{"id":3957,"date":"2025-12-15T01:49:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T01:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/umich-honors-graduates-at-2025-winter-commencement-ceremony\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T01:49:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T01:49:08","slug":"umich-honors-graduates-at-2025-winter-commencement-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/umich-honors-graduates-at-2025-winter-commencement-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"UMich honors graduates at 2025 Winter Commencement ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The University of Michigan hosted the annual <a href=\"https:\/\/commencement.umich.edu\/ceremony-venue-details\/winter-commencement\/\">Winter Commencement<\/a> ceremony Sunday afternoon at the <a href=\"https:\/\/mgoblue.com\/sports\/2017\/6\/16\/facilities-crisler-center-html\">Crisler Center<\/a>, featuring performances by the U-M <a href=\"https:\/\/ummgc.org\/\">Men\u2019s<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/umwgc.org\/\">Women\u2019s<\/a> Glee Clubs and a commencement address by former U.S. Representative Fred Upton.<\/p>\n<p>The event began with a short speech from Laurie McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. In her speech, McCauley said graduates gained skills in understanding, collaboration and determination during their University education.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs you step into a world filled with rapid change, remember what anchors you,\u201d McCauley said. \u201cThe skills you\u2019ve built, the relationships you\u2019ve formed and, most of all, the instinct to do good for others in the world. Those things will only grow over time. Yes, you will encounter great change, but you are ready because you are Wolverines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McCauley then introduced graduate Kaylee America Rodriguez, who received a Bachelor of Arts in sports management this semester. Rodriguez is a three-time Big Ten Championship winner with Michigan Softball and a cancer survivor who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C6KEOPgP5wk\/\">received<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/alumni.umich.edu\/michigan-alum\/austin-hatch\/\">Austin Hatch<\/a> Adversity Award.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Rodriguez discussed her year-long withdrawal from the University in 2022 due to cancer and said it taught her how to persevere in the face of adversity and not fear new beginnings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone here knows what it feels like to begin something you were afraid of and to watch something meaningful grow from it,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cMichigan gave me far more than a degree. It taught me that redirection isn\u2019t failure \u2014 it\u2019s a part of the journey. \u2026 As long as we\u2019re breathing, there\u2019s always more to give.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following, Derek Peterson, history professor and <a href=\"https:\/\/facultysenate.umich.edu\/sacua\/\">Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs<\/a> chair, took the stage to acknowledge the graduating class of 1861, who <a href=\"https:\/\/michigantoday.umich.edu\/2009\/02\/10\/a7347\/\">protested<\/a> in favor of free speech and abolition during the U.S. Civil War.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe freedoms that we enjoy today were won by the concerted efforts of organized and principled people,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cAnd they\u2019re fragile \u2014 they\u2019ll have to be defended. As you sing \u2018(Hail to) The Victors,\u2019 sing for the class of 1861. Sing of the victories won for justice that we have fought and won over the course of our institution\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The University\u2019s Board of Regents then presented honorary degrees. Robert Langer, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Institute Professor and scientific researcher, received an honorary Doctor of Engineering; civil rights activist Diane Nash received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters; former representative Upton received an honorary Doctor of Laws and jazz musician Don Was received an honorary Doctor of Music.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Next, Charles Schwartz, <a href=\"https:\/\/alumni.umich.edu\/about\/board-of-directors\/\">Alumni Association Board of Directors<\/a> member, and Ph.D. candidate Andrea Valenzuela each gave speeches offering advice to the new graduates. Valenzuela said graduates should use the awareness they have built during their degrees to drive social change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo those of us wondering what we have to offer the world, I believe the greatest advantage we will have in this new era is to be human and allowing ourselves to feel deeply,\u201d Valenzuela said. \u201cOur generation\u2019s privilege isn\u2019t just education \u2014 it\u2019s awareness. We can see that many of the systems we inherited no longer work. So let\u2019s not just critique them; let\u2019s build new ones together guided by our humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At about 2:45 p.m., Upton took the stage to deliver the commencement address. A 1975 journalism graduate and former Michigan Daily sports editor, Upton served 36 years as a U.S. representative for Michigan. In his speech, Upton said now is the time for U-M students to make a difference in the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re no longer a leader of tomorrow \u2026 you are a leader for today,\u201d Upton said. \u201cYou are the way forward. This is not the time to stand by \u2014\u00a0 it, in fact, is the time to stand up. We need you, every one of you, more than ever today and every day. You studied history the last 10-12 years.Now is the time to write history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Interim University President Domenico Grasso closed the ceremony, saying U-M students play an important role in shaping the future, encouraging graduates to remain curious throughout their lives.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWhen we say \u2018Look to Michigan,\u2019 we are encouraging society to turn to you,\u201d Grasso said. \u201cYou will have the chance to make a positive change in the world, and when that opportunity arises, seize it. Remember, to whom much is given, much is expected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At about noon, <a href=\"https:\/\/universitystaffunited.org\/\">University Staff United<\/a>, a union of non-supervisory U-M employees, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/news-briefs\/university-staff-united-pickets-outside-winter-commencement-for-higher-compensation\/\">picketed outside the arena<\/a> to demand higher wages. Craig Smith, senior associate librarian at the University Library, supported the protest and said the University needs to better distribute its wealth in an interview with The Daily.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStaff have been fueling this university for decades and beyond and have been treated very unfairly across all three campuses, especially Dearborn and Flint,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAs staff are advocating for more collective power and fairer treatment, I just think it\u2019s really important for faculty members to have more protection on our campuses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Daily News Editor Sarah Spencer can be reached at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/campus-life\/umich-honors-graduates-at-2025-winter-commencement-ceremony\/mailto:sarahsp@umich.edu\"><em>sarahsp@umich.edu<\/em><\/a><em>. Daily News Editor Dominic Apap contributed to the reporting of this article.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Michigan hosted the annual Winter Commencement ceremony Sunday afternoon at the Crisler Center, featuring performances by the U-M Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Glee Clubs and a commencement address by former U.S. Representative Fred Upton. The event began with a short speech from Laurie McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. In [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3877,1256,3876,1575,341,3072],"class_list":{"0":"post-3957","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-ceremony","9":"tag-commencement","10":"tag-graduates","11":"tag-honors","12":"tag-umich","13":"tag-winter"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3957"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3959,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3957\/revisions\/3959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}