Baruch College Celebrates the Class of 2023

June 1, 2023

Baruch College celebrated the Class of 2023 on May 30 in a Commencement ceremony that concluded with cheers from nearly 19,000 people, confetti raining from the rafters, and “New York, New York” resounding throughout a packed Barclays Center.

Baruch College President S. David Wu, PhD, presided and Linda Essig, PhD, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, served as the master of ceremonies during the exercises where degrees were conferred to 5,795 undergraduate and graduate students from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and Zicklin School of Business.

The graduates came from all five boroughs and corners of the word—representing 150 different countries and speaking more than 100 languages—making it one of the diverse student bodies in the nation.

In his remarks, President Wu thanked the Class of 2023 “for making Baruch’s campus the vibrant, vital place that it is.”

Wu added, “The signature diversity of Baruch College is well represented in the Class of 2023… and it sets you a world apart from graduates at most other top institutions in the United States. The education you have earned here is outstanding…you have honed an ability to read people from different perspectives and different angles. You have developed an understanding that people from different backgrounds may behave and act differently, but have tremendous value to add. You will be less likely to fall into the groove too quickly, and this will give you an edge. This skillset—this heightened situational awareness—is invaluable. In fact, it is priceless. And it’s what society needs.”

Commencement Speaker: Hamdi Ulukaya

Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and chief executive officer of Chobani, delivered the main address to the Class of 2023. He was also a recipient of a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

Ulukaya shared his experiences as an immigrant from Turkey and his optimism in the face of today’s problems, saying to the graduates: “I am passionate about a new way of business. You will find yourself along the way. You will find who you are and what you are capable of, just like I did.”

Ulukaya continued, “Every generation invests its hopes and dreams to the next generation. Graduates, today we turn our eyes to you. You might not have all the solutions to our challenges, but we have nothing but confidence in you. I hope you are the ones that bring belief back, bring passion back, bring optimism back, and most importantly, bring unity back and close our deficit of hope once and for all.”

Honorary Degree Recipient: Sam Pollard

Award-winning film director, editor, producer, and screenwriter and the Spring 2023 Harman Writer-in-Residence at the Weissman School, Sam Pollard (’73), was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

Pollard advised the Class of 2023 that “Life is not an easy path to travel. You must believe in yourself; you must believe that you can and will be successful.”

Degrees Conferred

The Zicklin School of Business conferred 1,224 Master of Business Administration and Master of Science degrees, as well as 3,111 Bachelor of Business Administration degrees.

The Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs conferred 271 Master of Public Affairs and Master of Science in Education degrees, and 51 Bachelor of Science degrees.

The George and Mildred Weissman School of Arts and Sciences conferred 164 Master of Arts degrees, and 925 Bachelor of Arts degrees.

Baruch College also awarded four doctoral degrees in business to students who completed their coursework and dissertations under the supervision of the faculty.

VIDEO: Relive the excitement of Baruch’s 2023 Commencement.

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