[Baruch President S. David Wu message header with Baruch and CUNY logos and the President's web area url: president.baruch.cuny.edu] May 31, 2023 My May Blog: “To Explore or To Exploit—That Is the Question” Dear Baruch Community, Graduation season is upon us. It is difficult to believe the academic year is over and that life appears to have returned to a near “normal” pattern—at least when it comes to human interactions. As is common during April and May, I have had the opportunity to participate almost daily in a celebration, live event, or community gathering. From functions on the Clivner=Field Plaza to press conferences, retirement and farewell parties, faculty meetings, seminars, lectures, and other gatherings on campus and around the City, it was clear people appreciate seeing and reconnecting with one other and are enjoying the energy and electricity we all missed during the pandemic. A few specific events that took place recently reminded me of something bigger: why we do what we do. We hosted the annual Bernard Baruch Dinner—another record-breaking gala where more than 500 alumni, friends, and supporters shared a magical moment of gratitude and pride for our community and what we accomplished together. We also held the Student Achievement Awards ceremony to recognize winners of the Fulbright and Gilman Awards, the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship, and over 200 other named awards that celebrate the triumph of our students in almost all areas of study and service. This was followed by the Athletic Awards Banquet, where we applauded our scholar-athletes: the Bearcats once again claimed the CUNYAC Commissioner Cup Championship<https://athletics.baruch.cuny.edu/news/2023/5/19/womens-volleyball-baruch-athletics-wins-back-to-back-cunyac-commissioner-cuptrophy.aspx>, an accumulated honor for the success of all of our athletic teams. When you consider that Baruch sits in the middle of Manhattan with no playing field other than a few indoor gyms tucked underground, it speaks volumes about the spirit and resilience of our athletes and is nothing short of a miracle. That spirit and resilience came into focus when we conferred awards at the Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK<https://enrollmentmanagement.baruch.cuny.edu/seek/> Program—devoted to bolstering disadvantaged students—and heard story after story of how our students excelled in the face of adversity. It was further magnified at Black Graduation and during Baruch’s first-ever Lavender Graduation, where I witnessed how communities of caring people banded together to support students who successfully overcame insurmountable obstacles. In numerous similar gatherings leading up to Commencement, the same story was told in many different ways. They reminded me how important it is for us to be a place of opportunity for those whom opportunities are scarce and why it is essential to demand and deliver excellence, as the spirited and disadvantaged are more likely, not less, to accomplish the unimaginable. In celebrating the Class of 2023 and reminiscing on perhaps the most unusual college experience of any students in recent history, we see a metaphor of the journey you are about to begin—as it is likely our world will go through drastic changes, at unprecedented speeds, throughout your career and lifetime. Except this time, the change will affect us all. And rather than giving you, the graduates, our wisdom and advice on how to survive and succeed in that brave new world, we will need to think this through together. In my May blog post, “To Explore or To Exploit—That Is the Question<https://presidentsblog.baruch.cuny.edu/to-explore-or-to-exploit-that-is-the-question/>,” I share my thoughts about our modern, globally connected society and how we might better steward technology and, by doing so, enhance our ability to manage its implications and adapt to its pace. Please join this timely conversation—comment, subscribe, and sign up for blog notifications. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, S. David Wu President, Baruch College [Baruch President S. David Wu message footer with Baruch and CUNY logos and the President's web area url: president.baruch.cuny.edu] <> If you wish to unsubscribe from the BARUCH-STUDENTS-ANNOUNCEMENTS List, please send an E-mail to: "[log in to unmask]". Within the body of the text, only write the following: "SIGNOFF BARUCH-STUDENTS-ANNOUNCEMENTS".