The Brandeis Official Seal appears on screen (Alma Mater sung by chorus in background).
The text "2020 Conferral of Degrees Ceremony" appears next to the Brandeis Official Seal in blue text.
There is an aerial view of the Brandeis Campus from the northeast, slowly zooming out to show more of the campus.
This is followed by a shot of two flags on a flagpole, moving in the wind, one above the other. The one on top is the flag of the United States of America. The one below is the Brandeis University flag. They are shown against a blue sky with clouds.
There is a time lapse video of the Carl J. Shapiro Science Center, with white clouds in a blue sky behind the building and a tree in front of the building.
This is followed by an image of the Brandeis Peace Monument, slowing zooming in on the dove in the center.
There is a time lapse video of the Light of Reason sculpture, from a distance. The Rose Art Museum is visible behind the sculpture.
This is followed by a close-up on the Light of Reason sculpture, with a blue sky and trees visible in the background.
Finally, there is an image of the statue of Louis D. Brandeis, with a blue sky and trees visible in the background. (Alma Mater fades out)
Video continues with a series of speakers each on a background of the Louis D. Brandeis statue, with a blue filter over it. All of the speakers are dressed in regalia.
All spoken text appears on screen.
RON:
"Welcome to the Brandeis University, 2020 Conferral of Degrees Ceremony.
While we can't come together in person and on campus this year, and you may be in different places around the world, the bonds we have as Brandeisians draw us together now, and will continue to do so, into the future. Although we are holding this conferral of degrees virtually, it does not diminish the significance of this moment for you, for the faculty, and the staff.
Through this virtual ceremony, you will receive your degrees, which are the culmination of all your hard work, efforts, and learning at Brandeis. And now, we will hear from the Chair of the Brandeis Board of Trustees, Meyer Koplow."
KOPLOW:
"As the Chairman of the Brandeis Board of Trustees, it gives me great pleasure to speak to you at this virtual conferral of degrees. I extend my congratulations to all the members of the Class of 2020. I would like to thank President Ron Liebowitz, Provost Lisa Lynch, our deans, our faculty, and our staff for their dedication to our students. You have taught, mentored, and supported our graduates with great care and commitment, especially in these last few months, and for that, we are extremely grateful.
To the families and friends watching this with your graduates, we thank you too for all that you have done to help your student achieve their degree with us at Brandeis. And to our graduates, you are headed into a time of unprecedented challenges and complexities.
I have no doubt that like all our Brandeis alumni, you will courageously and compassionately do all that you can to improve the lives of others and make the kind of difference that is so sorely needed in our world today. I wish you the greatest of success in all your endeavors.
Thank you."
RON:
"Thank you, Meyer. Good afternoon to the members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, family and friends of our graduates, and most especially the graduates of the Class of 2020. To the graduates, as you watch this virtual ceremony marking your accomplishments, you're very likely sitting together with your family and friends.
I'd like to recognize that all of you together that made possible the degrees being conferred today, and the hard work they signify, especially in light of the challenges of the last few months. Each year at Commencement, I ask the graduates to join me in thanking those who have helped them complete their Brandeis journey. And this year is no different, even though we are virtual. So please take a moment and thank your loved ones for all the support they've given you over the course of the last few years.
Every graduating class is shaped by how the issues in the world intersect with life and learning on campus.And every year, Brandeis graduates go forward with the experience, knowledge and values they have acquired at the university to create lives that are personally fulfilling, and to pursue activities that benefit society.
Today, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this graduating class is facing daunting health and economic crises. And while these crises have disrupted your coursework and your social lives, indeed your way of life, you have persevered to complete your degrees in ways nobody expected. And now face what is an uncertain future.
Prior to COVID-19, you inspired us throughout your time at the university, with your Brandeisian commitment, to serious learning, the pursuit of truth, and your concern about injustice. And now as you move beyond your time and at Brandeis, I believe with great conviction that you will be among the leaders, the researchers, the artists, the analysts, and innovators to help our world overcome not only the health and financial crises we face, but also the great societal and spiritual rifts that have been with us for far too long, that are now being starkly exposed by this pandemic.
You've all been blessed with a rigorous education, both inside the classroom and out, in all corners of our campus. You have been challenged to question, to criticize, to advocate for yourself and others and to counter indifference with action.
On the one hand, the world has dealt your generation a swift and overwhelming jolt. On the other it has put before you an opportunity to put your knowledge, smarts, and values to work, to be the ones to help us understand and adjust to radical new ways of living and thinking with optimism and a sense of fairness.
You are ready.
To the Class of 2020, undergraduate and graduate students alike, we wish you the very best as you leave Brandeis to begin the next chapter of your lives. We will be watching with great and abiding interest as you engage the world in its current precarious state with intensity, curiosity, and passion.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on campus in late spring 2021 when we can come together to celebrate once again, and, more importantly, together and in person.
Congratulations and good health to all of you and your loved ones."
KOPLOW:
"President Liebowitz, as the Chairman of the Brandeis Board of Trustees, I, Meyer Koplow, have the honor to inform you that, in accordance with your recommendation and that of the faculty, the Board of Trustees, by virtue of the right granted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has voted to authorize you to admit these scholars to the several degrees in arts and sciences."
LYNCH:
"President Liebowitz, as Provost of Brandeis University, I, Lisa Lynch, have the honor of presenting to you the candidates for Doctor of Philosophy from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and from the Brandeis International Business School."
RON:
"By virtue of the authority vested in me, by the Board of Trustees of Brandeis University, I confer the aforementioned degrees, with all the rights, privileges, honors, and dignities pertaining thereto. Congratulations."
LYNCH:
"President Liebowitz, I have the honor of presenting to you the candidates for Masters Degrees from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, from the Brandeis International Business School, and from the Rabb School of Continuing Studies."
RON:
"By virtue of the authority vested in me, by the Board of Trustees of Brandeis University, I confer the aforementioned degrees, with all the rights, privileges, honors, and dignities pertaining thereto. Congratulations."
DOROTHY:
"President Liebowitz, as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, I have the honor of presenting to you the candidates for the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Sciences."
RON:
"By virtue of the authority vested in me, by the Board of Trustees at Brandeis University, I confer upon you the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science, with all the rights, privileges, honors, and dignities pertaining thereto. Congratulations."
BROOKS:
"While we never envisioned it happening this way, it is my privilege and honor, as president of the Brandeis Alumni Association,to officially welcome you to the alumni community.
I feel particularly close to the Class of 2020. Almost four years ago, in August of 2016, at the end of your very first full day on campus, you experienced This Is Our House,a celebration of all things Brandeis, presented by Dean of Students Jamele Adams. It was my first time experiencing that night as well.
Over 700 of you walked into Spingold and I watched as you were transformed into Brandeisians. It was a magical experience that I know you will carry with you always. I know I will.
Now, with this conferral of degrees, you are transforming once again, this time into Brandeis alumni. You are the newest members of the Alumni Association, along with over 55,000 alums in over 160 countries. And I can guarantee you that whenever we can again travel safely, that wherever you go in this world, you will likely meet someone from Brandeis.
For me, that's happened on mountain tops in Maine, food festivals in Brooklyn, at temples in Southeast Asia and even in Antarctica. We all share something special, a unique bond that is Brandeis. You will find these Brandeis connections everywhere and I urge you to make and keep them throughout your life.
When you can, help introduce Brandeis to prospective students, and act as a mentor to existing students.
Help another alum when asked and ask your alumni network for help when you need it. Give back when you can. You may all be in your homes right now, but you are also part of our house.
Congratulations.
I hope you'll keep Brandeis in your hearts and minds forever."
RON:
"Thank you, Lewis.
That concludes our virtual conferring of degrees. Thank you for joining us today, from wherever you are, to celebrate this important occasion for our students and for all of us at Brandeis. Once again, I send my congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2020."
All of the speakers appear on screen, in order (from left to right): Ronald D. Liebowitz, Lisa Lynch, Lewis Brooks, Dorothy Hodgson, and Meyer Koplow. All of them are applauding. Below them is written "Congratulations Brandeis Class of 2020" in white text, over a background of the Brandeis Peace Monument.
To thee, Alma Mater
we'll always be true.
All hail to thy standard
the white and the blue.
Proclaiming thy future,
recalling thy past
our hopes spring from
mem'ries eternally cast.
With sorrows we'll leave thee,
new worlds to create.
May deeds of thy children
make thee forever great.
May deeds of thy children
make thee forever great.