CAMDEN -- Graduation day might seem like fun and excitement, but dont be fooled by the beach balls, the laughter, and the cheering parents. At every college graduation, theres at least one person who knows that each familys moment of joy when the student crosses the stage depends entirely on them.
The reader of the names.
Most college graduates and their families take for granted that the person reading the names of each graduate has an easy job. According to the individuals who will read the names at three separate commencement ceremonies at Rutgers-Camden on Thursday, May 17, the job is anything but easy.
Its also anything but a job; in fact, all of the Rutgers-Camden readers are deeply honored by the opportunity to play some role in the joy of the families.
Having your name read at graduation is an old tradition that conveys honors and respect, explains Carol Kaufman-Scarborough, a professor of marketing who will read the names of 315 undergraduate and MBA students receiving their degrees from the Rutgers University School of Business at Camden at 9 a.m. May 17. It recognizes the students for their accomplishments in a very personal way.
A seasoned pro at reading names during commencement, Kaufman-Scarborough reveals her secret: practice, practice, practice. I receive a draft list and practice it, she says. I also encourage students to contact me if they think that I will need help with their names.
Camille Spinello Andrews, associate dean at the Rutgers University School of Law at Camden, shares Kaufman-Scarboroughs approach. Andrews will read the names of 250 graduates at the Rutgers-Camden law school commencement at 1 p.m. May 17, as she has for several years in the past.
I send an email to all students twice and ask them to call me and no matter how many classes I have taught them say their name the way they want it said at graduation on my voicemail, says Andrews. I then rehearse several times for pacing and clarity the week before, the day before, and the day of.
Clarity is key. Graduation day is a milestone and everything needs to be just right. This is a day that students have worked towards for many years, and they and their families deserve to have their names pronounced correctly, says Andrews. You also need to pace the reading of the names so that it is timed with the actual student who is crossing the stage, which means you need to know what students look like because of students graduating in abstentia.
Both Kaufman-Scarborough and Andrews agree on the single largest challenge: not being able to hug the students that you are close to as they cross the stage and not thinking about the fact that you will never see many of these special people ever again, says Andrews.
Its hard not to cheer or react to students whom I know personally. Every student must be read exactly the same. In addition, some students bring a cheering section. I like to stop reading so that the NEXT students name isnt swallowed up in the noise, smiles Kaufman-Scarborough.
While both Andrews and Kaufman-Scarborough have tackled the list of names before, Timothy Martin, an associate professor of English at Rutgers-Camden, will take his first turn as reader during commencement exercises for the Rutgers-Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences at 6 p.m. May 17.
The relative neophyte will read a whopping 650-plus names of students receiving their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Fortunately, Martin has good experience to bring to the podium. I am an experienced solo singer and am used to standing up in front of people and performing a text or a script. I've done more liturgical singing than any other kind, and this job is not unlike singing a litany during Lent, he explains. I think I'll enjoy the adrenalin rush that will come with the experience.
Martins academic background makes him especially cognizant of linguistic subtleties. The challenge of reading names is of course more and more difficult as we have become a more and more multicultural community, he observes. In some cases, it may be impossible for me to pronounce the name up to the standards of the student's family since my American ears have lost the ability even to hear some of the sounds that are integral to their languages.
Nonetheless, Martin will rehearse his list which is expected to take 40 minutes to complete thoroughly prior to the big show.
The payoff for these efforts is immense. I am privileged to be part of a special moment in the lives of people I respect and admire, says Andrews of her law school graduation duties. The students on- and off-stage are ecstatic. As they walk across the stage, family, classmates, and friends scream and cheer. The graduates themselves grin. Some students are accompanied by their children. Some students are presented with their diplomas by alumni parents. All students know how hard they worked to earn their doctorate in law.
In fact, its such an honor that Kaufman-Scarborough conducted her duties as reader in 2006 with laryngitis. With lots of cough drops, vocal rest, and water, I can sound pretty good. The problem then was that my robe didnt have pockets for the cough drops and I dropped a few while processing up to the podium kind of like leaving a trail of bread crumbs, she laughs.
For more information about Rutgers-Camdens Graduation Day on May 17, visit http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/RUCAM/graduation.
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