Alan Llavore | Office of Strategic Communication | (909) 537-5007 | allavore@csusb.edu
Cal State San Bernardino marked its commencement weekend with a series of vibrant ceremonies at Coussoulis Arena on the university campus. The festivities included five services on Dec. 15 and 16 that celebrated nearly 1,600 graduates with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
“Graduates, as you commemorate this meaningful accomplishment, take time to remember what it took to realize it,” said CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales in his address. “To be here today, you have proven you can adapt, overcome and succeed.”
While Morales honored the graduates, he also recognized the family and friends who supported them on their journey to accomplishing their educational goals. “Never forget that your success was made possible by the support of those closest to you,” Morales said to the graduates. “Please recognize these significant people who have given you their encouragement, their understanding and their love.”
Among the graduates, recognition was given to trailblazers, the first in their families to attain an undergraduate or graduate degree, setting a precedent for future generations as role models. At each of the ceremonies, Morales invited those graduates to stand, and resounding applause could be heard throughout Coussoulis Arena.
Morales instilled a sense of leadership in the graduates, urging them to become active contributors to their communities, emphasizing that their education extends beyond a career path. He emphasized that the skills acquired – critical thinking, research, and adaptability – equip them to navigate an evolving world and contribute to solving its challenges.
The message echoed throughout each ceremony: CSUSB graduates are not merely recipients of degrees but catalysts for positive change. Morales emphasized the graduates’ role as contributors to a shared humanity, urging them to innovate, share knowledge and collaborate for a better world.
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences kicked off the weekend with two ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 15, the first at 1:30 p.m. for the departments of child development, economics, ethnic studies political science and psychology. The second ceremony was held at 6 p.m. for the schools of criminology and criminal justice and social work, as well as the departments of anthropology, geography and environmental studies, history, social sciences and sociology.
Saturday, Dec. 16, was a full day of pomp and circumstance, with the College of Arts and Letters and the James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education ceremony in the morning. The Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration ceremony followed in the afternoon, and the festivities concluded with the College of Natural Sciences’ evening ceremony.
It was a weekend of celebration, not just for individual accomplishments but for the collective impact these graduates will make as they step into their futures.
