“It is in times of great conflict and great challenge that higher education’s purpose is most revealed.”

UMBC president Valerie Sheares Ashby addressed the crowd at the 2023 winter Commencement ceremonies by acknowledging the turbulence of this past year and noting the importance of the degrees this year’s graduates received. Then nearly 1,000 Retrievers donned robes and mortarboards and made their way across the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena stage this week to become the latest members of the UMBC alumni community.

Representing the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents, Anwer Hasan offered advice to the graduates saying, “As you go forward, take what you’ve learned and use it for good. Give back to the community and the world. Build that brighter future for yourselves and for others.”