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On Sunday, May 17, the sun shone brightly as friends, family, and alumni watched the Ascendant Class of 2026 walk onto Carnegie Lawn to begin their Commencement Ceremony. Once everyone was in place, the Reverend Father Peter Singano ’28 led an invocation before Dr. Charles W. Lindsay, Elmira College President, welcomed the crowd and commenced the proceedings.
During the ceremony, Lindsay conferred honorary degrees on two EC alumni. The first was Nancy Ruffner ’63, who retired from IBM as a Systems Engineer Manager. During her career, she pioneered technology and broke barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field.
The second was Dick William Richardson ’74, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Experience to Lead and survivor of US Airways Flight 1549, known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
Richardson gave the Commencement address, advising graduates to consider multiple perspectives as they approach new situations after college. To illustrate his point, he shared a story about traveling to Ireland while working at IBM during a product launch. There, he encountered three stakeholders with conflicting priorities: one wanted to move quickly to market, another preferred a slower, more precise approach, and a third hoped to avoid hiring workers who would soon be laid off after the launch.
“I was thinking about the problem and my thoughts went back to Elmira College,” he shared, recalling how reading 1984 in class taught him that the novel’s main character had to hold multiple truths in his mind at the same time.
“My experience at Elmira College helped me see the problem, and it also helped me see the solution,” he said. Richardson ultimately brought the stakeholders together at an Irish pub, where each shared their perspective while he used the Socratic method he learned at EC to guide the discussion toward a positive outcome.
Following Richardson’s speech, Dr. Patricia Ireland, Provost, announced that this year, seven students earned the distinction of Class Valedictorian: Amanda Ellie ’26, Wyatt Gastrock ’26, Emma Guthrie ’26, Emilie Hubschmitt ’26, Faith Ingber ’26, Jordan Phillips ’26, and Randall Wright ’26.
Speaking about the graduates, Guthrie, who was one of two Valedictorians to speak, said, “Our time here at Elmira College has been invaluable.”
“My own growth, both academically and individually, has been shaped by the atmosphere of this small liberal arts institution known as Elmira College.”
Ellie was the second Valedictorian to speak and shared how her definition of success has changed during her time at EC.
“Success is a combination of everything that is around you,” she said before honoring how her mother and other family members supported her throughout her journey at EC.
Ireland then presented the 2026 candidates for graduation to Lindsay for conferral.
Before Commencement, members of the graduating class were recognized with multiple honors and prizes, including the induction of 14 students into Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest national honors organization. The Class of 2026 also included 85 honor graduates receiving summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude honors.
In Lindsay’s last remarks as EC’s president before he retires at the end of June, he encouraged the graduates to take risks.
“Be willing to take risks,” he said. “Uncertainty is not something to avoid, it’s part of the path forward. Playing it safe may feel comfortable, but it rarely leads to meaningful growth.”
