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Following a mostly true tale of a climb up a mountain and the lessons learned along the way, Associate Professor Arthur Onipede Hollist encouraged the December 2015 graduates to “be kind. Be aggressively kind.”

The story was inspired by a study abroad trip in northern Ghana Hollist had help lead and the actions of a student on that trip who stopped in the middle of the climb to see if Hollist was doing ok.

“What matters is that in the middle of a task which required us to focus on ourselves, she looked around and walked over to me to find out how I was doing,” said Hollist. “Her concern for my welfare left a lasting impression on me….”

Hollist, the recipient of the Louise Loy Hunter Award for Outstanding Faculty Member 2014-2015, addressed the graduates, encouraging them to remember how their actions make other people feel.

“So graduates, as you set out to develop the next money-making app, become a nationally-known CEO, doctor, lawyer, accountant, or hedge-fund manager; as you wrestle with how to reverse climate change, save dolphins and manatees, or conduct research in a science lab or think tank; as you explore ecosystems here in the US, Costa Rica, Australia, or South Africa or even as far away as Mars; as you advocate for children and other minority and disadvantaged groups; as you manage toddlers or superstar athletes; as you educate middle and high-school children; as you set out to achieve all your personal goals and ambitions as you must, take the time, as that one University of Tampa student did, to look around and extend yourself to others, for what most often remains as our most important memories are the moments when others single us out and by their actions say, ‘You matter!’”

Taylor Jackson ’15, a psychology major from Charlotte, NC, gave the challenge to the graduating class, giving them courage for the transition to life after UT.

“I think one thing we have all learned is that change can be scary, but it can also be beautiful and exciting,” said Jackson, a member of the President’s Leadership Fellows and the student coordinator of diversity and inclusion in the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement. “You are ready for whatever comes your way after you leave UT. Trust yourself, and know that you may not have everything figured out, and that is okay.”

UT Graduates by the Numbers:

Total graduates = 509
Countries represented = 47
% of graduates from Florida = 48%

Undergraduate students
Total bachelor’s degree candidates = 391
Summa cum laude (GPA 4.0) = 0
Magna cum laude (GPA 3.75 or higher, but less than 4.0) = 20
Cum laude (GPA 3.5 or higher, but less than 3.75) = 51
Top 3 most popular undergraduate majors in this class = Accounting, 2nd place Criminology and Finance, and Management

Graduate students
Total master’s candidates = 118
With honors (GPA 3.9 or higher, but less than 4.0) = 11
With highest honors (GPA 4.0) = 7
MBAs awarded = 43