WP Celebrates the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Commencement

Congratulations to the Class of 2024

Confetti and balloons rain down on the Class of 2024 at the conclusion of the undergraduate Commencement ceremony at the Prudential Center.

There are 3,000 more William Paterson University alumni in the world this month.

After three successful Commencement ceremonies in May—two graduate student ceremonies on campus on May 20 and the undergraduate ceremony at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 22—there was plenty to celebrate.

At the undergraduate Commencement ceremony, New Jersey State Senator Nellie Pou encouraged the Class of 2024 to “take risks, step out of your comfort zone and embrace every opportunity to learn and grow” during her keynote address.

“You are the architects of your future and your potential knows no bounds,” she said. “Every setback is an opportunity for growth, and every challenge is a chance to rise stronger and more resilient. Seize every moment and make it count. Never forget how far you have come.”

Sen. Pou, the first woman and first Latina elected to represent New Jersey’s 35^th Legislative District, was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree at the ceremony in recognition of “her achievements as a public servant, for her initiatives focused on higher education access and affordability, and for her leadership and commitment to improving the lives of all citizens in the State of New Jersey.”

“You have all learned—and many of you have lived—on one of the most diverse university campuses in New Jersey,” President Richard Helldobler said in his address at the Prudential Center, where more than 10,000 family and friends filled the crowd. “May we all learn from these lessons and commit our talents, skills, and energy to building a better, healthier, more just world. Be that person who brings your communities together, even when the conversation is a difficult one.”

The undergraduate degree candidates, who ranged in age from 19 to 77, hailed from 20 states and 58 countries, and included 22 veterans and active service members. Nearly 50 percent are first-generation college students, and the majority worked while earning their degrees. More than 570 students graduated with the Latin honors of summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude for achieving consistently high, or perfect, grade point averages during their studies at William Paterson.

This year’s graduate student ceremonies on campus included nine candidates who were the first to be awarded doctor of education in leadership degrees at WP.

Graduate degree candidates, including many who earned degrees fully online through the University’s WP Online platform, processed through festive arches of black and orange balloons to the Sports and Recreation Center. More than 2,000 family and friends filled the venue for each graduate degree ceremony, with one held in the afternoon for the College of Education and College of Science and Health, and another in the evening for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and the Cotsakos College of Business.