PLYMOUTH – Plymouth State University (PSU) celebrated its 151st Commencement on Saturday, May 7, 2022, in the Bank of New Hampshire Field House of the Active Living, Learning, and Wellness (ALLWell) North Center, for the first time since 2019. A total of 600 undergraduates were honored during the ceremony. Graduate and doctorate degrees were awarded in a separate ceremony on Friday evening, May 6.

Due to ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19, the ceremonies were also live-streamed for graduates’ family and friends.

The 151st ceremony celebrated the PSU community’s perseverance and kindness in the face of the extraordinary circumstances of the past two years. President Donald Birx, Ph.D., said, “Your degrees are much more precious because of what we’ve endured,” noting that the global pandemic and economic fallout, foreign wars, climate change issues and the polarization in our democracy have had a profound effect on students.

He commented on how the turmoil of the last few years and months have created a challenging environment for students, far beyond the usual projects and exams. But the chaos of today’s world also presents a greater opportunity for students to affect positive change.

“When things are set and stable, one person may not have the opportunity to make big changes, but when the world becomes more uncertain, a new idea can gain much greater traction, “said Birx. “We need to take risks to grow a much better future. You are going into a very different world than when you entered PSU – a world that is waiting for you to shape it.”

Gennet Zewide, Ph.D., former Ethiopian ambassador to India and Ethiopian minister of education, was presented with an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service for her work as a leader in education for women and girls, and delivered the keynote address.

“My final words to today’s graduates are a repeat of what I told my own children as they graduated from college. Examine the wisdom of others in light of your own discovery. That is what counts most,” said Dr. Zewide. “With a Plymouth State degree, you will have before you a wide variety of life choices. Some of you might measure success by a professional career. But, in my view, a successful career is one where you demonstrate consideration for the conditions of the disadvantaged.”

Dr. Zewide is a 1973 graduate of Plymouth State University, earned a master’s degree from Suffolk University and received her Ph.D. in political thought and comparative politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India in 2010. She was a lecturer at Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia’s oldest higher education institution, from 1973 to 1991, and served as a chairperson of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). She also served as Ethiopia’s minister of education from 1992 until 2005, when she became ambassador to India, a position she held until 2015. Dr. Zewide was also a member of the executive board of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) representing East Africa and served as an external examiner at Kenyatta University in Kenya. In 2014, she published, Resistance, Freedom and Empowerment: the Ethiopian Women’s Struggle.

The PSU Class of 2022 graduates hail from 18 states, including the six New England states, California, Florida, Utah and Tennessee, among others. The class also included graduates from seven other countries.

“The way we got here was never the plan. It was never what we were expecting when we moved in freshman year,” said Mackenzie Goodwin of Nashua, New Hampshire, president, Class of 2022. “We were truly resilient. We powered through even when we doubted ourselves. We did it. We did it despite all of the challenges we faced getting here. The world tried to knock us down, but we all got back up together.”

Mikayla Colburn of Nashua, New Hampshire, student body president, Class of 2022, added, “We all have our majors, but we all have something even bigger – our calling. It’s the reason we all chose PSU and why we are here today, pursuing what we believe will be our impact on the world. So, remember this: Always remember why you do the work that you do and remember why you are here.

John Broderick Jr., senior director of external affairs at Dartmouth Health and former chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, addressed masters and doctoral degree recipients at the Friday, May 6, commencement ceremony. He was also presented with the University’s Granite State Award for his contributions to the state of New Hampshire and his commitment and tireless efforts to changing the conversation and eliminating the stigma around mental health.

“When I was sitting where you are I couldn’t have seen or even imagined all the forces and people that would enter my life,” said Broderick. “Sometimes they inspired me. Sometimes they encouraged me to do more, be more and to think larger thoughts. Sometimes they challenged my spirit and my self-confidence. But all of those experiences shaped me. They will shape you, too.”

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