Seton Hall Graduates Class of 2011 at 154th Baccalaureate Commencement

By Linda Karten  

Seton Hall University held its 154th commencement ceremony on Monday, May 16 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With a light rain falling, 1,096 spirited graduates brightened the packed arena as they received their baccalaureate degrees, making them Seton Hall’s newest group of distinguished alumni.  

The Class of 2011 received the keynote address from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a 1987 graduate of Seton Hall Law School. Christie recalled notable commencement addresses given by leaders in the last century, whose inspiration came as the world faced great challenges such as the destruction following WWII and the fall of communism. Christie said that while the challenges faced today may be less obvious than they were for past generations, “we cannot let complacency rule. We need to embark on a new era of innovation and create leadership for a 2nd American century.”

Christie went on to encourage the graduates to seize the opportunities before them, to spur innovation and to find a profession in which “you can be a disruptor, affect change and see things differently.” As educated Americans, he continued, “it is our obligation to choose to live our life with passion, with purpose and with meaning.”  

Following Christie’s address, Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, presiding over his first commencement as University President, addressed the graduates. “In the years to come,” he said, “you and your generation will be evaluated by what you have done in service to others. I charge you now to go on your way to take the knowledge you received at Seton Hall, to excel at what you do, and to brighten the lives of all you touch.”  

Melissa A. Filipek, a graduate of the College of Nursing, was chosen as the valedictorian for the Class of 2011. Filipek told her classmates: “We are here today educated and empowered to step out of this academic institution prepared to make our mark on a world that is in dire need of us to stand strong and unmovable for what is good, for what is honorable and for what is just.” To the class of 2011, she continued, “We have the ability to be a catalyst for change. Let us not be afraid of the potential we possess. Let us embrace it. Let’s light up the world.”  

During the commencement ceremony, University President A. Gabriel Esteban conferred an honorary degree on Father Robert F. O’Toole, S.J.J., S.S.D, president of The Gregorian University Foundation and professor emeritus of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Father O’Toole was recognized with a degree of Doctor of Humane Letters “for his dedication to the study of and explanation of God’s Word.”