Letters & Science recognizes academic achievement at Honors Commencement, Phi Beta Kappa induction

An older white woman with white hair and a green dress accepts a golden cord from two white women in nice clothing.
The Letters & Science Honors Commencement recognized students with high academic achievement.

Before graduation, those Letters & Science students who performed exceptionally during their time at UW-Milwaukee were recognized for their academic achievements at the College’s Honors Commencement in May. With the support of their friends and family, more than 100 students received Honors cords to wear as part of their graduation regalia in a ceremony at UWM’s Helene Zelazo Center.

The ceremony’s keynote speaker, Fox 6 News anchor Ben Handelman, regaled students with stories from his career in journalism, including harrowing tales from his coverage of a tornado in Oklahoma, and impressed upon them the most important lesson that he has learned in life: You must be willing to listen to others. This, he stressed, is the key to building bridges across political divides and other differences.

The students also heard from three of their peers. Student speaker JoAnne Potter, the oldest student in attendance at age 72, spoke about the changing nature of student protest. Potter witnessed protests against the Vietnam War when she first began college in 1969, and noted how today’s students are more interested in building coalitions of trust and progress, rather than tearing things down. Student speakers Lauren Banaag and Bailee Jones talked about the opportunities that UWM presented to them, both in the classroom and outside of it.

The College of Letters & Science wishes these students and our other graduates the best for the futures as they take their next steps after graduation.

Below are photographs from the Honors Commencement Ceremony.

An older white woman with white hair and a green dress speaks at a podium into a microphone.
Student speaker JoAnne Potter address the audience.
A young white woman in a shorter maroon dress stands at a podium and speaks into a microphone.
Student speaker Bailee Jones speaks to the audience.
A young white woman with wavy blonde hair stands in front of a back drop with the UWM logo. She is surrounded by a group of people of various races, all posing and smiling.
Student Domonique Valle shows off her regalia surrounded by family and friends.
A young white woman in a black dress and brown wrap accepts a golden cord from two older white women in nice clothes.
A student accepts her cord after walking across the stage.

Before the Honors Commencement Ceremony, there was a separate event to recognize those students who qualified for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. The national honor society recognizes college students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement across a breadth of subject areas representing the spectrum of the liberal arts. A list of this year’s Phi Beta Kappa inductees is available here.

After a welcome message from UWM Provost Andrew Daire, Ben Handelman delivered the keynote address and encouraged the students to never pass up an opportunity. The simple act of trying matters and can lead to unexpected results, creating a pathway to even more success. His humorous anecdote about his first appearance on a national news segment featured a crashing tree felled by an ice storm and an image of…..just his hand.

The president of UW-Milwaukee’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter, Art History Professor Richard Leson, spoke about the history of the society and the prestige it can bring to its members. Students walked across the stage to receive their certificates.

Below are photographs from the Phi Beta Kappa induction ceremony.

A young white man in a plaid shirt and khakis shakes hands and accepts a sheet of paper from an older white man with a white bird and blue plaid shirt.
Simeon Britz accepts his certificate from Phi Beta Kappa treasurer and Letters & Science senior advisor Jim Klingbiel.
A white man with short brown hair wearing a blue blazer and yellow tie stands at a speaker's podium.
Fox 6 News anchor Ben Handelman delivers his remarks.
A young white woman in a white dress and blue stole smiles at an older white man with a whit beard as he hands her a sheet of paper. They stand in front of a table covered with a white cloth with the Phi Beta Kappa logo in blue.
Student Alexandra Pascarella smiles at Phi Beta Kappa treasurer and L&S senior advisor Jim Klingbiel.
A group of students in nice clothing pose for a group shot on a stage.
The 2024 Phi Beta Kappa inductees pose for a group photo.

UWM Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge in Milwaukee that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Menominee homeland along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida and Mohican nations remain present.   |   To learn more, visit the Electa Quinney Institute website.