Message from the President

Congratulations, Class of 2025! On behalf of the entire University of New Mexico community, we are proud to honor you and your achievements at tonight’s commencement celebration.

“Commencement” comes from the Old French, meaning “a beginning or start.” Tonight, your new beginning signals that you have reached the end of one journey, even as you start another, with countless new and exciting challenges and opportunities ahead.

Commencement is where the past intersects with the future—and at The University of New Mexico, this intersection is where we flourish. We proudly look to our state’s multicultural traditions as a lodestar guiding us into the countless possibilities of our future—a colorful legacy inherited which informs our present even as it constantly leads us toward a brighter and more prosperous tomorrow for our institution and our state.

Tonight, we honor your accomplishments as distinguished Lobo graduates. Together we are celebrating your part in our ongoing story and sharing in the mutual excitement of a future filled with endless possibilities. Great universities inspire discovery in every discipline; at UNM, we strive to give our graduates the courage and wisdom to ask challenging questions along with the perseverance and skills to explore and find the answers. As you look ahead to your life as a Lobo alum, I hope you will apply that same joyful spirit of curiosity to all aspects of your life.

Your education and experiences as a Lobo have prepared you to meet life’s challenges head on. I hope you will build on all that our university has given you. Keep aspiring to take knowledge to new heights, imagining the impossible, and striving to make your dreams a reality. With the knowledge and experience you’ve cultivated and earned her at The University of New Mexico, each of you has the capacity not only to improve your own lives, but the lives of those around you. As Lobos, we embrace that obligation to our communities warmly and willingly.

As a UNM graduate and lifelong member of our pack, you will always have a home here at The University of New Mexico.

Congratulations, and Go Lobos!

 
Garnett S. Stokes
President of The University of New Mexico