A Ceremony Worth the Cheers
There was more than one reason to celebrate on Saturday, May 14, on Illinois Institute of Technology’s Ed Glancy Field: Not only was it a culmination of one of life’s great milestones, graduating from college, for 1,899 Illinois Tech students, but it was also a chance to gather together with peers, friends and family, and faculty and leadership to mark the occasion.
The university held its first in-person Commencement ceremony in three years on May 14, a milestone not lost on its participants. Graduates and their loved ones let out a roar when Illinois Tech Board of Trustees Chairman Michael P. Galvin (LAW ’78) alluded to that fact: “How great is this to finally be back together again? Let’s hear it for us! I missed this event, because this is what gives the Board of Trustees the inspiration to come and do our part for all of you.”
In addition to the conferral of degrees, the ceremony included a keynote speech given by Calamos Investments Chairman and Global Chief Investment Officer John P. Calamos Sr. (ECON ’63/M.B.A. ’70), a member of the Board of Trustees who has established endowed chairs in philosophy and business; speeches from undergraduate student speaker Nashita Syeda (BIOL/PSYS ’22), a Martin Cooper Endowed Scholar, and graduate student speaker Henry White (AE/M.P.P.A. ’22), a Duchossois Leadership Scholar; and honorary degrees bestowed upon Calamos Sr. and activist and philanthropist Fred Eychaner.
Photos: Michael Goss, Bonnie Robinson