Watson Commencement 2026: Graduates must rise to world’s many challenges

More than 500 undergraduates and nearly 400 master’s students gathered with family, friends, faculty, and peers to receive their diplomas at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 15, at the Binghamton University Events Center.

Senior Associate Dean Peter Partell, MA '97, PhD '99, led the ceremony because Dean Atul Kelkar was celebrating an educational milestone with his family — his daughter’s graduation from medical school. 

Partell reflected on the nearly two decades he’s worked at Watson College and the respect he’s received from his colleagues, even though his background is in political science and not engineering or computer science.

“As you embark on your career, I hope that you are as open and appreciative of diverse perspectives and talents as the faculty and staff here in Watson have been,” he said. “Be appreciative of others. If you do not understand where someone is coming from, be humble enough to understand that you can learn something from them. So ‘lean in’ more. Try to understand them. In the end, you may still disagree, but you both will be better for your efforts, and the products you develop will be better as well.”

At her first Binghamton University Commencement, President Anne D’Alleva reminded graduates about all they have learned and grown from during their time on campus, from academic pursuits to experiences outside the classroom.

“I want to thank you for your contributions to the tremendous sense of community I’ve felt since I’ve arrived at Binghamton,” she said. “I’ve been calling it the Binghamton Bond. It’s the respect you show others, the acts of kindness, and the care you display for everyone on this campus. The Binghamton Bond is one of this University’s great traditions, and I’m grateful that you’ve strengthened it during your time here.”

Provost Donald Hall hailed the Class of 2026 and said that graduates are now ready to be “change-makers” for a better world.

“You are leaving us with a strong foundation that has helped you hone your critical thinking, decision-making, and communication skills, and will serve you well in whatever career path you follow,” he said. “Since you are well past the ‘undecided’ stage of your college years, my advice to you is to pursue the career path that you want. Make your decisions the best ones possible given the choices before you.”

Nana Banerjee, PhD ’96, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. He is a business leader, strategist, and investor who previously served as the chief executive officer of Pelmorex and McGraw-Hill Education, as well as a senior advisor to the CEO at Cerberus Capital Management.

Banerjee looked back at the influence that Binghamton and Watson College had on his life when he arrived on campus in 1992. He credited local residents, Watson professors and staff, and student services like Off Campus College for making him feel welcomed.

“I had not fully appreciated the spirit of Binghamton until I defended my PhD dissertation and moved into the real world,” he said. “The realization that no one comes to Binghamton because they are born of the elite. There was a humility that came from being ‘of the earth,’ and from knowing that what we achieved was earned. Unburdened by entitlement, and grateful for the opportunity.”

Banerjee told graduates that as the world deals with wars, refugee crises, climate change, and economic challenges, they have a key role to play.

“The need to act with thoughtfulness, with agility, and with high ethics is immediate and vital,” he said. “Your time at Binghamton has prepared you well to meet these challenges. You now have the skills and the temperament to confront complexity, collect evidence, analyze the evidence, and build solutions.”

Dan Black ‘94, vice president of the Alumni Association, welcomed the Class of 2026 into Binghamton’s graduate ranks and gave a special shout-out to his son Thomas, who received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.

“Like all the parents, grandparents, and loved ones in attendance today, there is a feeling of pride in your accomplishments that is so genuine and so real that it simply cannot be engineered,” he said.

Undergraduate student speaker Isabelle Saint, a biomedical engineering graduate, distinguished herself through her work in the classroom, the lab, and the Binghamton University community. Among other accomplishments, she worked as a student assistant in the Watson Career and Alumni Connections office, served as the chair of the Student Association’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, and interned at Kleinknecht Electric.

Saint stressed how she had learned to take “adulting” seriously while at Binghamton. 

“Somewhere between the all-nighters, the failed exams, the internships we were afraid of applying for, and the moment we wanted to quit — we learned responsibility,” she said. “Not the kind that someone forces on you, but the kind you choose for yourself. Accountability isn’t a punishment — it’s ownership. It’s having the hard conversations we don’t want to have. It’s choosing solutions over complaints. Because venting is easy — growth is not.”

Watson College’s doctoral candidates graduated at a separate ceremony on Thursday.