‘A Long Time Coming’—Unique Achievements of MET Class of 2020 Recognized in Rare Event
After completing their degree studies during what was certainly one of the most unusual semesters in history, the Metropolitan College (MET) Class of 2020 was finally able to celebrate together and with their families, receiving the recognition they deserve.
On Saturday, October 2, 2021, as the entire Boston University community enjoyed a sunny Alumni Weekend, the Metropolitan College community gathered on the Charles River Campus for a belated celebration of the successes of the MET Class of 2020. It was, as Dean Tanya Zlateva remarked in her address to the proud assemblage, “a long time coming.”
While a virtual toast held May 2020 had previously provided a measure of distanced congratulatory festivity, the Recognition Ceremony was an opportunity for the graduates of this unique class to come together in person (as well as remotely) to don their cap and gown and embrace friends, family, fellow students, and faculty while taking their place among the global company of BU alumni, 400,000 strong.
“We had to wait 17 months for this day, and it is a joy and an honor to be here with you,” Dean Zlateva said. She applauded the tenacity and resilience it took for students to realize their academic goals during a period of unprecedented uncertainty—a time not only freighted by the suffering, confusion, and loss attendant to the global pandemic, but also by social and political tumult, tension, and reckoning, all of which came on top of balancing the demands of learning with careers and family life.
“It was incumbent upon everyone to overcome doubts and fears and the unknown,” Dean Zlateva recalled, championing the example set by the class before pausing the ceremony for a moment of reflection for all that has been endured and overcome. For their particular trials, she elaborated, this cohort can trust that they are uniquely prepared for the rapidly changing world, marked by a tried and realized capacity to be agile and nimble in responding to developing challenges.
“Especially now, in a marketplace adapting to new realities in the pandemic era, you have the potential to be agents of positive and essential change,” she said. Dean Zlateva encouraged the graduates to remember that spirit of unification in the face of difficulty, and to take pride in their entrance to a university community recognized worldwide for its historic dedication to high scholarship, social responsibility, and inclusiveness.
“Your education is power—use it, not only to accomplish great things, but to bring others with you. As leaders, be mentors. As colleagues, be collaborative. As competitors, be gracious,” she said. “As friends, be generous. Inspire hope. Make a better world.”
Students weren’t the only ones overdue for their plaudits, as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Lou Chitkushev presented the Roger Deveau Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching to 2020 winner Dr. Judith Marley, who was not in attendance but recognized for her outstanding efforts as a lecturer and mentor to students in the Accelerated Degree Completion Program.
At the close of the ceremony, graduates and their loved ones enjoyed a beautiful day of school spirit, capturing the festivities via the MET photo booth. While their wait to be recognized as the latest proud BU graduates was unusual, for their patience the MET Class of 2020 was awarded a memorable and singular experience. As their dean explained to them, they joined a storied tradition.
“You have earned your place in the pantheon of firsts at Boston University—the first to attend your Convocation ceremony and your first Alumni Weekend at the same time,” Dean Zlateva pronounced. “Savor it.”
You can view the Boston University Metropolitan College 2020 Recognition Ceremony in its entirety here.