Pardee School Celebrates Class of 2024 at 10th Convocation
The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University celebrated the accomplishments of its Class of 2024 at its 10th convocation ceremony on May 18th, 2024. The ceremony honored the school’s undergraduate and graduate degree recipients.
Dean Scott Taylor welcomed the graduates, their families and friends, and congratulated the class on their achievements, which included research across six continents, prestigious fellowships, and leadership roles in student organizations. Seventeen students earned honors in their major, with thirty-three graduating cum laude, twenty magna cum laude, and six summa cum laude.
In his remarks, Dean Taylor emphasized the Pardee School’s mission to “advance human progress” by empowering students to tackle global challenges like climate change, migration, conflict, human rights, and pandemics.
Several awards were presented by Associate Dean Tim Longman and faculty members, including:
- The Sharat Kumar Nambiar Memorial Foundation Prizes to Victoria Yvonne Emma Bien-Aime and Emily Rose McLaughlin for academic excellence, presented by Professor Solomon Owusu. This inaugural prize commemorates the memory of Sharat Kumar Nambiar, a member of the class of 2020, whose life was tragically cut short in a car accident. It is awarded to graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated the highest levels of academic excellence in courses taken at the Pardee School and Boston University.
- The Ambassador Hermann Eilts Thesis Awards to Karl Wright for his MA paper on “Shadows of the Kremlin, on Russia, the Wagner Group, and the Outsourcing of Empire” and to Gideon Gordon for his thesis on “Partisan Power-sharing and the Outbreak of the 1994-1998 Civil War in Iraqi Kurdistan”, presented by Professor William Grimes.
- The Carole A. Chandler Citizenship Awards to Manpreet Kaur Singh for her service as Vice-President of the Pardee Graduate Council and Editor-in-Chief of the Pardee Atlas, and to Trev Turnbow for their role as a Pardee Dean’s Ambassador, Honors program participant, and student researcher with the Alliance for Afghan Women’s Economic Resilience, presented by Professor Jeremy Menchik
Associate Dean Longman also recognized the achievements of students in the Pardee Honors program, a yearlong intensive research project culminating in a thesis defense. This year’s Honors candidates pursued projects on a wide range of topics, from state-sponsored feminism in Saudi Arabia to the impact of AI on international power.
Next, Professor Noora Lori presented the faculty awards:
- The Gitner Family Prize for Faculty Excellence to Ambassador Mark Storella for his excellence in teaching and mentoring
- The Adil Najam Prize for Advancing Public Understanding of Global Affairs to Professor Rachel Nolan for her public-facing scholarship on Latin American history and politics
Ambassador Storella, in his Gitner Prize acceptance speech, emphasized the faculty’s role in nurturing students’ ideals, honing their skills, and broadening their horizons.
“Our mission is to empower our students not to shy away from these daunting challenges but to embrace them in their own unique ways,” he said. “We try to prepare you for these epic challenges in three ways, by nurturing your ideals, honing your skills, and broadening your horizons.”
He continued, “I have delighted in seeing the diversity of approaches our students take. Pardee students are wisely skeptical, while still being fiercely idealistic… We engage you in practical exercises to do things that might happen in a real workplace. You have written policy memos, conducted elevator briefings, engaged in role plays, and undertaken group projects to advise leaders and communities.”
In accepting the Adil Najam Prize, Professor Rachel Nolan was honored for her book “Until I Find You: Disappeared Children and Coercive Adoptions from Guatemala” and her forthcoming work “The Returned: Deportation as Migration at the Personal, Family, and National Scale.”
Nolan’s meticulous examination of the complex dynamics surrounding the adoption of over 40,000 Guatemalan children, many of whom found homes in the United States, was praised for shedding light on this often-overlooked aspect of history and its broader implications. Her work exemplifies her commitment to promoting a deeper public understanding of critical global issues.
The Najam Prize also celebrated Nolan’s dedication to translating academic research into practical applications. Her numerous contributions to outlets like Harper’s, The New Yorker, New York Times, London Review of Books, New York Review of Books, and El Faro have allowed her to introduce her impactful research to audiences far beyond academia.
Dean Taylor then acknowledged the retirement of two esteemed faculty members: Professor Vivien Schmidt, an internationally renowned scholar of European Political Economy, and Professor Susan Eckstein, a distinguished sociologist of Latin America. Both were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Pardee School and their respective fields.
Professor Paul Hare presided over the presentation of candidates, with Associate Dean Henrik Selin congratulating the Master’s degree recipients and Professors Tsitsi Musasike, Alex de la Paz, and Sanne Verschuren congratulating the Bachelor’s degree candidates as they crossed the stage.
In the ceremony’s closing charge, Dean Taylor urged the graduates to go forth as empathetic global citizens and leaders.
“As Pardee graduates, your education has prepared you to be Global Citizens,” he said. “As Global Citizens, there are certain values we hope you will embrace and uphold, such as Fairness and Justice. But there’s another value I would ask you to lift up as you leave this University as Global Studies Graduates and global citizens. And that is Empathy.”
Citing the words of former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, he urged them to “recognize that the same humanity exists in each of us” and put in the “hard work” of empathy.
“You have the power,” he told them. “You have demonstrated intellectual sophistication and the capacity to understand global problems, and thus the right, indeed, the duty, to take your place as informed citizens and participate actively.”
The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies Class of 2024 now joins a community of alumni advancing human progress in academia, government, business, law and beyond. As Dean Taylor concluded, “We look forward to hearing from you; You will, most definitely, be hearing from us!”