WATCH: UC's December Graduates March at Commencement

It was a crisp winter morning, but a bright, sunny day for families to get pictures of their graduates at the University of Cincinnati Commencement ceremony on Dec. 10.

View a Slide Show of UC’s December 2011 Commencement.

The ceremony opened with a spectacular performance of the Star Spangled Banner and closed with the alma mater – both performed by the University of Cincinnati Cabaret Singers under the direction of Sean Taylor. The choir performance highlighted UC’s upcoming role as the City of Cincinnati hosts the World Choir Games next July.

The ceremony celebrated the achievements of UC’s summer and fall master’s, baccalaureate and associate degree graduates.

“What awaits you in the years ahead may prove to be a unique and different destiny from all the other eras that have gone before,” said President Gregory H. Williams, as he addressed the graduates. “None of us can know for certain what your tomorrow will bring or what unexpected challenges may arise. But as a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, you now have a lifelong connection to a community that reaches back nearly 200 years – a distinguished community of UC alumni who have marked this milestone in the years before you.”

President Williams highlighted one such alumnus in particular – Joseph Strauss, who was the chief engineer on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The bridge will be marking its 75th anniversary in May and is among the most photographed bridges in the world. The bridge also holds a piece of history from UC, a brick from the McMicken estate that was the original University of Cincinnati building.

President Williams told the graduates that Strauss overcame many obstacles in making the bridge a reality, including securing the funding during the Great Depression.

Among the lessons learned from Strauss, Williams said, was to be patient and persistent; do the unexpected; collaborate; innovate and do something monumental.

“Joseph Strauss measured only five foot three inches tall,” Williams said. “In contrast to his physical build, he made a personal resolution to create the biggest thing that mankind could build. Each of us is called upon to make our own mark.”

Following the ceremony, the UC Alumni Association hosted a reception for all graduates and guests at the Russell C. Myers Alumni Center.

The 9 a.m. ceremony at Fifth Third Arena preceded the UC-Xavier Crosstown Shootout that got underway at 12: 30 p.m. at Cintas Center.