2011 Commencement

As many as 15,000 people gathered in Kingston for the University’s 125th Commencement. On May 21, advanced degrees were awarded to 711 graduate students. On May 22, degrees were awarded to 3,283 undergraduates. The Main Commencement speaker was Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory A. Booker, and the student speaker was Rainville Award winner Valerie Damon-Leduc. Citing the advice of his grandfather, Booker advised the new graduates: “Please, in everything you do, stand up tall. Stand up for who you are and from where you come from. Stand up in honor of those who came before, and stand up with hope for those who will come after.”