Sights and Sounds from Boston University’s 151st Commencement
Sights and Sounds from Boston University’s 151st Commencement
Sights and Sounds from Boston University’s 151st Commencement
After a morning marked by a cold drizzle, the rain abated as approximately 3,700 members of the Class of 2024 marched onto Nickerson Field for Boston University’s 151st Commencement, where they were cheered by an estimated 20,000 family members and friends.
BU alum David Grann, the best-selling author of Killers of the Flower Moon and The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, delivered the Commencement address. In his speech, Grann (GRS’94) recounted with humor and self-deprecation, his reporting for a New Yorker magazine story about the efforts by a giant squid hunter to capture one of the ocean’s most elusive creatures. Prior to his remarks, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Other honorary degree recipients were Rev. Walter E. Fluker, Martin Luther King, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Ethical Leadership at BU and the current Distinguished Professor of the Howard Thurman Center at Hartford International University for Religion & Peace, who received an honorary Doctor of Laws; Claudia Goldin, Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University and winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in economics, who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws; and trustee emeritus Kenneth Feld (Questrom’70), former trustee and chair of Boston University’s Board of Trustees and chair and CEO of Feld Entertainment, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Immediately following Grann’s address, about 100 graduates, led by members of the BU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, walked off Nickerson and joined approximately 100 members of the BU Graduate Workers Union, who were picketing outside of the field. BUGWU has been on strike since March 25, advocating for increased stipends and better benefits, among other issues.
The All-University Commencement ceremony was presided over by Kenneth Freeman, who has served as ad interim president since Robert A. Brown retired in July 2023. Melissa L. Gilliam will become the University’s 11th president beginning July 1.
In his concluding remarks, Freeman reminded the 7,649 members of the Class of 2024: “On your shoulders rests the enormous responsibility for guiding our nation and the world, and for addressing the substantial challenges we face. You are the future for this University, for this country, and for humanity.” He then urged the graduates: “Go into the world and make it a better place for all of us and for all future generations.”
Ahmass Fakahany (Questrom’79), chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, then asked the crowd to acknowledge Freeman for his exemplary leadership over the past year, and the assembled crowd rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation.
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