Proud Bearcat Crowds Pack Two Commencement Ceremonies At UC

As early as an hour before doors to Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center opened at 8:30 a.m., the crowds were filling the garages and covering Bearcat Plaza, making sure they had a seat inside the Shoe for a new graduation ceremony that personally recognized each and every student in attendance.

The UC community had been encouraged to watch Commencement ceremonies on the Web, so that Fifth Third Arena could accommodate the overwhelming response of graduates and guests.

The big day on June 10 was divided into two ceremonies of seven colleges in the morning and seven more graduating at 2:30 p.m. Commencement coordinators estimate that approximately 6,500 guests packed Fifth Third Arena for the morning ceremony and 7,000 guests filled the Shoe in the afternoon.

Dozens of volunteers from colleges and administrative offices worked to make the two ceremonies flow smoothly.

President Nancy L. Zimpher said the graduating class outnumbered hundreds of Ohio towns and cities, and that the graduates came from around the country and the world.

“We thank you Class of 2005 for your patience through all of these years of construction, but UC has given you a great foundation for dealing with change,” she said. “A lot more change awaits you as you move from this moment forward, and a lot will stay the same. You’ll still e-mail strangers around the world more often than you’ll talk to your parents. You’ll still have 15 difference cell phone numbers for your three closest friends. And cleaning up the dining room will probably still mean getting the fast-food bags out of the back seat of your car.”

Phillip R. Cox, chairman of the UC Board of Trustees, extended greetings to the graduates. “Great people are the eyes of the blind, the strength of the weak, the shield of the defenseless. They stand erect by bending to assist the fallen. They rise by lifting others. Great people are never neutral. Someone once said the hottest places in hell are reserved for those people who, in times of crisis, maintain a neutrality. Great people are optimistic. They don’t spend their time asking, ‘What would I do if I had more money, if I had more resources, if I had more time?’ They instead ask themselves ‘What will I do with the resources, the time and the money that I have?’ We at the Board of Trustees wish each of you the capacity to make the most of your time and the most of yourself.”

Award-winning Broadway producer and CCM graduate Kevin McCollum delivered the University of Cincinnati Commencement address, urging students to understand the importance of collaboration. “Life is really not about doing well, but rather it’s realizing that on every level, life is a collaboration.

McCollum said there was nothing more powerful than being in a collaborative environment. “And you’re the only ones who can choose to put yourself there, both physically and mentally. If you do it by yourself, the road will be much longer and it will not be as satisfying. Great things are seldom done on one’s own.”

For students completing their degrees in four years, the Class of 2005 was attending their freshman welcome week shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks rocked the nation. McCollum said that as graduates, they were facing one of the most difficult, chaotic and remarkable periods of their time.

“It might have been difficult for you to gather today,” McCollum said to the packed arena, a dramatic change from dropping attendance at ceremonies in years past. “But by having to deal with the inconvenience of showing up, you have created real moments in a human life. By showing up today, you’ve actually created a real memory for your future. By showing up today, you have experienced that it is good to be together.”

McCollum concluded, “To the University of Cincinnati’s graduating  Class of 2005, the community you wish to create awaits your collaboration, and we will commit to you that we will show up, gather for you, so that we may have the privilege to hear you sing your song. Good luck and God bless.”

A fond farewell address came from UC’s “Mr. Bearcat,” a title awarded to the university’s most outstanding male graduate. “For me, UC was absolutely everything. It was where I could explore who I was, learn about life and follow my dreams. It was a place where I fell in love, overcame personal obstacles, and found my closest friends,” said Justin Shafer. “I hope that you reminisce about campus and your college years, and I hope you feel some sense of pride and Bearcat spirit. But what I really hope is that you got what you wanted out of UC and that every day, you followed your dreams.”