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CONGRATULATIONS 2012 GRADUATES!
On May 12, the College of Engineering celebrated with 357 graduates, their families and their friends, as they walked across the state at the 2012 Commencement Ceremony. It was the first commencement ceremony ever held in the University’s new College Park Center.
Twenty new Ph.D.s, 170 new master’s degrees and 167 new bachelor’s degrees were recognized. The Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department led the way with 103 graduates.
Presiding over his first commencement ceremony at UTA, Dean Jean-Pierre Bardet encouraged a festive atmosphere and reveled in the joy of the graduates. In his remarks to the graduates, he said, “In this world of great changes, we have never been more connected. As engineers we are not changing the human fiber, we are empowering human capabilities. We improve the quality of life for everyone, and we care about people.”
UTA President James D. Spaniolo wished the graduates a lifetime of success, happiness and dreams fulfilled, and told them to look for great opportunities and unlimited possibilities.
The Honorable Joe L. Barton, U.S. House of Representatives, was the keynote speaker. As he began his address, he held up a pamphlet containing the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. His speech focused on the power of the people, and the importance of being involved in a democracy. “In this country, the people are the power, IF the people want to use that power,” he said. Later, he spoke of the basic principles of solving a problem as an engineer: Identify the problem, identify potential solutions, optimize the solution, and implement. The issue, he said, is that too often solutions are made for political purposes and not from an engineering standpoint.
He finished with two messages: “Be involved with community. Don’t focus on the laboratory only, or on the workbench only or on the factory floor only. If all you do is optimize engineering solutions, in your immediate sphere of influence, you’re not participating like you learned here at UT Arlington. And remember, all men are created equal and the power is in the people. WE the people.”
Na Li, who earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science, was the first graduate to cross the stage in the College Park Center. The last student to cross the stage was Jennifer Campos, an Exercise Science major in the College of Education and Health Professions and a member of the UTA Track and Field Team. She had to leave for a meet in San Antonio later in the day and was unable to attend her College’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, so Bardet named her an honorary Maverick Engineer.
The entire ceremony is available for viewing online. Also, a photo gallery has been posted.