The School of Architecture honored 43 undergraduate students and 16 graduate students during its commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 19. Mason Roberts was the valedictorian of the undergraduate program and Brian Mork of the graduate program. Many members of the undergraduate class featured structures on top of their caps, including Cinderella's castle, a Trojan Horse, and the Basilica of St. Peter.
Undergraduate valedictorian Mason Roberts addressed his classmates with these words:
" In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Clearly these last five years have been an investment in knowledge for all of us. An interesting and telling demonstration of this would be to pin up our boathouse projects from freshman year, the very first of our design endeavors, next to the sheets of our thesis projects, the crowning jewel of our architecture education. Such a contrast not only shows just how far we have come in terms of the precision and scope in which we design, but also the way in which training to be an architect has completely changed the way in which we think. We now think in three dimensions and analyze every small detail of our surroundings. Furthermore, we now have a much deeper insight into human nature. We are very conscious of how humans function and work, how they move about, and how the atmosphere created by architecture affects such day-to-day functions.
The knowledge we have gained here at this school has not only been under the “book smart” category. We have most certainly been given a vast body of practical knowledge for living. Our year abroad in Rome has given us a deeper understanding of the ways of the world, how to travel about in foreign lands without the help of tour guides. We have a much greater understanding of different cultures and traditions, and furthermore, our ability has been strengthened in following through with our ambitions."