Dear Members of the Sarah Lawrence Community,
Last Friday, Sarah Lawrence College celebrated its 98th Commencement beneath a sunny sky and in the company of more than 2,500 parents, family members, friends, faculty, and staff. Together, we honored 425 bachelor’s candidates and 109 master’s graduates as they marked the culmination of years of hard work, growth, and perseverance. This year’s ceremony held particular significance as the Class of 2026 graduated during the centennial of the College’s founding, making for a poignant convergence of personal and institutional milestones.
Commencement offers above all a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the many accomplishments of our graduates. It is such a special privilege and pleasure for me to witness firsthand the arc of our students’ development over their time at the College through their performances and concerts, readings, poster sessions, podcasts, philosophy cafes, art openings, film screenings, poetry festivals, thesis presentations, athletic competitions, and so much more. I am particularly grateful for the way their learning, creating, questioning, and growing has unfolded even as we as a community have lived together through times in which we have experienced differences, challenges, fears, and anxieties that are profound and fundamental. In my remarks, I tried to hold both these realities as I reaffirmed the principles that have guided the College and that I trust will guide our graduates in their next steps.
Our Commencement speaker was Emmy-winning showrunner, director, and novelist Noah Hawley ’89. Reflecting on both his time at Sarah Lawrence and the unpredictable paths life can take, Noah reminded students that, regardless of what they studied, they learned the invaluable art of asking and answering questions. His remarks captured something deeply resonant about a Sarah Lawrence education: that curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking are not simply academic skills, but essential ways of engaging with the world.
We were also honored to welcome New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who received a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, and addressed our graduates with warmth and optimism. Speaking about leadership, civic responsibility, and the value of education, she reminded students of the importance of remaining engaged in their communities and in the democratic process, particularly during moments of uncertainty.
Commencement and the events leading up to it always shine a spotlight on one of the defining strengths of a Sarah Lawrence education: the relationship between students and faculty. Whether it’s via meaningful moments at the Senior/Faculty Gala, the senior lecture, this year delivered by Philosophy faculty member Scott Shushan, or the rousing ovation students gave faculty during Commencement, we are reminded of the importance of these relationships.
That recognition of faculty continued immediately following Commencement, when the Board of Trustees convened for its May meeting and voted to confer tenure upon two distinguished faculty members: Maia Pujara (Psychology) and Bernice Rosenzweig (Environmental Science). Congratulations and my gratitude to Maia and Bernice for all they bring to the College.
The Board also voted to adopt a Statement on Academic Freedom, developed by the Faculty Committee on Academic Freedom and endorsed by the faculty. The statement affirms a principle that lies at the very heart of the Sarah Lawrence mission: that helping students learn to think and act independently requires robust protections for academic freedom and a campus culture in which ideas can be explored, challenged, debated, and discussed openly and respectfully.
Taken together, these moments of Commencement week underscore the enduring value of a liberal arts education. At a time when authenticity is increasingly giving way to automation, collaboration to isolation, and disagreement to disengagement, Sarah Lawrence continues to affirm the importance of curiosity, critical inquiry, creativity, empathy, and thoughtful engagement with the world. These values and the principles that guide this college remain both timely and timeless; a century after Sarah Lawrence’s founding in a different era marked by profound societal change, they remain the solid foundation upon which our second century is built.
Yours,
Cristle Collins Judd
President
president@sarahlawrence.edu
Instagram: @slcprez