鈥淐olbert said precisely what I think about cynicism nine years ago,鈥� Dionne, a syndicated columnist for The Washington Post, told the crowd. 鈥淐ynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it鈥檚 the farthest thing from it.

鈥淐ynics always say 鈥榥o,鈥� but saying 鈥榶es鈥� begins things. Saying 鈥榶es鈥� is how things grow,鈥� he continued. 鈥淐ynicism isn鈥檛 realism, because realism accepts people as they are.鈥�

Hundreds of students and thousands of family members and friends crowded into Yoder Arena at EMU to watch the university鈥檚 97th annual commencement ceremony.

A total of 486 degrees and certificates were handed out. Of those 486, 370 were undergraduate degrees 鈥� including 139 adult degrees 鈥� 106 were graduate degrees and 10 were certificates in pastoral ministry studies. . A total of .

EMU also awarded a posthumous honorary degree on behalf of Ruth C. Jones of Verona, who died in June at the age of 40 while enrolled in the adult degree completion program.

Jones was finishing a bachelor鈥檚 of science in nursing and was employed at Augusta Health, where she had worked for 15 years. Her husband, Nicholas, received her diploma on her behalf.

Throngs of people filled the 3,600-capacity arena, packing the bleachers and seats on the floor, the track circling above the arena and a theater that showed a live broadcast of the ceremony.

Dionne, 63, who also is a professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown University, titled his address 鈥淐ynicism Isn鈥檛 Realism: Letting Joy Surprise You.鈥� In it, he highlighted what he said is the importance of finding the good in everything and everyone, staying humble and continuing to learn.

Remember, Dionne told members of the graduating class, you can always learn something from everyone.

鈥淭he smartest people on this Earth are never, ever the know-it-alls,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he truly ingenious people 鈥β� are constantly amazed by how little they know.鈥�

He also took time to acknowledge the sacrifice and help from parents in guiding their children to graduation.

鈥淚 always disliked the phrase 鈥榮elf-made,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淣one of us is self-made. It鈥檚 a biological and spiritual absurdity.鈥�

Other speakers included Najla El Mangoush, a master鈥檚 graduate from Benghazi, Libya, in the university鈥檚 conflict transformation program; Kimberly Groff, a graduate from Ephrata, Pa., in the adult degree completion program; and undergraduate students Emily Shenk, of Goshen, Ind., and Jordan Luther, of Martinsville.

Speaking to the class, Luther compared the new graduates to a box of crayons.

鈥淪ome of us came from five minutes away down the road while others grew up 5,000 miles away,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur identities are like a 64-box of crayons, filled with subtlety, diversity and compassion; colors to create portraits of peace and transcendence in your community and in your world.鈥�

Dionne graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. In addition to writing columns for The Washington Post and serving as a professor at Georgetown University, he is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He lives in Bethesda, Md., with his wife and three kids.

Before concluding his speech, Dionne said to the roomful of graduates: 鈥淐ommencement is the beginning and not an end. Never stop learning.鈥�

Courtesy of the Daily News Record, April 27, 2015

More from commencement weekend:

The Grand Rounds lecture traditionally offers medical professionals the opportunity to learn from colleagues about topics that may be outside of their direct specialty. By convention, topics have a scientific, rather than cultural, basis. Previous surgery Grand Rounds at UVa in 2014 included lectures on breast cancer treatments, donor lungs, clinical trials, and critical care.

But learning about this particular faith and culture is particularly pertinent for area doctors, Rosenberger said, because of the large Mennonite population in the region. In her hour-long talk in a lecture hall packed with more than 150 attendees, Rosenberger hoped to help colleagues 鈥渦nderstand the plethora of patients you are treating and some of the staff you work with.鈥�

Rosenberger began with an explanation of the Anabaptist faith and the difference between the Mennonites and Amish. She then highlighted pacifism, a core belief of Anabaptism, and how this belief has shaped Mennonite contributions to the medical field.

During World War II, for example, many Mennonite conscientious objectors were assigned to the Civilian Public Service, an alternative form of public service administered by agencies linked to the 鈥減eace church鈥� tradition: , and . At camps around the country, CPS draftees worked in natural resources and agriculture, but they made arguably their most important contribution in mental health, Rosenberger said. (For an EMU story about Mennonites who worked in mental hospitals under CPS, click .)

鈥淭here was a large movement to improve the conditions of mental health facilities for patients during this time, which can be traced to Mennonites and Quakers who had served in so many of these facilities,鈥� she said.

Rosenberger also highlighted four examples of Mennonites and their impact on healthcare across the globe. Mennonites have founded hospitals, contributed to the successful treatment of African Burkitt lymphoma (Glen R. Brubaker 鈥�62, MD) and Hansen’s disease (leprosy), and conducted key research that led to finding the location of the gene for Huntington鈥檚 disease. This last example was the work of who, among other distinguished positions, served as . (Rosenberger did not mention this alum by name, but Richard Keeler ’60, MD, was given EMU’s annual “distinguished service award” in 2004 for his 13-year commitment to the eradication of Hansen’s disease in Trinidad and Tobago.)

In summary, Rosenberger read a modified version of the EMU mission statement that included, 鈥淏ear witness to faith, serve with compassion, and walk boldly in the way of nonviolence and peace.鈥�

After graduation from EMU, Rosenberger completed her medical degree at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has been a surgical resident at UVa since 2008, completing a master鈥檚 degree in clinical research in 2011 and being named chief resident in surgery in 2014. Next year she will complete a surgical fellowship in breast oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Background note from the editor: Laura Rosenberger remains one of EMU’s top student-athletes ever.聽 She won all six ODAC pole vault titles possible (indoor and outdoor) and was the national champion four times before her senior year. She stopped athletic competition her senior year to focus on academics in preparation for medical school.聽 EMU inducted Rosenberger into the in the fall of 2013.