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Be kind.

For ���غ��� School of Management Dean Shelley Dionne, it was the clearest message to leave the school’s graduating Class of 2025. The students themselves had inspired it — their many comments of support and congratulations, which Dionne read with swelling pride while browsing recent LinkedIn posts by students announcing their job placements.

“I started thinking about all the case competitions and group projects I’ve seen this year, and how much you supported each other and promoted the team above yourself,” Dionne told graduates at the 2025 Commencement ceremony Friday, May 16. “The late-night LinkedIn buffet of hundreds of SOM student postings with these amazingly supportive student comments made me realize how much you have grown as individuals. You’re bright, professional, show terrific leadership and are clearly on the path to success.”

SOM conferred nearly 700 degrees — that includes bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral — at the spring 2025 Commencement ceremony. This year’s graduates are leaving ���غ��� with a strong foundation, reflected partly by SOM’s latest ranking as a top 10 public business school for a fourth straight year and as placements in front-office finance positions recently reached a 10-year high.

Student speaker Natalie Khalil ’24, MBA ’25, addressed her fellow graduates by saying the credentials on their resumes should only reflect a fraction of their identities. As the proud child of Jordanian immigrants, Khalil said true success is also defined by integrating purpose, integrity and humanity into their lives.

“Yes, we will negotiate deals and climb corporate ladders, but let’s also create workplaces where people feel valued and build businesses that drive meaningful change,” she said. “Your worth isn’t determined by your starting salary or whether you have to move back in with your parents for a while. It’s measured by your character, ambition and the impact you create.”

The odds of achieving such an impact are certainly favorable for these graduates, as Provost Donald Hall outlined in his speech. More than 84% of employers expect to increase or maintain their hiring rate for the Class of 2025 compared to the previous year, he said, so it’s not surprising that they might still be asking themselves important questions:

• What do I want my work life to look like?
• Do I want to work remotely, in a hybrid format or always at the office?
• How will I maintain a work-life balance?

No matter where you go in your career, Hall said, make the best decisions possible given the circumstances and define your value to prospective employers.

“Show them that you know how to solve problems, that you know how to ‘play well with others’ on teams, that you learned to be a leader at ���غ��� and that you are a good communicator,” he said. “These skills will serve you well in whatever endeavors you undertake.”

University President Harvey Stenger expressed confidence that SOM’s graduates are prepared for whatever comes next. This new chapter is exciting, he said, but it can also feel intimidating.

“New people, new tasks, a new role – change can be a challenge when you’re not sure what to expect. Remember that you’ve done it before. You did it here,” Stenger said. “And now you’re equipped with so many more skills and so much more knowledge. Be confident in your next steps. You’re ready.”

During the ceremony, Tyrone Muse, president and chief executive officer of Visions Federal Credit Union, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Reflecting on how his late father had pushed him to earn his doctorate, Muse said he’d always respond by saying he felt as though he already had enough letters behind his name: MBA, CPA, CEO.

But with this honorary degree in hand, Muse couldn’t help but reflect, “You were right, Pop. Dr. Muse does have a nice ring to it.”

Turning to the SOM graduates, Muse said the Class of 2025 couldn’t have greater potential, having grown up with a PC in the palm of their hands and an unprecedented ability to multitask compared to previous generations.

“Don’t be a person who just makes a list of things they hope to accomplish. Live the list,” Muse said. “Think of yourself as a company and build your personal brand. Think of that one word you hope others use to define you. Live that word. Be that word. For me, that word is ‘Care.’”

His message echoed that of Dionne, who followed her advice to graduates with simple, heartfelt, parting words.

Good luck.