This year’s commencement celebrated the class that entered Colgate in the midst of the pandemic.

On commencement weekend, Colgate celebrated the graduating Class of 2024, which entered the University during what President Brian W. Casey called “the most inauspicious of times” — August 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The first thing I learned about you, this class, was that you were brave,” Casey said during the baccalaureate service. “You made a hard thing good, together.”

The class and their guests also heard inspiring words from financier-turned–human rights activist and author Bill Browder, an individual who epitomizes the notion of bravery — as he put it himself, “the person that Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, hates more than anybody in the Western world.” In his commencement address, Browder told the story of how he catalyzed the Global Magnitsky Act — international legislation that targets human rights abusers and corrupt individuals. The act honors the legacy of his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Russian prison in 2009 after uncovering massive fraud committed by Russian government officials and being arrested, imprisoned without trial, and systematically tortured.

Such efforts may seem far from the endeavors in which most college graduates would envision themselves becoming involved; yet, Browder posited, “many elements of my story will be elements of your story.” He went on to share advice, such as “You will never be able to predict what will happen in your life … You are going to have to roll with the punches and adapt.” Browder also said, “Perseverance and unwavering commitment can move mountains. There will be setbacks along the way. But keep pushing forward. Never give up. Never give in.” And, lastly, he said, “the cause, the idea that sets your soul on fire — commit yourself to it; focus on it with laser intensity. The next chapter in history is going to be written by you.”

Commencement Highlights

  • Valedictorian: Michael Hanratty of Barkhamsted, Conn., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, economics and political science major, high honors in political science
  • Salutatorian: Nikoloz Bujiashvili of Tbilisi, Georgia, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, physics and computer science major, honors in computer science
  • 730 undergraduates recognized for earning the AB degree
  • 6 awarded a master of arts in teaching, with distinction
  • 1 awarded a master of arts, with distinction
  • 33 elected to Phi Beta Kappa
  • 133 summa cum laude
  • 260 magna cum laude
  • 138 cum laude

Honorary Degree Recipients

Photo by Andrew Daddio

Commencement speaker Bill Browder (pictured above) received a doctor of letters and was one of five honorary degree recipients at Colgate’s 203rd Commencement. The other recipients included:

  • Angela Ferguson, doctor of humane letters: As a member of the Eel Clan of the Onondaga, Ferguson is supervisor of the Onondaga Nation Farm and a founder of Braiding the Sacred. That organization coordinates gatherings among Indigenous communities to create opportunities for relationship building and knowledge sharing among traditional Indigenous corn growers. She has been featured in the PBS series Native America and in the New York Times.
  • Author Mohsin Hamid, doctor of letters: Hamid has written five novels, including the international bestsellers Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (both of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize) as well as Moth Smoke, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, and his most recent, The Last White Man. He speaks and writes on topics ranging from literature, culture, and the arts to migration, technology, business, and politics.
  • Michael J. Herling ’79, P’08,’09,’12, doctor of humane letters: The former chair of Colgate’s Board of Trustees, Herling is founding partner at Finn Dixon & Herling LLP, a law firm in Stamford, Conn. Herling chaired the search committee that hired Brian W. Casey as Colgate’s 17th president. Herling also served on the Task Forceon Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression and for 10 years on the Alumni Council and chaired the Presidents’ Circle Membership Committee.
  • Tod Machover, doctor of letters: Called “America’s most wired composer” by the Los Angeles Times and “a musical visionary” by the New York Times, Machover is a composer/ inventor who is the Muriel R. Cooper Professor of music and media at the MIT Media Lab. He is also visiting professor of composition at London’s Royal Academy of Music. His compositions — commissioned and performed by elite ensembles, opera houses, and esteemed soloists worldwide — have received numerous awards, including a Chevalier of Arts et Lettres accolade from the French Culture Ministry.

Laura Klugherz, professor of music and Africana & Latin American studies, achieved emeritus standing.