Dr. Dean Pribbenow’s Winter 2025 Commencement Speech

Good afternoon, and welcome to this remarkable day of celebration and accomplishment. My name is Dean Pribbenow and it is my privilege to serve as the 17th President of Millikin University. It is a true joy to stand before you today as we gather to recognize the achievements of this newest group of Millikin graduates.

I’d like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation for the Millikin Student Jazz Ensemble. Their presence is a testament to the talent of our student body and adds a meaningful dimension to today’s ceremony. Would you please join me in a round of applause for their outstanding performance? 

Before I introduce the platform party and proceed with our ceremony, it is fitting that we ground ourselves in respect and gratitude for those who have gone before us. To that end, I’d like to share Millikin’s land acknowledgement statement.

As an institution of higher learning, Millikin University has a responsibility to acknowledge the historical context in which it exists. Thus, in the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that the land upon which we celebrate today is the ancestral home of multiple Native nations.

Specifically, we stand on the lands of the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Myaamia, Mascoutin, Mesquaki, Kiikaapoi and Ochethi Sakowin Nations, which hold historic, cultural and sacred significance to these indigenous people. We also acknowledge the living history and contributions of these First People who inhabited the land prior to the establishment of Millikin University and recognize their continuing contributions which allow our campus community to flourish.

At this time, I’d like to introduce the individuals seated on the stage with me today, who will participate in our ceremony. I invite each of them to stand as their name is called and to remain standing until all have been introduced. I kindly ask the audience to please hold your applause until the full group has been recognized:

Maire Foxx — University Registrar;

Dr. Kathy Gardner Thomforde — Chair of the Millikin Board of Trustees, Millikin Class of 1978;

Angel Lawrence — Executive Director of the Northeast Community Fund and today’s Commencement Speaker;

Dr. Nancy Curtin — Interim Provost;

Cameron Jackson — Dean of the College of Fine Arts;

Dr. Jennifer Schroeder — Interim Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences;

RJ Podeschi — Dean of the Tabor School of Business, Millikin Class of 2002 and MBA Class of 2004;

Dr. Andrew Smith — Dean of the College of Professional Studies; and

Dr. Sarah Kottich – Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer.

These individuals each play a vital role in the mission of Millikin University and in shaping the learning environment that has brought us to this moment, and I offer my appreciation to each of them and to those they represent.

Today is an extraordinary day for all of us who call Millikin home. While there are so many wonderful celebrations in the life of a University, Commencement stands apart from every other event. For those of us who work and teach here, Commencement is one of the most meaningful days of the year. Not because it signifies an ending, but because it reveals the impact of the countless moments that came before — the difficult ones, the joyful ones and the ones that have shaped who you, our students, have become. Today reminds us that education is not only something you receive; it is something you help create. And you have created it alongside your peers, your faculty, your mentors, your families and the many people who care about your success.

And so, while our central purpose this afternoon is to honor you, our graduates, it is fitting that we also take the time to pause in gratitude for the many people whose support has made this day possible: parents and guardians, spouses and significant others, children, employers, family, friends, faculty and staff. Each one of them has walked alongside you, encouraged you and believed in you. Their investment in you has helped bring you to this milestone. So now, graduates, I invite you to stand and offer a round of applause for those who are here to witness your achievement today — those who have loved you all the way to the finish line.

Back in August, when we gathered in this very auditorium for Opening Convocation, I asked our newest students — and all of us — to consider a question: What will you do with your one wild and precious life? Today, that question meets its defining moment, graduates, as you have addressed it with your hard work, your resilience and your relentless pursuit of purpose. 

When I welcomed our students this fall, I told them that their stories would shape our community, and that Millikin, in turn, would shape them. Now, looking at all of you, I am able to see just how true that has been. You brought your questions, your experiences, your passions and your identities to this University, and in doing so, you intertwined your stories with Millikin’s own. You have contributed to the learning, the growth and the character of this institution in ways that will extend far beyond today. This ceremony serves as both a celebration of the chapters of your Millikin story that have been written and a threshold ushering you toward the chapters to come.

This afternoon, we will hear addresses from both our Commencement speaker and one of your fellow students. I am grateful to both Angel Lawrence and Quartus Rassi for offering their perspectives and reflections. My hope is that what they have to share with you today will join with my words in affirming — publicly and wholeheartedly — that you matter, that your time at Millikin has meant something, and that the story you all have written here will remain part of the ongoing narrative of this remarkable institution.

Our stories guide us, challenge us and help us make sense of our lives. Your Millikin stories have been filled with moments of perseverance and discovery, successes and setbacks, and even surprises that revealed strengths you may not have known you possessed. But those stories don’t end here. The lessons you have learned, the challenges you’ve overcome and the connections you’ve made serve as the outline for the chapters yet to be written. They are the starting point for the stories you will craft in the next stages of your lives, guiding the questions you ask, the paths you follow and the contributions you make to the world around you.

As you step into those next chapters, I hope you continue asking the big questions — questions about purpose, vocation, meaning and contribution. Questions without easy answers, but with profound importance. The world you are entering needs citizens and leaders who are thoughtful, informed, compassionate and curious … people who think critically, act ethically, solve problems creatively and listen deeply. People like the Millikin students I have come to know and love this semester.

I have seen these qualities in you. I’ve witnessed your kindness. Your willingness to support one another. Your commitment to justice, inclusion and understanding. Your creativity and boldness. Your desire to make a difference. These are the signs of an education that goes beyond instruction — an education that shapes character.

So today, on behalf of the faculty, staff and administration of Millikin University, I want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Thank you for allowing us to share ours with you. And thank you for bringing your gifts, your voice and your presence to this community. You have left a mark. You have made Millikin better.

As you prepare to leave here today, I’d like to give you one final assignment: Keep living your one wild and precious life with boldness, curiosity and care.

Congratulations, Millikin University Class of 2025. I am so very proud of you, and I cannot wait to see the stories you will write next.