After the commencement ceremony on May 10, Provost Nowell Donovan sent an e-mail to the TCU faculty and staff thanking them for their hard work and participation throughout the ceremony as well as their dedication and commitment to TCU and its students.

“Each of the young people who stride, scamper, march, jump or slouch across the stage is, in some way, a testament to your skill and artistry as a teacher…the measure of your commitment to their education is much more than the success of TCU (or any other university), it is a profound statement of your collective belief in the value of the great shared journey of humanity,” Donovan wrote in the e-mail.

Donovan said he sent the email because it was important to acknowledge the faculty and staff’s perseverance after they spent the entire ceremony in direct sunlight.

“I could see some of the faculty and the students who were in full sun and I could see them suffering…By the last hour, I could see them getting worse and worse and worse,” Donovan said. “All I could think of was that I’m glad I’m not down [in the sun].”

Donovan also said it was important for the faculty and the staff to realize that the effects they have on TCU students go beyond the classroom.

“They go beyond just sitting in a lecture in a boring fashion and giving you some notes to read and giving you an exam,” Donovan said. “Once we are engaged with you so that you are on board and want to learn and get excited, then that makes the faculty go further too.”

Chancellor Victor Boschini said the faculty and the staff have a tremendous impact on TCU students because they care about the students both inside and outside of the classroom.

“College is a 24/7 experience nowadays. We want to make sure the quality of what we’re doing outside of the classroom matches the high quality of what’s inside the classroom,” Boschini said.

Boschini also said the care TCU faculty and staff show the students keeps them engaged and encourages them to remain engaged once they graduate.

“We recognize that students who are more highly involved and more engaged as undergraduates will be more highly involved and engaged as graduates,” Boschini said. “How do you do that? You have faculty who care about the students inside and outside of the classroom.”

Executive Director of Community Projects Margaret Kelly, who is in charge of planning the commencement ceremony each year, said the faculty and the staff genuinely care about both TCU and its students.

“I think that part of what makes TCU unique is that here, we really are a very close-knit community and we really are a caring community,” Kelly said. “We genuinely care about the students and we genuinely care about their well-being and their development both academically as well as personally. We are very proud to work for TCU.”