Honoring 600-plus undergraduate and graduate students
May 2025 – Drew University celebrated more than 600 graduates across the College of Liberal Arts, Drew Theological School, and Caspersen School of Graduate Studies in its 2025 Commencement.
The Classes of 2025 were honored in two ceremonies, a morning ceremony for graduates of the Theological School students in the Caspersen School’s Arts & Letters, History & Culture, and Medical Humanities, Health & Society programs, and an afternoon ceremony for the undergraduate College of Liberal Arts class and graduate students in the Data Science, Education, Finance, and Teaching programs.
Drew Commencement 2025
“Today is about celebrating each and every one of you, for your hard work, your successes in the classroom, in the field, in research, internships or service, on the stage or athletic field, and it is about your successful completion of your Drew degree,” said President Hilary L. Link, PhD, in welcoming graduates and their families and friends. “But it is really about so much more than that, about what each of you has contributed to Drew during your time here, and what makes this such a special community.”
In the morning ceremony, Link bestowed an honorary doctor of humane letters degree to Craig Drinkard, executive of the Victoria Foundation, who delivered the event’s Commencement address.
“This award for me isn’t about taking time to shine the light on me. This award, this moment, is an opportunity to put a light on what is important,” said Drinkard, touching on defending democracy, treating those on society’s margins with respect, and demanding freedom. “It is time to reimagine what can be. Let’s reimagine what it can be for all and not limit what we can co-create. Remember, none of us are free until we all are free.”
Following Drinkard, Master of Divinity graduate Jacqualine Chipongo T’25 delivered the student speech.
Drew Commencement 2025
“Our achievements today reflect not only individual effort but also the collective strength of the Drew graduate community, united by a shared mission to make a difference in the world through knowledge, compassion, and leadership,” said Chipongo.
Before the graduate students crossed the stage to receive their diplomas, President Link announced J. Terry Todd, Associate Professor of American Religious Studies, as the Theological School Teacher of the Year.
Mead Hall lawn witnessed a changeover in crowds, as the leadup to the afternoon ceremony began and clouds parted for sunshine.
In the second ceremony, President Link awarded New York Times No. 1 best selling author David Epstein an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Epstein delivered an address focused on the never-ending process of one’s development.
“I was thrilled to see, on the Drew University Launch Program page, the slogan: ‘A Place to Find Yourself.’ I would argue that the culture here has set you up for a productive and fulfilling life more than any particular information you’ve learned in any particular classroom,” said Epstein.
Drew Commencement 2025
“Don’t feel behind,” he continued, offering his best piece of advice. “You aren’t even sure where you’re going! Compare yourself to yourself yesterday, not to other people who aren’t you.”
Cameryn Brown C’25, a Political Science major and double minor in Environmental Studies & Sustainability and Law, Justice, & Society, delivered the ceremony’s student speech.
“Let us not simply take what we have learned and move forward—we must use it, challenge it, and build with it,” said Brown, who is set to attend St. John’s School of Law. “Let us be the generation that does not just inherit history but shapes it. The world does not change by waiting—it changes by those who are willing to persevere. And if the past four years have proven anything, it is that we are those people. We always have been.”
Dr. Sandra Jamieson, Professor of English and Director of Writing Across the Curriculum, was awarded the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award, lauded for her passion, mentorship, and impact on students’ futures.
Once again the ceremony turned to the awarding of diplomas, as hundreds of students heard their names called, received their diplomas, and crossed the Commencement stage as graduates of Drew University.
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