2020 Commencement

Joseph Wallace, Interim Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Feng Li, Chair, Department of Computer Information and Graphics Technology

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I want to take a moment to offer a special congratulations to the many CIT and CGT graduates here today who are the first generation in their families to graduate from college. What a remarkable achievement.

No matter how unconventional this commencement event is, today is still a day of celebration. A day to celebrate all the hard work in Information Technology or Graphics Technology that got you to this moment.

Today is still a day of thanks. A day to thank those who helped you get here—nurtured you, taught you, cheered you on, and dried your tears.

Today is a day of reflection. Because today marks the end of one era of your life and the beginning of something new.

You have the whole world in front of you. I can’t wait to see what you do with it. Congratulations, and Go CIGT!

Brian King, Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Robert Weissbach, Chair, Department of Engineering Technology  

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Dear Graduating Students in the Department of Engineering Technology,

I am honored to speak to you as you end your time at IUPUI and begin a new chapter of your life.  Although we aren’t having an official commencement ceremony this year, it’s important to recall that the word “commencement” speaks to a beginning, and not an end. 

Throughout your years at IUPUI, you have hopefully been pushed to expand your horizons to help prepare you for this next phase.  I expect that you have spent many a long day completing a project or preparing for an exam.  In parallel, faculty in each of the seven academic programs in the department have also dedicated countless hours to support your academic progress, along with staff who have worked with you in the lab or advised you as you complete your plan of study.  Your success is really a team effort.  When students, faculty and staff work together towards student success, the results are often amazing, and from what I’ve seen as the Department Chair, we are graduating some truly extraordinary people this year. 

You will be entering a world that is unlike anything any of us have ever experienced.  Just like you are entering a new phase of your life, the world around us is also experiencing significant changes. We are all being presented with not only grand challenges but also grand opportunities.  This is not a time to shrink.  This is a time to stand tall.  As the civil rights activist and singer Bernice Johnson Reagon once said, “Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are”.  You would not have graduated from this university, from this campus, from this school, from this department, and from your program of study unless you were able to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and competencies of value to society.  You have not only learned, you have also learned how to learn, so you can adapt to whatever changes society experiences. 

So let this be the time that you vow to accept what is, improve what can be changed, and embrace the challenges that lie ahead.  Don’t let a rocky path deter you, for it is still a path.

The Department of Engineering Technology is proud to recognize our Class of 2020!

Jie Chen, Chair, Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering

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Dear Graduates in the Class of 2020,

On behalf of the faculty and staffs of the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, it is my pleasure to congratulate you for the job well-done. You made it through your hard work and persevence, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring semester, 2020. You earn it which is evidenced by your academic accomplishments. With a Purdue degree, you are well-positioned to compete for your dream jobs in the areas of mechanical and energy engineering. You are well-equipped for continuing to build your career of your choice including working in industry, research institutes, or academics. The faculty and staffs of the department are wishing you well. Please keep in touch. We are looking forward to hearing your successful stories. The Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering is proud to recognize our Class of 2020.

Deb Burns, Chair, Department of Music and Arts Technology  

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Dear graduating students from the Department of Music and Arts Technology. Congratulations on successfully completing the most innovative, forward thinking music program in the United States. You have mastered a multitude of musical and technical skills, preparing you for careers that are available today (breathe) and providing the foundation for success (pause) in professions and careers that do not yet exist. You may find positions in sound production, audio engineering, acoustical design, as a media and event specialist, a studio manager, or a multimedia specialist. You may find your passion developing new, innovative music software or new musical instruments. You may even design a better real time performance art interface than Zoom.

Whatever your future brings, the music and arts technology faculty are very proud of your hard work and dedication to your degree. It has certainly not been easy. Even without a pandemic, music studies are traditionally some of the most difficult degrees to complete, with long hours of ensemble rehearsal and private practice striving for perfection. We even expected you to do a little math. Hopefully, your rehearsals, time in the CLEAR lab, relaxing in the lounge between classes, have helped you establish relationships during your time at IUPUI that will stay with you as you move on with your goals and aspirations. Always remember how you felt when you couldn’t be together, engage in random but, meaningful conversations, and collaborate on projects by tearing things apart and finding new ways to put them together. Those relationships with your peers are important as you move forward with your career and life. I know that you have influenced the MAT faculty, watching you struggle, watching you succeed, watching you master the competencies needed to thrive. So, thank you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for trusting us to guide your learning, for asking hard questions, for your curiosity. Thank you for making us all better. Good luck and godspeed.

Charles Feldhaus, Chair, Department of Technology Leadership and Communication

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Greetings Graduates!  On behalf of the all the faculty and staff with the Department of Technology Leadership and Communication CONGRATULATIONS!  The graduating class of 2020 has certainly lived through some extraordinary times.  A worldwide pandemic, the conversion of all courses to online delivery, the cancellation of all on campus activities, and the complete restructuring of society as we know it. Clearly, this has been a difficult time for many of you, and we know that your struggles to complete the Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership or technical communication, were often difficult these past few months. 

But the fact is, you all stepped up, and got it done.  We thank you for your grit, your passion, your willingness to adapt, and your tenacity to finish this journey.  And we commend you for your contributions to the university, the campus, the school and the department as you have persisted to your degree. 

Our expectation for the organizational leadership degree requires all students to discover, connect, explore, and lead.  As I look back at each of our graduates, it is clear that you have achieved these four requirements throughout your academic careers, but especially during this final semester.  Graduates of our Technical Communication degree program are required to create, collaborate and communicate.  Certainly students achieving this degree have accomplished these three important elements of learning, and have put these skills to use during their final semester as well.

I challenge the class of 2020 to move forward with optimism, love, and a sense of accomplishment for the greater good.  Put your newfound leadership and communication skills to good use, and make this world a little better place by your very existence.  And please reach out if the TLC department can be of assistance.  We are here for today and always, as you are now and forever a part of the TLC family of graduates.

A dream realized deserves a day to celebrate.

Our graduates have realized their dream of earning their degree. Visit the IU Commencement website for tools to celebrate your success, customized for each campus.

Commencement Website

 

Keep in touch!

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation from the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. It is important to the school that our graduates are successful after graduation. We are interested to hear what you are currently doing. Have you secured a job? Been accepted to graduate school? This information helps us so we can better tell your success story and help new students as they prepare for their options after IUPUI. If you haven’t done so already please complete the IUPUI Next Step survey at http://go.iupui.edu/nextstep. This should only take about 5-10 minutes of your time. All information entered into the survey will be kept private and your information will only be shared as an aggregate.

Again, congratulations on your accomplishment!​