E.J. Dionne Highlights Empathy in Spring Commencement Address

Duquesne celebrated the accomplishments of more than 1,400 graduates during its 2018 Spring Commencement Ceremony on May 11 in the A.J. Palumbo Center.

Nationally syndicated columnist and television commentator E.J. Dionne delivered the keynote address at the annual event. Dionne has been a columnist for The Washington Post since 1993 and is a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution.

Dionne’s address touched on the importance of empathy in a democratic society, urging students to empathize with people “who are very different from you” to understand their struggles and aspirations.

“If I made a baseball cap, it would say ‘Make America Empathetic Again,’” Dionne told the crowd.

During the Commencement ceremony, President Ken Gormley presented an honorary degree to Duquesne alumna Marie Milie Jones, the first female chair of the University’s board of directors and founding partner of the law firm JonesPassodelis.

Following Commencement, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner—who helped to lead Houston’s recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in August 2017—delivered remarks at the diploma ceremony for the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts.

Turner told the audience about the hardships of growing up in a family of nine children and how he became the mayor of Houston, one of America’s largest cities. He shared stories from Hurricane Harvey, including examples of people risking – and sometimes losing – their lives to save others during the disaster. He implored graduates to think big and take action to make a difference in the world now. He received a standing ovation after his speech.