Graduation Archives - Public Seminar

The New School

Critchley on Recognition

Philosopher Simon Critchley addressed the 2026 graduates of the New School for Social Research

May 28, 2026 • by Simon Critchley

We are delighted to publish the address delivered at the 2026 New School for Social Research Recognition Ceremony by Simon Critchley, Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at NSSR. Minor edits have been made for brevity. Well, it’s been another peaceful, happy and crisis-free year at The New School. We here onstage ...

Commencement

A commencement that will be historic and unforgettable in ways we could never have imagined

May 14, 2020 • by Dwight A. McBride

I love commencement. With my near-religious connection to higher education and firsthand experience of its life-changing power, I hold commencement as a sacred and ecstatic ritual. It is traditionally one of the few occasions where we academics indulge in a bit of fanfare and grandeur, bringing out our elaborate scholarly ...

Step Up, Rise Up, and Reimagine a Radically Just World

A Commencement Address to the Graduates of Eugene Lang College

May 22, 2017 • by Alexandra Délano Alonso

Step up. Rise Up. Stand Up. ACT Up. Show Up. Wake Up. Wise Up. Speak Up. The moment we are living in is demanding so much of us: to be present, to listen, to challenge, to act. But how do we respond when everything we stand for is under attack? ...