Early morning rain led some members of the Class of 2009 to don clear ponchos and plastic bags for the start of Sunday's Commencement ceremony, which was capped off by outgoing College President James Wrights final valedictory address at Dartmouth. In his speech, Wright, who will step down from his position as president on July 1, noted that he and the graduates were at a similar crossroads in their lives.
"Four years ago during your Convocation, I told you "We have work to do, you and I,'" Wright said. "Now we each move on to another phase of our life assignment."
The College conferred 1698 degrees during its 236th Commencement ceremony. Nine honorary degrees were also awarded at the event, including one to both Wright and his wife, Susan DeBevoise Wright.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ed Haldeman '70, who presented the Wrights with their degrees, recognized both James Wright and Susan Wright for their decades of leadership at the College during the ceremony.
"Finally, it is Dartmouth's turn to say Thank you, Jim, " Haldeman said, awarding James Wright an honorary doctorate of laws.
Susan Wright, who has served the College as an undergraduate dean, head of Career Services and executive director of the Montgomery Endowment, received an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
In his address, Wright emphasized that each graduate would face "surprises" after leaving Dartmouth, and encouraged the Class of 2009 to embrace the unexpected.
"Lives are things to be lived, not agendas to be followed," he advised.
Wright invoked former College President John Sloane Dickey, closing his speech with "so long," rather than "goodbye," and noting that Dartmouth graduates would always be welcome to come "home" to the College.
Wright also called on the graduates to realize the advantages they have gained through their Dartmouth education, and argued that graduates of the College have a "responsibility" to those who did not share their "good luck."
Louise Erdrich '76, who received an honorary doctorate of letters, echoed Wright's call for responsibility in her commencement address, and pointed particularly to growing environmental problems that she said members of the Class of 2009 must work to address.
Erdrich, the first alumna to deliver a commencement address at the College, is a best-selling author and was named a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for her novel "The Plague of Doves."
Erdrich presented several anecdotes from her time as an undergraduate at the College, drawing life lessons from the stories.
Erdrich described "The Law of the Onion," a term she coined to describe a lesson learned after attending a philosophy class immediately after chopping 60 pounds of onions for her job at Thayer Dining Hall. Entering the room reeking of onion was a difficult but valuable experience, Erdrich said.
"You have to risk humiliation or failure if you want to move forward," she said.
Erdrich advised the graduates to remember what they had learned from their own time at Dartmouth, noting that they were about to enter "a world that needs [them] more than it ever has."
Both valedictorians of the Class of 2009, Geoffrey Kirsch '09 and Yangyang Liu '09, elected to address the College at Commencement.
Kirsch, who said he was "honored" to be counted among the "talented" members of the Class of 2009, called on his classmates to continue their pursuit of excellence following graduation.
"Today is the day the so-called Dartmouth bubble' bursts," Kirsch said in his speech. "I hope we have learned how to learn, and that education never ends."
Liu focused her speech on the evolution of curiosity, characterizing the search for knowledge and freedom of thought as "a basic human right."
She praised the Dartmouth academic environment for fostering curiosity by teaching students how to anticipate and ask relevant questions.
"Foresight is the indispensible counter to curiosity," Liu said.Both Kirsch and Liu earned a 4.0 grade point average during their time at the College.
Sunday's Commencement ceremony featured a JumboTron for the first time in the College history, allowing audience members a closer view of the speakers and degree recipients. The ceremony was also broadcast to remote viewing locations, including Collis Commonground and Spaulding Auditorium.
