In his heartfelt remarks at the 2025 CDS Convocation, Professor Wesley Wildman celebrated the accomplishments of the graduating class, applauding their growth and resilience. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a prosocial, person-centered, and interdisciplinary approach to computing and data science. Wildman invited faculty and staff to stand in recognition of the students' achievements and introduced the Data Science Pledge as a lasting ethical compass for graduates as they enter an ever-evolving tech landscape.

Greetings to graduates, families, and guests. This is a wonderful moment for the CDS Faculty and Staff. We have been working hard for several years to get to this event today, and our new graduates are the precious fruits of that hard work. We are incredibly proud of you. We are also hopeful that every one of you will maintain the prosocial, person-centered, and interdisciplinary approach to computing and data sciences you have learned at Boston University.

If you are a member of the CDS Faculty and Staff, please stand and congratulate our new graduates by giving them a round of applause. Please remain standing as the new graduates and their guests express their gratitude to you. Please be seated.

Now, please direct your attention to the Data Science Pledge. The CDS Faculty and Staff present this to you, our graduates, with the expectation that it will be a guiding light in the ethically complicated tech world into which you are headed. I’ll now read the pledge on behalf of the Faculty and Staff.

Pledge of the Computing and Data Science Professional

As a responsible computing and data scientist, I aspire to

  • bring algorithms and data-driven software systems to bear on the challenges of our time;
  • improve public understanding of computing technologies and their potential for good and ill.

As a practicing professional, I will always strive to

  • respect and protect the dignity, privacy, and agency of all users, subjects, or objects of my work;
  • recognize and disclose the limitations of my work and seek help from experts as needed;
  • submit that, knowingly or unknowingly, my work may impact lives now and into the future; and
  • uphold my moral obligations and use my skills ethically for the public good and well-being of all.

With my actions, I pledge to honor my discipline and to pursue my career with the highest level of integrity and competence.