning breakthroughs. You have shown that pluralism is a practice. You leave here not just with valuable skills, but with an almost sacred responsibility. To not only …

“We believe in a world where discovery and democracy are partners, where rigor serves compassion, and where knowledge walks hand in hand with humility. That belief is what keeps us working shoulder to shoulder to sustain the values that higher education must continue to protect and strengthen. It calls us to challenge ourselves and each other to think expansively, to …

“The world you are entering is complex. It’s fast changing and it’s full of challenges, but it is a world that you can help define and lead if you face it with courage, with curiosity, with conviction, and most importantly, with compassion for those around you. Never forget that kindness to others is a virtue and a choice. Generosity of …

“There’s no doubt that you are graduating into a divided world. During your years here, colleges and universities have had to find ways to allow for free expression and diversity of thought to co-exist, to allow for hard questions asked in thoughtful ways, and to make sure that democracy is not only studied, but strengthened. It’s hard work, and we …

“Use the powerful ability to weave critical thinking and creating problem solving together to communicate effectively, especially to people who see the world differently than you. So many Denison alumni, old and young, remarked to me how Denison taught them to write and communicate. This faculty gave you that gift, use it to weave words together so that others can …

But education is also a public good, providing value to society far beyond your own benefit. Economists have shown the very tangible benefits of an educated workforce in their communities. The Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen, documented how educating mothers in rural India produced huge benefits for children, boys, and especially girls throughout their villages. The founder of classical economics, Adam …

“You know how to listen—really listen—to voices different from your own, and how to hold space for ideas that challenge you. You know that the most important questions don’t have simple answers.” See more from the 2025 Colorado College Commencement.   Colorado College was one of seventy campuses participating in From Campus to Community a new national campaign to champion …

“While you enter a society marked by division and uncertainty, you are not the first to do so and you will not be the last…During your time at Hendrix, you have wrestled with hard questions about justice, truth, leadership, and purpose. You have learned that disagreement is not something to fear or avoid—it is a call to deeper understanding. You …

“Your traverse of the stage today is the road the world needs to follow. You prove the possible. The 64% of Americans who have lost confidence in higher education have not met you. You face and surmount the toughest issues. Just look at the thesis titles in the program today, from commerce to carbon, housing to health. Many of you …

“Practicing education is like practicing democracy—both are collaborative, experimental paths of improvement, both depend on inclusion rather than segregation. And both are now very much endangered. If we don’t defend education and protect democracy we will lose them as vital parts of our American heritage. Beware of those who are afraid of those experiments; stand up against those who fear …