Congratulations to the graduates of the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics! It was a wonderful weekend celebrating our more than 1,300 Lerner College graduates from the Class of 2024 including undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students.
Convocation for master’s students was held on Wednesday, May 22 and the doctoral hooding for our Ph.D. program graduates was held earlier that day. Convocation for undergraduate students from the Lerner College Class of 2024 was held on Friday, May 24.
These convocations mark the first ceremonies Lerner College’s Dean Oliver Yao presided over.
“You went through the program and got your degree at a very special time. Just think about how the world has changed since you started,” said Yao. “We are about to witness an AI revolution. You are about to compete with AI head-to-head.
“My hope and expectation are that your education here has also fundamentally changed the way you think, which is the source of our competitive advantage over AI. How do you adapt to the changes? How do you work creatively on solving problems? How can you look at the big picture and think strategically? How can you stay ahead of the curve? You’ve learned how to approach these questions.”
Lerner alumnus Pierre Anderson, who earned an MBA and MS in Information Systems and Technology Management in 2006 and is the senior vice president and chief information officer at Artesian Resources Corporation & Subsidiaries, served as the master’s Convocation speaker. Lerner alum Jason Castellucio, Class of 2000 with a bachelor of science in finance, managing director and client portfolio manager of Nuveen Asset Management, served as the undergraduate Convocation speaker.
The Class of 2024 Lerner Convocation information can be found on the UD Commencement website. On Saturday, the Commencement for the entire UD Class of 2024 was held in Delaware Stadium with Joe Flacco, NFL quarterback, Super Bowl MVP and 2008 UD Lerner graduate as the Commencement speaker.
This year, we also celebrate 41 members of the Class of 2024 who were nominated by faculty and staff at the Lerner College for their outstanding contributions throughout their time at the College.
These students have shown incredible resilience, maturity and spirit while adjusting to the many unexpected changes that they have encountered during their years at UD. Each installment of this series shares the story of an outstanding member of this class, showcasing their achievements, experiences at UD and what it means to be a Blue Hen.