Dukes from day one, alumni for life
Although it would be reasonable to
expect James Madison University’s graduating class to spend some time looking
back at their years at the university, the tone of Thursday night’s Senior
Convocation was decidedly future-focused.
“Your relationship with JMU as an alum can be as rewarding as it was
when you were a student,” said Alumni Association President Jamie Jones Miller
(’99), addressing the graduates. “Because you are Dukes from day one and you
are alumni for life. And because of
that, your Madison Experience can last forever.”
The senior-only event took place
Thursday evening at JMU’s Convocation Center.
The students’ purple cap-and-gown attire was their “ticket” into the
event presided over by President Jonathan R. Alger. Alger asked the graduates to reflect on the
figurative meaning of the JMU tradition of holding the door open, encouraging
them to think about the faculty, administrators, staff and fellow students who
had held the door open for each of them over the past few years. “With graduation upon you, what doors will
you open for yourself and for others?” said Alger. “Even as you prepare to graduate you will
always be a member of the JMU family.
Our doors are always open to you.”
Some of the loudest cheers of the
night came for fellow classmates: 2013 valedictorian Katherine Brown, Student Government
Association President Matthew Klein and Elliott Paige who sang “The Star-Spangled
Banner” and the “JMU Alma Mater.” Student
speaker Matthew Wisniewski, an engineering major from Poquoson, Va., told his
fellow seniors that the days in college are usually referred to as the best of
their lives. He questioned that idea
saying, “Is the best
really behind us? I’m here this evening to tell you that it is not. In fact,
it’s just the beginning. Dr. Mark Warner
once told me that ‘JMU should be some of the best years of your life while
you’re here. And then you have to move on and find the new best years of your
life.’”
The highlight of the evening was an
entertaining performance by alumnus Mike Rayburn (’86) who gave a hilarious and
touching presentation. Known as the
“World’s Funniest Guitar Virtuoso,” Rayburn entertained the graduates with his
funny song combinations and encouraged them to live their lives by asking “What
If?” He divided his message to the
students into three parts: become a
possibility thinker, set goals that don’t exist and resolve to be the
best. Rayburn said the most important
motivational tool on this planet is a sense of purpose. “Purpose is always going to be linked to
service,” he said. “When you link these
two, your life will be extraordinary.”
The JMU Alumni Association sponsored a reception following the ceremony. Students lined up to receive a free gift and to take pictures with President Alger and the Duke Dog. Brown summed up the evening saying,
“I really enjoyed Senior
Convocation. The last time the Class of 2013 was in the Convocation Center was
four years ago when we began our JMU journey so it's very special to be there
together at the end.”
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May 3, 2013
