A Unique Commencement for the Class of 2020
“Our cohesion as a cohort, and not our physical distance, is what makes this graduating class truly unique. ”
For the first time in its 104-year history, NYSID held its commencement ceremony virtually, as graduates, isolating because of the Coronavirus pandemic, participated from home. Honorary Doctorate recipients Ellie Cullman, Tammy Chou, and Tony Chi shared wisdom, and the theme of the day was innovation in the face of adversity.
Before the broadcast of NYSID’s 2020 Commencement Ceremony last Thursday, June 11, personal videos and messages flashed on the screen from students' loved-ones, educators and industry leaders (many of them NYSID alumni). Among those who shared well wishes were top interior designers Nate Berkus, Marie Aiello, and Alexandra Champalimaud; as well as parents, spouses, friends, and even a black pug! This is just one detail the NYSID staff built into the ceremony to create an atmosphere of celebration and love for the Class of 2020. The commencement experience consisted of a live stream of the ceremony, interspersed with pre-recorded elements; a Zoom viewing party that enabled graduates to see each other and their instructors and comment on each other’s accomplishments; and a gallery of student thesis projects. Working from home, NYSID staff members stuffed and mailed commencement packages that included a letter from NYSID’s president, a NYSID tote bag and pin, cords for honors students, and a confetti popper.
President David Sprouls says, “A dedicated team, including Hannah Batren, manager of public programs and exhibitions, and David Owens-Hill, chief of staff, pivoted quickly after the pandemic hit. . . . They explored many alternatives and essentially taught themselves how to make this virtual ceremony happen. Once the plan was set, many other members of the External Relations team and staff members from across the College sprung into action. It was not easy, but the stellar result is proof of their commitment to our graduates.”
The Ceremony
Ellen Kravet, chairman of the Board of Trustees, kicked off the commencement ceremony with the story of her great grandfather, Samuel Kravet, an immigrant and tailor who founded what is now Kravet, Inc. in the midst of the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. She reminded students that there is opportunity for problem solving in crisis, saying, “If there was ever a time that the design industry needed you, it is now. People will undoubtedly work differently, travel differently, design homes differently, design restaurants, hotels, workspaces differently. . .When you take off your graduation caps, please put on your thinking caps. We will look to you to lead the way.”
NYSID President David Sprouls said, “It has been 85 days since we closed our campuses to combat the Coronavirus outbreak. The events of the last few months have changed nearly everything about our lives. . . .And yet, in the midst of all this, we gather here together today. It wouldn’t be hard to look around and say, “Why are we doing this now, when things are so uncertain and so fraught?. . . I have an answer: because you earned it. The last few months have posed unbelievable challenges, and you overcame them with flying colors.”
As part of the ceremony, President Sprouls conferred honorary doctorates upon three innovators in the interior design industry, Ellie Cullman, co-founder and president of the award-winning residential design firm Cullman & Kravis Associates and Tammy Chou and Tony Chi, co-founders of the much lauded hospitality design firm tonychi studio. These keynote speakers addressed the class of 2020 from their homes, with beautiful interiors behind them.
Predicting the way interior design would have to respond to the Coronavirus and other potential global health crises, Ms. Cullman said, “I, like many others before me, have said that form and function are the twin pillars of interior design. . . .I would like to add one more component, flexibility, our new mantra. . . .Don’t be discouraged by this new, more flexible state of design. . .The standards for today’s new designs have not been written yet. Perhaps you will write them.”
Tammy Chou, who was a businesswoman and restauranteur before she and her partner, Tony Chi, founded their firm in 1984 and built it into a global company, advised graduates to, “Learn the business, learn the industry, and find out the importance of having a design community.” Tony Chi shared wisdom about what it means to be a designer from his four decades of practice. “Design is not a job, it’s a life,” Chi said. “Design is not packaging. It’s a way to elevate ourselves, to elevate humanity. Design is something we practice with our constant awareness, and without pretense.”
Student Speakers Strike a Chord
In a “normal” year, the NYSID community, including students, faculty, and staff nominates several students to represent the graduate and undergraduate classes as potential graduation speakers, and the NYSID community votes for a single representative from the undergraduate and graduate student body. This year, the six nominees approached NYSID staff to say they thought the idea of speaking together to amplify one another's voices was the right move during this challenging historic moment. The NYSID staff agreed and six amazing student speakers shared their stories at graduation this year: BFA candidates Monica Seroiczkowski, Atique Rahman, and Bailey McGrath; and MFA-I candidates Mona Nahm, Gabrielle Hollander, and Tiffany Zhou. Ms. Seroiczkowski, the first person in her family to attend college, a scholarship recipient, and a person who worked her way through college with two jobs, quoted the architect Frank Clark: “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably does not lead you anywhere.” The students’ emotional speeches, all testaments to their resilience, can be found here.
Faculty and Student Awards
It was very important to everyone at NYSID that the joy and spontaneity of receiving a major award were captured in the ceremony. Ellen Fisher, vice president for academic affairs and dean, dressed in full regalia for pre-recorded Zoom calls that the whole staff worked to keep a surprise. In fact, Hannah Batren, organized “fake” video calls as cover so that Dean Fisher could have these one-to-one presentations with each award recipient. There were tears, laughter, and smiles from the award winners. Dean Fisher’s respect for the students shone through the unscripted presentations, which were woven into the live stream. Here are the 2020 award recipients.
Office of Academic Affairs Award for Outstanding Contributions to Students and Faculty
Freya van Saun, NYSID Coordinator of Online and Blended Learning
Breger Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
Lawrence Levy
Chairman’s Award for Overall Performance at NYSID
Marisa Kronenfeld (BFA)
Mona Nahm (MFA-1)
Fei Wang (MFA-2)
Ana Blanc Verna Award for Excellence in Interior Design
Brittany Snyder (BFA)
Alumni Award for Academic Excellence & Service to NYSID
Atique Rahman (BFA)
Robert Herring Travel Prizes
Daniela Vanegas (BFA)
Elizabeth Coughlin (MFA)
Presentation of Graduates
NYSID staff could not replace the experience of walking across a stage at an in-person graduation, but they did want each graduate to have a moment in the spotlight. So, each student was given the opportunity to submit a slide with pictures of themselves, quotes and their work, and every graduates’ slide was displayed and name was called at the end of the live stream as messages of support lit up the Zoom party. Says Hannah Batren, “Our students have been through a lot these past couple of months, and our staff and faculty too. It was an honor to be the one who got to sort through amazing project images, studio selfies, and messages of congratulations to help the team make something special for them. The love, pride, and support were so palpable it’s hard to explain.”