2020 Graduates
Human Capital Management and Leadership
Dear Graduating Seniors: Let me congratulate you all on your successful graduation from Miami University and the Farmer School of Business! The COVID-19 crisis has been an unprecedented challenge, but in true Miami fashion, you have risen to the occasion with alacrity, good cheer, and aplomb. As we say of our FSB graduates, you are truly “Beyond Ready!” Although it’s from a (safe, social) distance, please allow me to indulge in the usual ritual of passing along some clichéd wisdom to graduates ready to start life’s next chapter: Trust your gut. Rely on data, the facts, and in those who have earned your trust, but always be tuned in to that little inside voice. Sometimes your instincts will sound the alarm when all appears otherwise to be well. Extra scrutiny in some situations might save you a lot of headaches later. Luckily, this is an instinct that should become sharper with experience and time. Scratch that itch. If an idea keeps bubbling to the top of your mind, at some point, give it some serious consideration. We often find ourselves drawn to certain activities or organizations over and over again. In my case, I was drawn to the “training” aspect of every job I held, always wanting to be the one at the front of the class and helping others learn. I scratched this “itch” by taking a leap of faith on a full-time graduate program where it was “possible” I could get a job as a professor when it was done. Fourteen years later, and it’s one of the best chances I ever took. Once in a lifetime opportunities come along about every six months. Your talents and education will result in multiple “offers” soon in your career – opportunities for a new job, a new location, a great investment, etc. Weigh them carefully, and choose wisely. Above all else, don’t despair if you think you passed on the “one.” As the opening sentence of this paragraph implies, life is full of opportunities, and there are many paths to a life well-lived. It has been an honor to serve as your Department Chair during your time here at Miami. Go forth, and fly high. I look forward to hearing about all the wonderful ways in which you will impact our world. Love and Honor, Bryan
Dear Graduates, Congratulations! Although we’ll miss seeing you around the halls of Farmer, we’re excited for you and your upcoming adventures. A few things I’m hoping you’ll remember as you move on to your next chapter… You’re joining an amazing community of Miami alumni. Stay involved and keep in touch with those you’ve made connections with. Be curious, keep learning, and keep an open mind. Your degree is a like a passport; it’s up to you now to figure out where to go with it. Honest, intelligent effort is always rewarded. There are no shortcuts. Keep at it and good things will come. Good luck, and love and honor, Prof. Dust
To the Class of 2020: Congratulations on this milestone! I am incredibly proud of each and every one of you. While we all wish we could be together to celebrate this accomplishment in the traditional way, you have taken the first step into the world in a way that is bold, unexpected, and memorable. Your education, your semester and your lives have been disrupted over the last few months, but this time has also given you the opportunity to learn what may be the greatest lesson—who you are in times of challenge and adversity. I am hopeful that you have realized what we, your teachers, already know about you: that you are stronger than you thought, braver than you realized, and more than ready for whatever is next. Our greatest leaders emerge out of times of chaos. I challenge you to be those leaders. Now is the time to pave new roads to success and to think in new ways that will move us forward. During your time at Miami, you have shared with us your talents, your ideas, and your energy—and now it is time to share those with the world. You have already accomplished so much-- and your best days are yet to come!
Love & Honor, Dr. Megan Gerhardt
Dear Graduates, Congratulations on this amazing achievement! Your graduation is a bittersweet moment to cherish, more sweet than bitter though. While you leave us here at Miami, you are about embark on a new journey. I have no doubts that your new journey will take you to even higher heights. Although I will miss your smiles, energy, and laughter in the halls of Farmer, I will always cherish our time together at Miami. Be bold, show integrity, and remain humble. Trust your preparation and make an impact! Best wishes and please keep in touch! Love and Honor, Dr. Ice
To the Class of 2020: Congratulations! You have made it to the finish line, even if the crossing of it may look different than any of us ever expected. Although this semester has been unusual and difficult, I have been so impressed by the vigor and dedication with which you have continued to press forward toward your goals. I have enjoyed getting to know many of you in my classes, and I will miss seeing your faces around the Farmer School of Business. Remember that your next step is just that – a step. It is the next part of your journey forward, but it is not the whole journey! You have so much of the good stuff of life ahead of you, and I am so excited to see what wonderful things you bring to the world. I will leave you with a favorite passage by Anna Quindlen in “A Short Guide to a Happy Life”: “After all, when you look at the faces of a class of graduating seniors, you realize that each student has only one thing that no one else has. When you leave college, there are thousands of people out there with the same degree you have; when you get a job, there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you are the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on the bus, or in the car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank account, but your soul.” I hope that you will find work that you love, but remember to also take time to nourish your soul.Please stay in touch. Best of luck and many congratulations! Love and Honor, Laurens Steed
To the class of 2020: Those of you who have had me in class know I challenged you to change the world. I wanted you to take that seriously in class, but from this point on you have both more responsibility and more freedom to do that. So, this is my send off to you, whether we knew each other personally or not: seek wisdom. In America, we often measure success based on salary or popularity. However, those with wisdom would tell you that neither of those guarantee a full life. Questions of meaning and morality are not easily answered, let alone measured. My hope is that we have provided you a base from which to ask those questions and seek those deeper answers. Remember to continue to seek teachers that can guide you beyond curriculum and grades (grades were never really important anyway). Ask those you think are wise what anchors them – what are the cornerstones of their existence. Any sage will tell you that they learned more outside the walls of a classroom than within them. As for your journey, I do not wish you success in everything you do. Instead, I hope that you try to accomplish things that are far enough outside your reach that you will fail sometimes. If you never fail, you never find the limits of your potential. Make goals that are bigger than you can accomplish. For some of you, finishing college was a goal like that, and this is the proof that you have more inside you than you initially believed. For others of you, college was a period of growth, and a stepping stone to the next challenge. In either case, what comes next matters more. I hope that you take strength from your time in Oxford and add wisdom to that in order to make an impact. The world is broken. It almost always has been. And there is still a lot of work to be done. You were created with passions and strengths. Hopefully, your time at Miami and honed those into motivations and tools that can work to bring more Love and Honor to a broken world. With great hope, Chris Welter
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VIDEO MESSAGES
Bachelor of Science in Business Human Capital Management & Leadership Chongyu Cong Chadwick James Dennis Jonathan H Eichenbaum Olivia Bickley Groves Julia Gabrielle Jones Claire Roisin Keller Shuai Kong Nim Hong Mao Bennett Hamilton Parker Jonathan M Perry Rebecca Marie Seiler Esmeralda Rachel Sitorus Haley B Stewart Allison Anne Tamulewicz Eric Wayne Terry Emerson R Vogel Yingzhen Wu Jiawen Ye
Bachelor of Science in Business (cont.) Management & Leadership Lauren A Ali Emma Therese Boon Lauren Katherine Brennan Evan Britchkow Jeffrey Kyle Hunter Broadnax Trisha N Connelly Correll Cronin Davis Nicholas Brian Farrell Aoife Rose Fox Francesca Diane Gallowan (Graduating August 2020) Nataly Wardlow Gianuca Brianna Danielle Giarelli Olivia Ann Hamernik Tobias E Hawks Morgan Elizabeth Hillard Jonah Adam Hirsch Jay Trier Jones Jan David Linert Anthony Michael Massa Rajat Narang Julia Mary Nelsen Sarah Elizabeth Peterson Jeffrey G Plotka David Garrett Poch Anne M Rice Matthew Robert Rodriguez Grace Noel Sperry Nathan C Sterzenbach Gregory Steven Suh Alexandria Marie Tong Tian Wang Nicolaus Emerson White Sierra Lynn Whittemore Kevin Michael Young Ji Zhang Xiaochen Zhang
Management & Organizations Denise Withrow