13 May 2023 spring commencement brings the fun and all the feels to Camp Randall
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin addresses the crowd. PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER
The Camp Randall ceremony was part of a weekend of commencement festivities that resulted in a grand total of 8,625 students receiving their degrees. Friday evening at the Kohl Center, diplomas were awarded to about 800 doctoral, master of fine arts and medical professional degree candidates. Saturday’s ceremony was for bachelor’s, master’s and law degree candidates.
On an overcast day at Camp Randall, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin told the crowd, “Today, we confer 7,826 degrees, making this the largest commencement ceremony in the history of this great university.”
Mnookin said the graduates’ achievements were extra impressive given that most of them were just freshmen when the pandemic hit.
“You are graduating into a world that looks pretty different than the one you might have planned for when you arrived here,” Mnookin said. “You’ve learned to adapt to monumental change, and that’s about the only thing we know for sure the future will bring — more change, and sometimes unexpected change. Along the way, you’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a Badger.”
She urged them to continue to find gratitude, to live with purpose, and to be in service to something bigger than themselves.