Pomp and Circumstance (and Lack Thereof)

This morning was Dickinson State University's annual commencement ceremony. (By the way, DSU is 89 years old.) Faculty and staff dig out their own academic garb, put on their doctoral tams and robes or master's hoods and mortarboards, and process into Wienbergen Athletic Complex before the candidates for graduation do. It was difficult not to get caught up in the ceremony and symbolism of it all. I knew only a handful of the graduates myself, but I got emotional seeing them parade in and noting how they regarded us as we marched in and out before them. There was a good commencement speaker, too: Sally Helgesen, a leadership consultant and motivational speaker who, speaking mostly from memory, gave the graduates an idea of the changing trends to expect in the society and world of work that lie before them.

(After the ceremony, I was tapped on the shoulder by my cousin Lauren! He lives about two-and-a-half hours away but was at the ceremony with his kids because his daughter's fiancé was graduating. His wife LaDonna was at their daughter's apartment getting things ready for a reception for him afterward. Lauren's son--who graduated from Williston State College yesterday--didn't remember me at all from his childhood, which tells you how rarely I see Lauren and his family. I invited them to supper at our house the next time they're in town to visit their daughter.)

Some pomp and ceremony that I will not be taking in will occur tomorrow at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN--about a twelve-hour drive away. Although we won't be there, Susan will be graduating from that institution tomorrow with a Master of Education degree (M.Ed.) in educational media and technology! She has spent the last three years taking on-line courses for this degree. We were on campus only once before she began the program to meet her advisor, tour the campus, and be on our way. Still, the course work she did has led to a degree that is very real (not virtual, like her classrooms). We're very proud of her. Hey, you should phone her tomorrow to congratulate her! Or e-mail her. Or, at the very least, comment on this post. I will pass on your comments to her as part of her graduation present. Here's another graduation gift that we gave her today (early, yes, but we were in the mood to give):

No fair! Susan had her hair in a ponytail and had been working around the house when I asked her to pose. Excuse any coiffure imperfections.

P.S. Thanks to Dad and Beverly for the beautiful pot of plants and flowers that you had delivered for Susan's graduation. They're lovely and look just perfect sitting on our front step for the whole neighborhood to see. Very thoughtful!