The University of Wisconsin-Platteville presented more than 700 candidates in the school’s 203rd commencement. Students crossed the stage at Williams Fieldhouse to receive their diplomas and hoods during the three ceremonies held on Dec. 14.
Chancellor Dennis J. Shields offered advice to the graduating class as they prepare to leave campus and continue their journey. He encouraged the students to leave a positive impact. “Be kind,” he said. “Despite, and perhaps especially, when you feel that the world is cruel and unjust.”
Shields shared his personal story with graduates. He explained how between the ages of 5 and 12 he lived in an orphanage to a foster home before going to a YMCA boy’s home. He shared how a teacher invested in his life and threw him a surprise birthday party with his classmates.
“It was the first time that anyone in my life had made a big deal out of my birthday,” he said. “The meaning it has had on my life, I know that this moment was significant for me. It helped me feel like I belonged.”
He emphasized how simple acts of kindness can change the world. “I ask that you not only reflect on your success as a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, but also on the many ways that others in your life helped you get here,” he said. “We may truly never know or be capable of appreciating the impact that our actions have on others. Sometimes, things that seem relatively insignificant to us might affect our lives and the lives of others profoundly.”
In closing, Shields encouraged the class of 2019 to commit to living a life of service. “I ask that you work hard, every day, in order to break free from your default setting by choosing a life of kindness, self-reflection and empathy,” he said.
The College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture celebrated 230 candidates. The College of Liberal Arts and Education featured 142 candidates, including 21 earning associate degrees from the branch campuses, UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County and UW-Platteville Richland. The School of Graduate Studies had 120 candidates. The commencement ceremonies concluded with the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science with 210 candidates.
Since 1866, UW-Platteville has provided affordable and accessible education to students of Southwest Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and other parts of the country and the world. More than 57,000 students have earned their UW-Platteville diplomas.
UW-Platteville will finish its fall semester with finals Dec. 16-20. Winterim will run from Jan. 6-23. Classes begin for the spring semester on Jan. 27.
Videos of the ceremonies are archived. View more photos from all three ceremonies on the official UW-Platteville Facebook (beginning Sunday, Dec. 15).