UC fall commencement caps year of records

The University of Cincinnati celebrated fall commencement Saturday honoring more than 2,500 graduates at a packed Fifth Third Arena.

Rainy weather couldn’t dampen the celebration as graduates hugged family and friends and took photos in front of the Bearcat statue.

President Neville Pinto recognized military veterans among the audience and the graduates, including World War II veteran Paul Blom who accepted an associate’s degree on Saturday.

Pinto credited the curiosity of UC’s newest graduates for their academic success and urged them to lean on that sense of wonder throughout their lives. Pinto noted that Ohioan Orville Wright, who sailed the world’s first powered airplane over the dunes of Kitty Hawk, indulged his curiosity always.

Wright was instrumental in pioneering UC’s aerospace engineering, one of the first programs of its kind in the United States. Wright credited his inquisitiveness for discoveries that changed the world, Pinto said.

“Curiosity keeps things from getting boring. At its core it’s fun,” he said. “It reconnects us to our inner child. And it can also become a limitless tool to explore the unknown and address the needs in our world.

“Ignited by your own sense of wonder, I hope that you as a member of our Class of 2019 will nudge our world with new questions, with your own individual passion and creativity and with a deep spirit of optimism that problems can be solved,” Pinto said.

UC Board of Trustees President William Portman III told the graduates he was confident they would create a lasting legacy for future generations.

“This is the moment that celebrates the mission of our university and your own hard work. It is through you, our graduates, that we make our greatest and most transformative impact on the world,” Portman said.

Saturday’s graduates join nearly 500,000 Bearcat alumni around the world, Portman said.

“They are scientists, writers, musicians, engineers, physicians, teachers, business leaders, attorneys and so many more,” Portman said. “Among them are alumni who have excelled across disciplines and made a tremendous difference for their communities, their family and their profession.”

Portman urged the UC graduates to be lifelong learners and quoted American philosopher Eric Hoffer who said, “In times of change, learners inherit the Earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

UC College of Arts and Sciences Dean Valerio Ferme introduced and presented UC alumna Ellen Rieveschl for the degree of doctor of humane letters honoris causa “in recognition of her enduring generosity of spirit, civic leadership and dedication to her home region and alma mater.”

“From the well-being of our region’s arts and cultural organizations to the strength of its higher education institutions, you have taken to heart your civic responsibility to make a transformative and positive impact,” Pinto said. “Our community has been enriched by and imbued with opportunity and vibrancy as a result of your benevolent investment of time, talent and commitment.”

Rieveschl, a prominent figure in civic, educational and philanthropic affairs across Greater Cincinnati, earned her bachelor of arts in economics and management from UC in 1968. While studying at UC, she was one of the first women to qualify for the National Economics Honor Society.

UC’s fall graduates are a distinguished group, according to the UC Office of Institutional Research. Graduates hail from 37 countries, including South Africa, China, India and Nepal. 

Nearly 60% of fall graduates are from Ohio, but 49 states will be represented on stage when students accept their diplomas. (What’s up with you, Vermont?)

The youngest graduate is just 19 while the oldest, World War II veteran Paul Herman Blom, is 93. Ten graduates celebrated birthdays on Saturday.

About 15% of graduates are the first in their family to graduate from college.

Among the graduates, 72 came from the Cincinnati Public School District. Another 110 graduates are military veterans or the dependents of veterans.

UC conferred degrees to 16 student athletes, including four master's students on UC's football team. Among them were triplets Alexandra Fess, Adrianna Fess and Amanda Fess, who were festooned Saturday in identical caps and gowns. 

World War II veteran Paul Blom received an associate's degree on Saturday.

Pinto paid tribute to Blom on stage before presenting the diplomas.

Featured image at top: UC graduates celebrate fall commencement Saturday at Fifth Third Arena. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Creative Services