The School of Architecture honored 40 undergraduates and 15 graduate students during its graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 20 on the front steps of Bond Hall. Ryan Nelson was the valedictorian of the undergraduate program, and Bryce Buckley of the graduate program.
Many members of the undergraduate class of 2012, which includes graduates from 24 states, Latin America and China, featured buildings on their traditional mortarboard designs, including the Colosseum and Chicago’s Willis Tower. A gallery of photographs can be found on our Facebook page.
Alumnus, professor, and architect Thomas Norman Rajkovich delivered the Commencement Address to the graduates. Rajkovich addressed the new alumni with these words (Rajkovich commencement address):
Graduates of the School of Architecture, Class of 2012 —Welcome to your day, to the day you begin your new journey, the next chapter in your story. You have arrived at a threshold. The mythical god, Janus (from whom we get the name of the year’s first month), is emblematic of this moment— the god of beginnings, of gateways, of transitions, he is represented facing in two directions—backward and forward. Over the past several years, you have acquired knowledge and skills that will serve as the foundation for the thinking, drawing and building you will do in the coming years. Make the continuation of that learning a daily part of your life. For after all, a foundation is critical to the success of the structure built upon it, but without more, it is merely a good start.