This ceremony also marks a new beginning — a new commencement structure — for San José
State.
For the first time, we are honoring
every single
Spartan who graduates this week, by name, as a
campus community.
In a large university such as ours, it sometimes can be too easy to lose sight of the fact that we
are all individuals — connected to a larger entity, yes, but still our own selves.
And today our calling out of your names as you cross the stage, one by one, is meant to
acknowledge that vital truth.
It may take a village to raise a child, as the saying goes, but it takes
individuals
— with
character, compassion, and their own special insights into life — to create a village.
And as we re-calibrate our graduation ceremonies—an effort that included extensive
collaboration from all corners of our campus—we also, for the first time, have chosen to honor
our university’s place in the greater American tradition of commencement with our own mace.
The ceremonial use of the mace dates back centuries. It symbolizes San José State’s authority to
grant your degrees. You may have seen the mace as it was carried at the front of our processional
this morning.
One of our very own faculty members … and a Spartan alumna herself … designed and crafted
this mace. Lecturer Yvonne Escalante—a member of our Department of Art and Art
History—made this element of the commencement tradition unique to our campus.
Our beautiful mace is truly original … a blend of tradition and innovation, designed to reflect
San José State’s mission and its many strengths.
Traditions matter. And these new traditions are worth celebrating — the official recognition of
each individual graduate, and the creation of our university’s own unique graduation symbol.
Please join me in thanking all the members of the San José State community who worked so
hard, and for so long, to make these new commencement ceremonies possible for all of our
graduates and their family members.
