Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Washington State University
CAS Connect May 2016

A great day to be a Coug

2016 Graduate

More than 900 degrees were awarded at the College of Arts and Sciences’ Spring Commencement ceremony on May 7, 2016.

Keynote speaker Phyllis J. Campbell, WSU alumna and Pacific Northwest chair for JPMorgan Chase, spoke about what it means to her to be a Cougar and the difference a scholarship made in her ability to attend WSU as an undergraduate.

Campbell also reminded new graduates they are entering an era of great opportunity and challenged them to change the world by thinking “B.I.G.

Be Bold.

“Use your education to think through the possibilities, then step up and tackle them.”

Be Ingenious.

“You, more than any generation in history, have the opportunity to innovate, to invent new solutions. Disruption is all around us, so make sure that ingenuity is channeled to the greater good.”

Give Back.

“None of us makes this journey alone and many people have sacrificed for you to be here today. It’s incumbent on you to pay it forward by giving back.”

Dean Daryll DeWald and Assistant Dean Samantha Swindell handed out diploma covers and shook hands with each of the more than 800 bachelor’s degree recipients and the 40 master’s and 34 PhD graduates.

WSU Regent Mike Worthy conferred a posthumous honorary doctorate upon former President Elson S. Floyd. Carmento Floyd, wearing her husband’s custom regalia stole on one shoulder, accepted the honor. After congratulating the class of 2016, she shared how much President Floyd loved graduation and thanked the University “for allowing him to be here with you today.”

See and hear more:

Washington State University Spring Commencement 2016 on the Pullman campus and in at Beasley Coliseum.