Dr. Fricker's 2018 Graduation Welcome

Good afternoon everyone.  I am Professor Ron Fricker, the head of the Department of Statistics and I would like to welcome you all to the 2018 Department of Statistics commencement ceremony.  Today we are here to recognize and honor our 2018 graduates who have worked so hard these past many years to successfully achieve this wonderful and significant milestone.

This is both a happy and a sad day.  It’s happy because we celebrate your achievements.  But it’s also a sad day because you’re moving on from here.  After all, at its core, a university is the faculty and students and we are very much like a family.  Yes, the buildings are pretty and the campus lovely, but the buildings are just real estate without the people.  You are now part of our family and we will miss you…and yet, the good news is that you’ll never leave Virginia Tech behind!

Now, to begin, I would like to introduce the members of the faculty up here with me:

• Dr. Sally Morton, the Dean of the College of Science and who is also a Professor of Statistics in our department;
• Dr. JP Morgan, Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Graduate Studies in the College of Science and Professor of Statistics;
• Dr. Marco Ferreira, the Director of Graduate Programs;
• Drs. Jane Robertson Evia and Christian Lucero who are our undergraduate advisors;
• And all the other faculty on stage: Dr. Jen Van Mullekom, Dr. Robert Gramacy, Dr. Leah Johnson, Dr. Chris Franck, Dr. Shaym Ranganathan, Dr. Pang Du, and Dr. Bill Woodall.

And, of course, I would like to introduce the members of the department staff who are absolutely key to keeping the entire operation running:  Ms. Annika Schmeirer, Ms. Christina Dillon, Ms. Brandy Hayden, and Ms. Melissa Ripepi who are here with us and Ms. Betty Higginbotham who is back at the department.

Now before we get to you, the graduates, I’d like to read you a poem.  (Who would have thought that at a Statistics graduation ceremony you’d hear a poem?!?)  It was written by John Donne in 1624 and is entitled “No Man is an Island”:

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

Of course, what Donne is saying is that we don’t go through life alone.  Many others have supported us and, in fact, you graduates are surrounded today by family and friends who are here to celebrate your accomplishments.  So, let’s first recognize all those here today who have supported you throughout your time here at Virginia Tech:

• Would all the parents in the audience please stand up and remain standing? 
• Grandparents, family members, friends of our graduates, and spouses and significant others?   
• Graduates: please take a look around and join me in thanking them for all their support! 

On behalf of the graduates, thank you!

Recognition of our Graduates

On this auspicious day, May 11, 2018, you are graduating from Virginia Tech and moving on to the next phase of your lives and your careers.  You should be very proud of what you have accomplished.  After years of hard work this is a major milestone.  It’s one that you will look back on with fond memories and, when you get as old as me, even nostalgia.  Congratulations!

Closing Remarks

Let me close by once again congratulating all of our graduates and welcoming you to the ranks of Hokie alumni!  It has been a pleasure getting to know you and working with you and we hope you will keep in touch and come back to visit us often.