Virtual Commencement Brief Remarks
June 11, 2020
John Ott, Professor and Chair
Good afternoon.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you attending or listening to this first ever – and, hopefully, last ever – virtual commencement and award ceremony for the Department of History. I would like to begin by recognizing Associate Dean DeLys Ostlund, who is in attendance, our faculty and staff who are present, our alumni, the families, friends, and supporters of the Department – especially Board Members of the Friends of History – and above all, our graduating Bachelor’s and Master’s students. Welcome! It is truly wonderful to “see” you all.
. . .
It is also important, at the outset of this program, to acknowledge the professionalism and panache of Jeff Brown and Andrea Janda, the department’s tireless, good-humored, and creative administrators and designers. Jeff and Andrea prepared the program, organized the award juries, sent out letters, and prepared the invitation. This event, simply put, would not have been possible without them. I would also like to thank the members of the faculty and graduate students who served as jurors for our seminar paper prizes and who advised Master’s and Undergraduate Honors theses. The dedicated and tireless work you do is, I know, deeply appreciated. Finally, I would like to thank the Friends of History, our community supporters, who funded, this year and every year, the prizes for outstanding papers and highest GPAs. The Friends of History support first-class public speakers and programming in the form of lectures, colloquia, and other events. They uplift the department’s faculty by sponsoring research and book publication. And they contribute to our fundraising campaigns in support of our graduate and undergraduate students. Thank you, one and all.
Every year at this time, the department gathers to recognize its graduates and celebrate their achievements. This is normally a happy, convivial occasion. This year, our gathering is bittersweet. It arrives at a time of extraordinary stress in our society, caused by months of social distancing and remote meeting necessitated by the COVID-19 virus; by the looming possibility of an economic recession; by the outpouring of grief and anger brought about by the death in police custody of George Floyd; and by weeks of protest against the persistence of institutional and structural racism in our country. We faculty have not been able to be present with our students in the classroom to process and contextualize these upheavals. The Portland State campus has had to process our experiences not as a community of educators and learners, but largely independent of and isolated from the university and its environs. More than at any time that I can recall, this moment in our national journey seems precarious, uncertain, and clouded by fear. Into this atmosphere, the Class of 2020 is bravely stepping foot.
And yet: despite these anxieties, I look out at your pixellated faces and feel a sense of hope and optimism. You, the graduating class, have persevered against formidable odds. You have overcome the disruption of quarantine and have raised your voices against social injustice. You have grappled with the stress of isolation from friends and community. You have faced economic insecurity, job loss, and the pressures of homeschooling children – all while finishing theses, submitting your final papers, and taking exams. Your resilience is inspiring. Indeed, it is unprecedented in the past several generations. You have shown us, and shown graduates who will follow you, what it is possible to accomplish with grit, compassion, hope, and resolve.
I am also hopeful because you are graduating as History Majors and Masters. In your time at PSU you have learned in our classrooms how to examine complex issues from multiple perspectives; you have been trained to think with discernment and nuance; and to write and argue from evidence. You have conducted research in digital databases, record collections, and archives – in some cases, you have created those very archives! You have studied peoples of different cultures, religions, races, languages, genders, and historical periods, often very unlike our own. In doing all this, you have cultivated empathy for others and a commitment to tell everyone’s stories. These are all widely transferable skills, which you will take into a wide range of professions and vocations. But more importantly, these are skills of which our world is in desperate need. A willful ignorance of history and historical thinking comes at a terrible price, and we are seeing its effects in this very moment. A lack of empathy and curiosity about others isolates us from different viewpoints. History and the humanities teach us to view the world capaciously, to ask questions, to question assumptions, to carry a healthy skepticism toward our sources of knowledge, and to raise up our common humanity.
I can therefore feel hopeful even in difficult times, knowing that you all are going into the world equipped to make it a better place for us all. I know that many of you have overcome significant obstacles to arrive at this moment. Your mettle has been repeatedly tested, and still you pushed ever onward. Wherever you go, and whatever you do, I hope you will keep in touch with us. Drop a line (hist@pdx.edu), send a postcard, update us on your life milestones. Share your skills and insights with others.
Class of 2020, you will be remembered for all you have endured and overcome. I know I am joined by the History faculty and staff when I say I applaud you, one and all.
Congratulations!
