Rider holds 151st Commencement Ceremony

On Friday, May 13, thousands congregated on Rider's Lawrenceville campus for the 151st Commencement Ceremony, the first under President Gregory G. Dell'Omo, Ph.D. Friends, families, faculty and staff gathered to witness the ceremony, which included more than 800 students receiving their diplomas. 

In his opening remarks, Dell'Omo said, "The knowledge, skills and experiences you have acquired at Rider are lifetime assets. They well help you manage the opportunities and challenges we all encounter and offer you the confidence to lead creative, responsible and gainfully employed lives – lives of limitless possibility."

The graduates are well-prepared to enter the workforce. Forty-five percent of them participated in either an internship, co-op or student teaching assignment during their undergraduate years.

Judith Brodsky, a distinguished professor emerita in the Department of Visual Arts at Rutgers University who founded the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper — renamed the Brodsky Center in 2006 in her honor — received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts at the ceremony. She told graduates to become passionate about something in the world and not to accept things as they are.

"Continue to keep yourselves informed about what’s going on in the world artistically and politically," she said. "Think about how to make your lives better and more satisfying—and you will make the world better for others at the same time. Take your own futures into your hands and do something about them.  Don’t be afraid to make yourselves heard and don’t be afraid to make mistakes."

Natalie Taptykoff '16, a marketing and advertising double major, delivered the graduating student speech. "Our diploma is something we have striven for and the educational knowledge we have acquired will turn into career-filled memories," she said. "But let’s not forget these personal memories, friendships and events Rider has given us that will be forever etched in our souls to help shape the people and adults we continue to strive to be."

Dr. John Donovan, associate professor in Rider's management department and Director of Executive Masters of Business Administration, and Dr. Catrinel Haught Tromp, assistant professor in Rider’s psychology department, both received the Distinguished Teaching Award in recognition of their dedication to students.

Donovan joined Rider’s faculty in September 2006 as an associate professor in the College of Business Administration. Donovan, who specializes in organizational behavior and human resource management, earned his doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Albany, State University of New York in 1998. In nominating him, a student wrote, “He displays an enthusiasm for teaching that is unparalleled, and his character and teaching ability have helped make Rider an amazing experience.”

Haught-Tromp, who received her doctorate in psychology from Princeton University, has been a full-time member of Rider’s faculty since 2011. She serves as co-advisor to Rider’s chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honors Society in psychology. Haught-Tromp has earned a reputation for delivering thought-provoking lectures with warmth, humor and intelligence. In nominating Haught-Tromp, one student wrote, “Dr. Tromp is one of the most helpful and compassionate professors on this campus. She does everything in her power to make her classes interesting and push you to do your best.”

The 2016 Dominick H. Iorio Research Prize went to Dr. Tony Bahri, a professor in Rider's mathematics department. He has been a member of Rider's faculty since 1983. For the past decade, he has focused his research on toric topology, a relatively new field that uses algebra and combinatorics to analyze the often counter-intuitive way that shapes in multiple dimensions can be formed and deformed. Last year, Dr. Bahri, who earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford, served as a visiting research scholar in Princeton University’s Department of Mathematics.

Class president Christina Diecidue ’16, who was graduating with bachelors’ in marketing and advertising, presented the class gift. Graduates of the Class of 2016 had the opportunity to contribute to a campaign to invest in the future of Rider by making their first gift to the University. Each graduate who contributed at least $16 in honor of their graduation year was presented with a Rider lapel pin to wear proudly at Commencement. Upon making their gifts, graduates were given the opportunity to honor the members of Rider’s dedicated faculty and staff who have inspired, mentored and advised them throughout their time as students. 

Collectively, the funds support a scholarship in honor of the class to be awarded during the 2016-17 academic year to select upper-class students whose financial situations may hinder their ability to complete their studies. The Class of 2016 has raised enough money to award nine scholarships to members of next year’s graduating class (gifts are being accepted through June 30 atalumni.rider.edu/classgift).

"This gift from members of our class as well as many faculty and staff represents one of the most important legacies we are leaving for current and future students," Diecidue said. "It is also a tribute to our commitment to the long-standing tradition of giving back for the future and betterment of our alma mater."

The Class of 2016 hailed from 23 states and 10 countries, including China, France, India, Italy and Vietnam. More females (522 or 63%) than males (306 or 37%) received diplomas this year, continuing a nationwide trend that began in the mid-1990s.

For the seventh year in a row, Rider and Westminster Choir College used GreenWeaver caps and gowns, made from 100 percent, post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, to robe all students for Commencement 2016 exercises. Eco-friendly GreenWeaver gowns are made of fabric spun from molten plastic pellets, producing a comfortably soft fabric that literally turns trash into keepsakes. Each gown represents about 23 bottles. Funding for the GreenWeaver™ graduation gowns has been provided by the Rider University Energy and Sustainability Steering Committee (ESSC). The Princeton Review named Rider one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada.

Llundon Lawson ’17 closed the ceremony for the second consecutive year by singing Rider’s alma mater, “Cranberry and White,” written by Robert D. Helvering, Westminster Choir College adjunct assistant professor. 

Following the ceremony, Rosie Weber ’16 won a brand new Toyota Scion iM for her video, “My Promise Fulfilled.” Weber entered the video in the 107.7 The Bronc's first-ever #TeamRiderScionContest.

Courtesy of Team Toyota of Princeton, Weber was given the keys to the car in addition to two-year's worth of free ToyotaCare, a comprehensive, no-cost scheduled maintenance plan, which includes free oil changes, tire rotations and more.