This really has been a year of celebration. With so many students and their families at commencement this weekend celebrating the great achievement of completing a college degree, it’s easy to feel the buzz of excitement in the warming air. Yes, there are definitely long days and nights, cramming for exams, and lengthy experiments in the lab, but when our students get to cross the commencement stage, it’s all worth it.

As I did on Saturday, June 1 at the college’s annual student awards and honors ceremony, I would like to congratulate all of this year’s graduating class of undergraduate and graduate students for accomplishing what they have. It is no small feat, and they completed their degrees with enthusiasm, determination, integrity, a collaborative spirit, and with the inquisitive and curious mindset that will serve each of them as they advance in their fields.

Almost all of the awards we handed out earlier this month were made possible by generous contributions from alumni, parents and friends to the CBS annual fund, Dean’s Circle, and in the form of endowments that support programs and opportunities for our students. Truly, our donors are helping to ensure the college’s excellence in teaching, research and an outstanding and immersive student experience.

As we transition into summer, many things will slow down here on campus. (Many of the eateries close, the parking gets easier, and yes, things do get even hotter.) But it will still be a time of active research, teaching and growth for many students, and a productive time for the faculty and staff who are so critical to the success – and celebration – of our students’ accomplishments.

To all those who have supported our students this year, I thank you. To all those who have given in support of the college’s mission of excellence in teaching and learning, I thank you. And to all those who follow our news and updates, who read these messages and celebrate – sometimes from afar – our many accomplishments, I thank you, too.