["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Welcome to the 2020 recognition ceremony
for graduates from the Department of Computer Science.
I am Ken Anderson, Department Chair,
and on behalf of the Department of Computer Science
and the College of Engineering and Applied Science,
I am delighted to have all of you with us today
to honor and celebrate the hard work
and accomplishments of our graduating students.
We know that no one succeeds alone, so students,
remember to take a moment today to thank those friends
and family members who have supported you
on your journey to this day.
You may be watching this ceremony with them beside you,
or they may be sharing in this moment
with you from far away.
Either way, they're an important part of your success,
so take time to honor their investment in you.
We are here to celebrate the accomplishments
of the Computer Science Class of 2020,
including all of our brand-new recipients
of our Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science,
Master's, and Doctoral degrees.
With the global pandemic, this last semester
on their academic journey has been
both stressful and challenging.
However, there's no doubt that these graduates
possess the resilience and perseverance
that we seek to instill in our students.
Our community came together, faculty, staff, and students,
to rapidly shift our courses online so that our graduates
could do the work they needed to complete their degrees.
I am so proud of what we have achieved together
as a community and what they have achieved
individually as scholars.
Please join me now in viewing some of the events
held this year and the projects our students have worked on.
We will then move on to the presentation of our graduates.
[bright music]
Finally back home after five years,
and I just wanna say thanks to everyone in the department
for helping me both with my undergrad and grad degrees.
[bright music]
No one could've predicted this.
And I'm sad for our last semester that could've been
and scared for the world that we're graduating into.
We did not get the goodbyes and the closure
that we wanted and prepared for.
But let this be a testament to our resilience
and our ability to come closer together
even when we have never been further apart.
The world that we are stepping into is fragmented
and unequal, and it will be our responsibility to fix it.
I have no doubt that our class
will be able to rise to that challenge.
[bright music]
CU Boulder has not only given me a degree.
CU Boulder also taught me the biggest lesson in my life,
the huge difference between being driven
and being extremely hard on yourself.
We all made it this far, so never forget to show yourself
some love, and give yourself some credit
for everything you have accomplished.
I just wanna say congratulations Class of 2020,
and never doubt yourself.
Thank you, CU.
[bright music]
Hey Buffs, congratulations to the Class of 2020.
I couldn't be more proud
to be part of the class who won't quit.
The fact that we're here today means we didn't give up.
We didn't give up in Computer System,
nor did we give up in Algorithm.
We aren't about to quit now.
I believe in every single one of you.
We're about to make great things.
[gentle music]
Our doctoral students are distinguished
in their accomplishments and career paths.
After receiving a Bachelor's degree, which required
four to five years of rigorous study,
they somehow decided that wasn't enough.
They have now spent many years in school
beyond their Bachelor's or Master's degree.
While during this time they have been completing
additional coursework, their primary focus
has been on performing research to create new knowledge
or technologies to improve society.
Indeed, most of the material of the vast array
of textbooks used by our undergraduates
was initiated by someone's PhD research.
Each PhD candidate has successfully carried out
independent research to advance a particular area
in computer science, and has written and orally defended
a PhD dissertation that is frequently the length of a novel.
Indeed, this is often the most focused,
intense research ever they will undertake.
It is carried out in close partnership with a faculty mentor
who is often the most significant and influential
relationship of a PhD student's career.
Now we present our PhD degree recipients.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
The Department of Computer Science has received
fellowship funds from the Botway Family Foundation
to recognize an outstanding Master's student
or students who have excelled in academics,
research, teaching, and service.
Lloyd Botway spend 30 successful years
in the software and hardware industry
and credits much of his success to the education
he received here at CU.
He endowed this award as a gesture to give thanks
for that education and to encourage future students
to strive for the same success.
We congratulate this year's Lloyd Botway Fellows.
[gentle orchestral music]
We now present our Master's of Science
and Master's of Engineering degree recipients.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
We now honor our undergraduate students
for their achievements and contributions to our department.
[gentle orchestral music]
We now present our Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Science degree recipients.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Thanks so much for taking part in our ceremony today.
I would now like to take a brief moment to acknowledge
our faculty and staff for all they do
to support the education of our students.
Our faculty are charged not only with providing
these students with the skills and knowledge they will need,
but also guiding their education both inside
and outside the classroom.
Our staff further enhance the learning environment
and provide support to our students in many ways
to allow them to reach their fullest potential.
Now, let me just comment
on why our graduates are so important.
Simply put, our nation is not graduating enough people
in STEM disciplines, and especially in computer science.
Between 2012 and 2022, it has been projected
that more than one million new jobs will be created
in STEM disciplines, and that 70% of those new jobs
will be computing related.
However, only 8% of STEM graduates each year
earn a degree in computer science,
and there are thousands of jobs related to computer science
in every industry and in every state today,
with more jobs available around the world.
That gap is a real problem, but fortunately,
each of our graduates represent progress
towards meeting our nation's demand
for people with computing knowledge and skills.
Furthermore, our graduates represent our future.
You are engineers, and the world looks to engineering
to help solve the major problems we face today.
This century, engineers must work hand in hand
with scientists to tackle issues like the COVID-19 pandemic,
but also global climate change, the securing
of our cyber infrastructure, the development
of sustainable energy, and transforming the very nature
of health care, to name just a few.
And computer science has strong roles to play
in solving each of those problems
and other societal challenges that we face today.
You have the skills and knowledge you need to succeed
in the challenging world of the 21st century,
and you now join the distinguished group of graduates
from our college, people who have gone on
to become astronauts, faculty and staff
at prestigious universities and research labs,
and valued contributors to a vast array of commercial,
government, and nonprofit organizations.
You also join graduates from our department,
people who went on to become the directors
of the Human Genome Projects, entrepreneurs
that founded new companies, moving the state-of-the art
forward in areas like networking, social media,
software development, and beyond.
Or became professors like our distinguished
engineering alumnus, Richard Taylor, whose research
laid the foundation for the REST-based approach
to developing web applications,
which is used in tens of thousands of systems
and by millions of people around the world.
All these people worked to have a positive impact
in the world, and now you will join them.
You are our future, and with your hard work,
it is very bright indeed.
As I mentioned at the beginning of our ceremony,
our students no doubt drew upon a valuable network
of family and friends to get them to where they are today.
So I once again ask our students to share their thanks
with their family and the friends
who supported them on their journeys.
I would also like to ask that as alumni,
you stay connected with our department, the college, and CU.
We love it when our alumni wanna give back
and help the students following in their footsteps.
So please stay in touch as you move on
to the next stage in your professional journeys.
For those of you that would like a chance to participate
in an in-person graduation ceremony,
please be on the lookout for information from the department
on returning to CU Boulder in May 2021.
We would love to see you again at that ceremony.
Thanks again for celebrating with us today,
and congratulations to the Class of 2020.
[upbeat music]
Hello, Class of 2020.
As Department Chair, I wanna congratulate you
and wish you the best as you move on
to the next stage of your life.
Hello, everybody, I wanted to say congratulations
on your graduation and completion
of your program at CU Boulder.
It's been an honor and a privilege for me
to be your teacher, and I've enjoyed
every minute that we've had together.
Thank you so much.
Please remember that I'm gonna be here next year,
and I want you to come back and see me sometime.
Thank you, bye-bye now.
Congratulations, I'm proud of you,
and I'm wishing you all the best.
Congratulation, wishing a successful career ahead.
Happy graduation.
Congrats, congrats.
It's time to party!
Hi, everyone, I am so gonna miss
seeing you around CU.
I wanna thank you you all.
Over the years, I've learned so many things
about each one of you.
You have made me feel really good
about what you'll do with your lives going forward.
Now with all of these special skills and talents
that you have, go out and do good things
for yourself and for others.
You've all got exactly what it takes.
Congratulations.
["Star Wars Theme"]
Congratulations,
Class of 2020, may the force be with you.
Congratulations, graduates.
Congratulations to all graduating graduate students
in your well-deserved success.
And best wishes for your next adventure.
I'm proud of each and every one of you
for your achievements.
I'm sure today is only the first of many
proud and successful moments in your lives.
Always remember, if opportunity doesn't knock,
learn to build your own door.
Remember, once a Buff, always a Buff.
Sko Buffs!
Congratulations, CS grads.
The sky's the limit.
Congratulations, everyone,
and the best of wishes for your next adventure.
Congratulations, graduates.
Congratulations, graduates.
You have a bright future.
Good luck on your next adventure.
Hey, nice job.
I did put on a tie for you.
And pants.
Congrats, Buffs, we are proud of you.
Always remember what Albert Einstein said.
"In the middle of difficultly lies opportunity."
Congratulations, you made it.
And now you're more resilient than ever.
Congratulations, graduates.
Thanks for all your hard work, and good luck out there.
Congratulations, it's been a joy to work with each of you.
Best of luck on your new adventures.
[gentle music]
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
