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[AUDIO LOGO] MANOJ THOMAS: Good afternoon. It is my pleasure to welcome you to Cornell University. My name--
[APPLAUSE]
My name is Manoj Thomas. I am the Senior Director of the Executive MBA programs at Cornell. In just a few minutes, the procession of our Executive MBA graduates and faculty will begin.
The procession will include graduates from four Cornell Executive MBA programs-- Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership, Cornell-Tsinghua Finance MBA, Executive MBA Metro New York program, and the Executive MBA Americas program.
I now invite everybody to take their seats. Please silence your cell phones at this point if you have not done so already. Thank you. Also, please keep the aisles clear at all times.
Family and friends of our graduates, the academic procession is ready to begin. Please stand now and remain standing as our graduates enter the arena.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Please welcome and congratulate the Executive MBA Americas Class of 2023 led by Professor [? Yad ?] Tsui.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC, "POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Next, please welcome and congratulate the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership Class of 2023 led by Professor Brenda [INAUDIBLE].
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC, "POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
Next, please welcome and congratulate the Executive MBA Metro New York Class of 2023 led by Professor Drew Pascrella.
Now, please welcome and congratulate the Cornell-Tsinghua Finance MBA Class of 2023 led by Professor Luo Zuo.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC, "POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Students and guests, please remain standing and welcome Johnson's faculty led by Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Andrew Karolyi.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC, "POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Please be seated. Welcome to Johnson's Executive MBA Commencement Ceremony in honor of the Class of 2023.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Before we begin the formal portion of the program, I would like to introduce those on stage with me who have roles in the ceremony. [? Shreya ?] Sahu, Assistant Program Manager for the Cornell-Tsinghua Finance MBA program.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Sara Lynn Ianni, Executive Director of the EMBA Metro New York program. Christine Cortalano, Program Director of the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program. Verne Thalheimer, Executive Director of the EMBA Americas program.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
And Mark Nelson, Dean of the Johnson School.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Also present on the stage are Andrew Karolyi, Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, and Ya-Ru Chen, Academic Dean of China Initiatives.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Please join me now in welcoming Dean Nelson to the podium to deliver the commencement address.
[APPLAUSE]
MARK NELSON: Thank you, Manoj, and members of the Class of '23. Families, friends, I am honored to welcome you to the graduation recognition ceremonies for the 76th graduating class of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. This weekend we are thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of the degree candidates from our four Executive MBA programs.
58 from the Cornell Executive MBA in Metro New York. 153 from the Cornell Executive MBA Americas. 49 from the EMBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership. And 111 from the Cornell-Tsinghua MBA/FMBA program. Plus additional FMBA students who graduated previously and have traveled to celebrate with us today.
We gather today to honor your achievements. Though you represent diverse backgrounds, diverse cultures, you now have one remarkable thing in common-- a Cornell University MBA.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Your effort and your dedication have been remarkable. You've pursued your careers while simultaneously pursuing your education. You've lost sleep. You've gained frequent flier miles. You've dedicated your vacation time to trips to Ithaca and other residential locations. And for most of you, this investment has been made by others as well as yourselves, so let's take a moment to thank those who have provided support along the path to this achievement. Family, friends, and members of this community, we thank you.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
I'd also like to thank my faculty and staff colleagues who are with us here today. First, I'd like to highlight Andrew Karolyi, the Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. He already waved once. I'm going to ask him to do it again. Nicely done.
Dean Karolyi leads our college which, of course, includes Johnson as well as our sister schools Dyson and Nolan. In addition to being a world-renowned finance scholar and an inspiring leader of our college, Dean Karolyi taught in Johnson's EMBA programs for many years. I think he won the Americas Teaching Award, was it last year? Yeah, something like that. So please join me in thanking Dean Karolyi for all he does for our college.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
You know that our entire faculty is dedicated to your success. They demonstrate that every day, both inside and outside the classroom. Our staff, likewise, have supported you throughout your journey at Johnson, including admissions, registration, student events, job search, up to and including today. And we all know that an event like this certainly does not occur without many people working behind the scenes in ways that we can only imagine, so please join me in thanking the faculty and staff for all they've done and continue to do to support you and support Johnson.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
OK. But enough about them. Let's talk about you. That's what this is about. And let's realize, by reinforcing your existing skills and experience, by pushing yourselves to investigate new approaches to familiar challenges, and by seeing the value of effective collaboration while relishing the competitive environment, by expanding and nurturing networks across your own industries and into others, and through innovation and sheer hard work, you've achieved the next level of career success.
You've transformed your ambition to impact. You've done amazing things along the way. You've balanced careers, families, and commitments. You've changed jobs, started new firms, expanded the international reach of your existing firms. You've mastered integration and collaboration across teams, across disciplines, across cultures.
You've already made important contributions beyond Johnson and Cornell. I'd like to highlight just a few examples of the many projects and innovations that you've created that so effectively manifest the qualities of a Johnson MBA-- experiential learning, collaboration, excellence.
In a great example of the entrepreneurial process at work, our 2023 Metro MBA Shark Tank winner, Paw Care. It is a platform which helps dog--
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
--it helps dog care parents digitally organize, track, share their pets health records using text recognition software and including digital health records, data analysis of lab work, an online community forum, helpful how-to guides. I admit that I'm embarrassed that Paw Care is producing a much better data profile for pets than we ever considered for our two daughters. It sounds like an amazing platform.
Our Boston-based Americas EMBA team worked with Grupo Posadas, Latin America's largest hospitality firm, to enhance their marketing of Mexican hotels to US travelers, and more broadly, to transform their approach to marketing. The team's Global Business project included a site visit to Mexico City that was integral to their recommendations. And during their presentation to Posadas' executive team, I understand the Posadas CEO made the team swear that they would contact Cornell's administration to let them know how eager Posadas would be to host future projects. Consider Cornell's administration contacted. That's music to my ears.
Students in our FMBA program have engaged in a variety of community impact projects in the context of a particularly challenging circumstance-- China's COVID lockdown. They not only supported each other, but they also served as leaders of their residential communities, and they helped those in communities close by. In particular, our FMBA students mobilized resources to transport food and medical supplies to those in need for much of 2022. And--
[CHEERING]
Do that again. That was good.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
And in our Healthcare Leadership MS/MBA program, I want to highlight two achievements, among many. First, Christian Peitz, a fellow in the BioEntrepreneurship program during its inaugural year, worked with doctoral student Steven Park to launch Candy Therapeutics, a company focused on developing a novel cell-based immunotherapy that targets the sugar barrier on cancer cells. I had the pleasure of seeing--
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
I had the pleasure of seeing Christian at a reception last week, holding an oversized check that he received in a startup competition. I think maybe his smile was bigger than the check, but they were both large. Second, though, a group of students from the class of '23 founded a BioTech Club at Cornell.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
This is a New York City-based nonprofit focused on building community and providing the education skills and networking platform for future leaders in biotech. In its inaugural year, the BioTech Club has hosted several events, including a speaker series on catalyzing biotech, an event, Business in BioTech. These are just a few examples among so many ways that you have already applied your capabilities and your education during your time at Johnson.
You were successful before starting your degree programs. We chose you in part based on that success. And then, while pursuing this degree and continuing with your careers, you've already produced much-needed ideas, products, and services. Your future impact will be remarkable.
I'd also like to highlight another way in which you've already made an impact. Each generation of Johnson students benefits from those who came before. And just as you've supported one another at Johnson in so many ways as students, you've also distinguished yourselves through contributions to Johnson's Annual Fund and this year's class campaign. I have to give a special shout-out to two students who established the Kevin Juin and Matthew Unger Fellowship for Experiential Learning to increase access to experiential learning through the Smith Family Business Initiative. That's one example. Thank you.
So many of you have done so much. Would everyone please join me in applauding the achievements, generosity, and dedication of this wonderful class.
[APPLAUSE]
Now, we all know the graduations mark key changes in people's lives, and this graduation marks a change for me as well as it will be my last serving as Johnson's Anne an Elmer Lindseth Dean. It has been an absolute honor to serve our students, faculty, staff, and alumni as Johnson's Dean. Every day I've had a front-row seat to witness the many ways the members of our community support each other and work together to do great things.
I'll continue to serve on Johnson as a member of the faculty, and I'm tremendously happy that I'll be succeeded by Professor Vishal Gaur, who is an extraordinary teacher and scholar and academic leader. Believe me, the school will be in very good hands.
So now, here's my parting ask. You knew it was coming. Whenever you let a Dean speak, there's typically some sort of an ask. This one is pretty painless, and it's very simple. Just keep it up. Keep doing what you've been doing. Keep engaging with this community, and keep striving to make your unique impact.
From a community standpoint, you're now part of a broader community. You are joining an alumni community of over 18,000 Johnson graduates, more than 45,000 college graduates, well over 250,000 proud Cornellians, all bleeding Cornell red, all now part of your extended family. You've heard me say that at Johnson, we have each other's backs as we push each other forward. That applies to this broader alumni community as well.
So many alumni have told me how much their Johnson network has meant to them, personally and professionally, throughout their entire careers. Indeed, made those careers. I encourage you to make the resolution to stay engaged with your class and with the school. Attend at least one alumni event each year. Don't drift away from this community. Immerse yourself in it. Be there for your fellow alumni as you have been for your fellow students in your program. My pledge is that we will be here for you as well.
From an impact standpoint, I don't have to encourage you to excel. I know you will. The world faces big problems. Sometimes we can respond with fatalism and believe we can't make a difference, but you have already shown that you can make a difference. You are leaders.
When a big challenge occurs, you don't have to do anything to shy away from it. All you need to do is rise to meet it. You've proven that you can meet that sort of challenge. And as you advance in your careers, I have one more request. I ask that you not pull up the ladder behind you. Instead, reach back and help others climb higher.
We work on allyship here at Johnson. We celebrate our differences, and we help each other when we need it. Keep exercising those muscles. You know that helping another person, welcoming another person into the fold, contributing to their success, that's a wonderful feeling.
Your Johnson degree will help you on your journey, and you will honor that degree with all you achieve. We can't wait to see what amazing success awaits you. We are immensely proud of you. All in attendance, please help me congratulate the Class of 2023.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
MANOJ THOMAS: Thank you, Dean Nelson. I would like to now recognize the student council members and class representatives from the Cornell-Tsinghua FMBA, Executive MBA in Healthcare Leadership program, and the Metro NY Executive MBA program. Student council members and class representatives, please stand and be recognized.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
The class representatives of FMBA program, please stand.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Thank you. Next, I ask the Class of 2023 campaign agents from all programs to stand and be recognized. Please stand.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Thank you for all that you have done for your classes in these important roles. Now, we are pleased to recognize exemplary graduates in the Class of 2023 who received awards for their significant contributions in the classroom and to their peers. I ask that the following graduates please stand and be acknowledged when I call out their names. Please hold your applause until all the names have been announced.
[READING NAMES]
OK, now you can applaud them.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Thank you. You may sit now. The Emerging Markets Institute Fellows program, also known as the EMI program, offers a unique experience for Johnson MBA students to engage in research, case competitions, and study trips. I ask the following students to stand and be recognized for being named outstanding EMI Fellows. Again, please hold your applause until I have announced all the names.
[READING NAMES]
And now, applaud them.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Thank you. At this time, we would like to recognize faculty members who have been awarded specific program teaching awards. The winner of the EMBA Americas Star Award for Teaching Excellence this year is Professor Ori Heffetz.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
The recipient of the EMBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership Faculty Award this year is Professor Paul Ingram.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
The winner of the EMBA Metro NY Gold Award for Teaching Excellence is Professor Risa Mish.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Congratulations. The recipients of the Cornell-Tsinghua FMBA Gravitas Award are Professors Robert Frank and Andrew Cairoli.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
The winners of the Cornell-Tsinghua FMBA Best Teacher Award are Professors Luo Zuo, Li Chen, [? and ?] [? Mingming ?] Wu.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
The winners of the Cornell-Tsinghua FMBA Star Professor Award are Professors Mark Nelson and Ya-Ru Chen.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Thank you. It is now time for the recognition of graduates. I invite Verne.
VERNE THALHEIMER: I am Vern Thalheimer, Executive Director of the Executive MBA Americas program. It is--
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Thank you. It is my absolute pleasure to present the graduates of the Executive MBA Americas Class of 2023.
[READING NAMES]
Congratulations to the MBA Americas Class of 2023.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
CHRISTINE CORTALANO: I'm Christine Cortalano, and I'm the Director of the Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program. It is now time--
[CHEERING]
--it is now time to honor our degree recipients. I ask that the MBA/MS students please stand and come to the stage to be honored.
[READING NAMES]
Congratulations to the MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership Class of 2023.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
I'm Sara Lynn Ianni, Director of the EMBA Metro New York program, and I invite our EMBA Metro New York's graduates to approach the stage to be recognized.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[READING NAMES]
Congratulations EMBA Metro New York.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
I'm Shreya Sahu, Assistant Program Manager of Cornell-Tsinghua FMBA program.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
Now I ask that FMBA graduates please come forward to be honored.
[READING NAMES]
Congratulations to all Cornell-Tsinghua FMBA graduates.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
MANOJ THOMAS: That was wonderful. Now that you all have your official Cornell MBAs, congratulations to all our graduates.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
You have achieved a great deal and should be very proud of your very many accomplishments. You are a remarkable class, and we will miss seeing you. Please do keep in touch as you progress through your lives and your careers. Although we are here to recognize our graduates, we also want to acknowledge the family and friends who are here today.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
A very special thank you to those who have truly made this achievement possible. Thank you for your support, your patience, and endless understanding. Finally, please join me in thanking the many staff and volunteers who are here on this holiday weekend to make your graduation a special occasion.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
As graduates of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, you play a critical role in the future of our school. I urge you to stay in touch with each other. We trust that Johnson and Cornell will continue to be instrumental in helping you realize your goals and that friendships you forged in this program. Once again, congratulations to the Class of 2023.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Now, I would like to ask everyone to stand up and join us in singing the "Alma Mater." You will find the words on the back of your program.
[WHISTLE BLOWING]
CHOIR: (SINGING) Far above Cayuga's waters, with its waves of blue, stands our noble Alma Mater, glorious to view. Lift the chorus, speed it onward, loud her praises tell; hail to thee, our Alma Mater! Hail, all hail, Cornell!
Far above the busy humming of the bustling town, reared against the arch of heaven, looks she proudly down. Lift the chorus, speed it onward, loud her praises tell; hail to the, our Alma Mater! Hail, all hail, Cornell!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
