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Final commencement held at Scope Convention Center
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A sense of both magic and pride marked Old Dominion's 95th commencement exercise Dec. 16. Commencement speaker Roberta Bondar, a neurologist, scientist and photographer who also was Canada's first female astronaut in space, told the 2,000 graduates that this is a season of gifts, magic and time. "The magic of the future and the gift we give people is the work we do now," Bondar said. "There are wonderful things to embrace in the world. … It is an extraordinary time to press the envelope, to make magic happen." She told the audience that many people see space travel as magical; the same could be said of education. "No one sees all the hard work, but we wouldn't appreciate this moment if it weren't for all that hard work." The pride expressed for the work of the graduates was equaled only in pride for the nation. Some graduates waved American flags, and President Roseann Runte acknowledged the students lost in the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon and thanked members of the ROTC programs for helping the campus community recover. "We have come together, not only in moments of triumph, but of tragedy," she said. The commencement was a day of beginnings and endings not only for the graduates, but for the university as well. The ceremony was Runte's first at Old Dominion and marked the last time the university will use Scope. Next year's fall commencement will be in the new Constant Convocation Center. |
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