Today Belongs to You: the 2017 Elliott School Graduation Ceremony


June 7, 2017

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More than 800 undergraduate and graduate students and thousands of family members and friends assembled in GW's Smith Center on May 19, 2017 to celebrate one of the most significant milestones of their lives. Congratulations, Elliott School graduates! 

 

In his opening remarks, Dean Reuben Brigety II told graduates that, "today belongs to you, yet others helped you along the way." He encouraged them to thank the parents, friends and mentors who made their success possible. 

 

Elliott School student speaker Russell Hartley urged the crowd to remember that, "our decisions, policies, analysis, and our recommendations will matter - because they will be inexorably linked to someone's life. It could be the fate of a soldier... the fate of a refugee... it could be the employment of one person or a department of dozens. This is not hyperbole... whatever you do in this world, it will matter." 

 

Anne C. Richard, former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, addressed the graduates. In her remarks, she asked them to reflect on both their professional goals and their values. "Let me conclude... with a question to the graduates," Richard said. "What are you going to do about this historic moment? What are you doing to do to make a difference? Everyone on this stage will tell you: you are graduating at an extraordinary time in our history... We who are gathered here today look at you and rather impatiently ask: what next? Yes, you have potential. Now, what are you going to do with it?" The students cheered, confident in a bright future. 

 

GW Commencement and Elliott School History

  • In 1824, the George Washington University held its first Commencement ceremony at the F Street Presbyterian Church, now the site of DC's Willard Intercontinental Hotel.
  • From 1992 through 2005, GW held Commencement on the Ellipse, with views of the White House and the Washington Monument. 
  • In 2006, the university-wide ceremony moved to the National Mall, framed by the Capitol and the Washington Monument. 
  • The Elliott School traces its roots to 1898, when GW first offered studies in international affairs within the School of Comparative Jurisprudence and Diplomacy. 
  • In 1966, President Lloyd Hartman Elliott instituted a new School of Public and International Affairs. 
  • On March 1, 1988, to honor outgoing President Elliott and his wife, the school was re-dedicated as the Evelyn E. and Lloyd H. Elliott School of International Affairs. 
  • The Elliott School's new home at 1957 E Street NW opened in September 2003. GW Alumnus Colin Powell, then US Secretary of State, cut the ribbon to mark the occasion. 
  • Today, the Elliott School's more than 23,000 alumni hold positions in some 112 nations around the world.