Graduation – Stodgy is NOT a requirement!

At a time when it seems like so many things have gotten worse with age, I was thrilled to experience something that has improved immeasurably. Thursday evening, June 10th, I attended the graduation ceremony for the University of Washington School of Art. You know – cap and gown, stodgy people saying stodgy things far too stodgily. And taking far too long to do it. Follow that with a line of Regimented drones marching in a black ant-line, collecting their certification; identical beings proceeding on to their next mission. I recalled the feeling I had when I graduated from college – It felt like a lemming run of students almost dashing non-stop across a stage, holding our breath as we fell into the great unknown of “getting a real job.”(“Walk fast, and don’t try to chat with the dean, there are 400 of you! Take the diploma in your left hand, and shake with your right. Please shake gently, they have a lot of hands to shake!”)

So I was both surprised and beyond pleased at the casual, fun, yet respectful air that surrounded this particular graduation ceremony. Yes, there was the usual standing in line and grumbling to get in. And yes, there was the one graduate who may have started his partying a few hours too early…. But there were so many real positive differences I’m not sure where to begin. There was a big slide show, not of student works, or of stodgy head-shots. It was a slide show of students working and playing. And it started early, and played continuously.

The students had a choice of “cap and gown” or “other”. “Other” won in spades. Probably less than 10% chose the traditional “little professor” dress. (I wasn’t counting, but I was looking down on an sea of heads, not mortar boards, when I looked over the graduates.)

The variations they elected were befitting a group of artists: on the guys? One young man wore a white suit, another a baseball cap with tassel, there were lots of blue jeans, plus black suits of all descriptions, age and style. Sort of formal-casual seemed to be the theme, but there was clearly no rule.

For the women you had everything from cap-and-gown to party frocks, (though I don’t recall any women in jeans).
One ingenious young lady presented herself wearing a traditional mortar board, a slick short black dress that confirmed she had an athlete’s figure, and a long white jacket/sweater.

The faculty shared in this casual blend. There were two professors in full PhD regalia. At the other end of the spectrum? A sport shirt.

The faculty also wasn’t there to be stodgy and professorial. When presenting awards, many expressed genuine respect and joy for the students they were lauding. They often spoke more from the heart than their notes, and one even got emotional and shed a few tears, at which point she was hugged and patted by the recipient. And no one seemed embarrassed by either the tears or the hyperbole. Not a bit.

Only a few audience members pushed the limits of good behavior. One gentleman felt it necessary to shout some word in an oriental language and pump his fist in the air as his daughter’s name was read, and again as she mounted the platform, and again as she was handed her a diploma, and again…. well, you get the idea. But I think there was no more disruptive behavior than at a traditional graduation, and it was clearly less disruptive.

A mom thought it necessary to bring in little Fifi-the-pocket-dog, and then to stand at balcony’s edge, holding the dog out for a better look.

The guest speaker, a Microsoft millionaire, was bland, a bit disorganized, and at times tough to hear. But he kept his remarks to under 20 minutes and showed a few interesting personal slides. He was the designer who lead the development of the first Microsoft Mouse, and he told how he’d tried playing the curve as music. He clearly appreciated his parents – though just what it was that his father had taught him eluded me. But somehow, the speech fit the mood and the audience was mostly attentive.

But the best feature was the attitude and behavior of the students: they were there to celebrate.

Not disrespectfully, but joyously and without (much) restraint, they celebrated their own, and their entire classes, achievement. They smiled. They waved at family. The early-partier waved his arms from time to time, and everyone laughed a lot. And despite the dread fears and warnings of hundreds of graduation organizers spanning over hundred’s of years, this celebration had all the momentum of a Mardi Gras parade – it just kept moving forward. It stayed “in control,” it was interesting, even fun, from end to end, and it ENDED ON TIME!
During the march of graduates, (in which hugs were as acceptable as handshakes) they played the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance.” But once the ceremony ended and it was time for everyone to go outside? They played it again – but this time it was the best full-on version that I’ve ever heard.

In short, for this group of lucky students the traditional celebration had shed decades of dust and crust, and was carried out as it should be – as a joyous occasion. Just like a wedding done right. (Or even a very good wake.)

Afterward, just outside as graduates hugged friends, introduced parents, and headed off into the rainy Seattle night, I thought about the somber drudgery of all the prior graduations I had witnessed or marched in. The closest thing to them was a funeral. What a great change this was! I felt more than a little envy, and hoped these grads would carry this positive spirit forward into their lives.

The next day I learned that the school of Public Administration had a vastly different, traditional graduation (“You MUST wear a cap and gown if you wish to march.”) But I was relieved that at least part of our culture has adopted a true celebratory attitude about such a great occasion.

(Photo note: all images were taken using a Canon 5DMkII at ISO 12,800 with a 24-105 zoom lens. Post processing was limited to a few Lightroom tweaks.)

PLEASE NOTE: All Photos on this site are Copyrighted and may not be used without written permission.