Stony Brook University honored the largest graduating class in its history this week at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
The Class of 2019 joins the ranks of nearly 200,000 Seawolves worldwide, united by a vision of a bold new future.
“Distinguished members of the Class of 2019, you are among the more than 7,500 students that will receive a total of 7,625 degrees from Stony Brook University this year,” said President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., in his milestone 10th commencement address. “That is an all-time record on both counts. Our graduates span 69 countries, 39 states, and range in age from 18 to 72, and we are proud of each and every one of you.”
A highlight of the ceremony was when Alan Alda, award-winning actor, polymath, and the inspiration behind the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, spoke to the class of 2019 after receiving a Doctor of Fine Arts honorary degree, conferred on behalf of the State University of New York by Trustee, Cary Staller, and President Stanley, who said, “You are an acclaimed actor, director and writer, and a steadfast champion for science communication and women’s rights. You have received international recognition for your 60-plus-year career in theater, television and film and have earned seven Emmy awards and six Golden Globes. You created the much-loved character of Hawkeye Pierce on the groundbreaking TV show M*A*S*H, as well as other memorable characters on The West Wing and 30 Rock, and in numerous award-winning films. Your love of science drew you to PBS, where you hosted Scientific American Frontiers for 12 years, bringing top scientists into the homes of millions. In 2009, you brought your commitment to science education to Stony Brook University, helping to found the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. The Alda Center empowers scientists to communicate complex topics in engaging ways, helping to facilitate the understanding of scientific information by the public. You have received numerous awards for this work, including the National Academy of Science’s Public Welfare Medal and the Scientific American Lifetime Achievement Award. And your work continues as you tirelessly strive to improve the dissemination of scientific information throughout the world. For the lasting impact you have made on our society, the State University of New York is honored to award you the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts.”
“I’m so proud of our team [at the Center for Communicating Science] and what we’ve brought to the surface is something that every human needs to bring to the surface, which is empathy — the ability to connect with another person so that when you try to communicate something to them,” Alda told the class of 2019. “Whether it’s something complex like science or medicine … whether you’re a doctor talking to a patient and you have to tell that patient what they can do to get healthy again…or even to face death. You need to be able to compassionately talk with them; to take them into account. You’re not just rattling off what you know. And by now you all know a lot. But you have to connect with the other person to communicate with them, even if it’s something as complex as your own feelings toward a partner.”
“It takes work,” he said. “But here’s the thing – if you dig down under the surface to bring to the surface your own dream your own thing that motivates you that makes you want to help other people that is born from your sense of generosity, the work you do to accomplish that dream won’t seem like work. It’ll seem like fun. That’s how it’s been for me. And you may find as I’ve found that the dream you start out with can morph into some other dream and another dream after that.”
