A message from Chancellor Guskiewicz: Commencement 2023
Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said a Carolina degree represents graduates' achievements and the people who have believed in and sacrificed for our students.
Dear Carolina Community,
On Sunday, we will gather in Kenan Stadium to celebrate the incredible achievements of the Class of 2023. That sea of Carolina blue caps and gowns represents our purpose here at Carolina and why we do the work that we do: we are preparing the next generation of leaders who will solve the grand challenges of our time.
The Class of 2023 includes nearly 6,500 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. More than 5,000 of them are from the state of North Carolina and 761 are the first in their family to graduate from college. More than 500 students are Carolina Covenant Scholars. This class has made sacrifices during the first global pandemic in more than a century. They have studied hard, made life-long friendships and overcome obstacles to make it to this day.
Our speaker is Bryan Stevenson, renowned public interest lawyer and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. I know our students, their families and everyone listening will benefit from his wisdom and experience.
In preparation for Commencement, I asked some of our Carolina alumni what their degree means to them. In response, Pablo Friedmann, a Robertson scholar of the Class of 2009, quoted UNC President Bill Friday: “A million poor North Carolinians pay taxes to subsidize your education. What are you going to do to pay them back?” Friedmann has dedicated his career to answering that question while serving in Durham’s public schools.
A Carolina degree represents our obligation to pay forward that investment. It represents the people who have believed in our students: the teachers and family members who cheered them on; the friends and classmates who steadied them and celebrated alongside them; and the generations of North Carolinians who have worked to build this University and keep its doors open.
Finally, a Carolina degree represents the sacrifices that our incredible faculty and amazing staff make every day. Thank you to each of you for making our mission of teaching, research and service possible.
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Guskiewicz
Chancellor
