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(Note: These are remarks delivered by Lesley Stahl at Colgate University's 187th commencement, May 18, 2008)

Thank you. Well first of all I'm so sorry that you're all wet and cold. I'm watching you put on your ponchos; I hope that makes it a little better.

So now I am a member of the Class of 2008, which I am very proud of, and I want to congratulate all of us for today, a triumphful day, a happy day. I am sure you have one little pain because you will be leaving your friends, but otherwise there is this great joy of accomplishment because you guys have crossed the finish line and you know you have earned your degrees and you've all worked hard and it's great.

"Nothing is wasted."

That was the slogan of this year's annual campus salvage operation organized by Colgate's Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education (COVE).

Volunteers collected items that Colgate students either donated or left behind after moving out of residence halls. They are then given to nonprofit organizations in the greater Hamilton area and in Utica.

At a time when many small-town movie houses have gone dark, the Hamilton Theater -- once on the brink of closing -- is thriving now more than ever.

The movie theater remains a fixture of Hamilton in an era of mega-multiplexes and Netflix, according to The Post-Standard (Syracuse).

Casey Sprock '86 knows the feeling of loneliness and confusion that many young gay and lesbian students feel as they struggle with their sexuality -- often times keeping it a secret.

So when Sprock was invited to share his coming out story and experience as an openly-gay professional with Colgate students, he jumped at the opportunity.

Music was playing at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City during the third annual Presidents' Club Auction and Reception on May 9, but you never would have known.

Twelve students and two professors will spend three weeks in a remote Ugandan jungle as part of an interdisciplinary extended study course that emphasizes hands-on learning and research involving rare mountain gorillas.

The group, led by geography professor Peter Scull and biology professor Frank Frey, will be working with community leaders in the village of Buhoma and park officials at the adjacent Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest.

The village is a jumping off point for eco-tourism trips into the national park, where tourists can view mountain gorillas that are habituated, or accustomed to human contact.

Colgate graduates on Sunday were urged to help change the mood of a nation beset by concerns over the Iraq war, gasoline prices, and even food prices.

Lesley Stahl, of CBS's 60 Minutes, speaks to graduates on Sunday. (Photo by Susan Kahn)

Stahl said seniors are leaving the beautiful Colgate campus and entering an "America not as happy as it has been in the past."

"We have allowed the terrorists to terrorize us into a society of timidity. We feel angst, and cold feet," she said.

But the country has showed resilience by bouncing back from similar "down" periods in our history, she said, because "courage and grit are in our DNA."

"We come from hearty stock," said Stahl. "All of us."

Note: The following is the baccalaureate address delivered by Gail O'Day, professor and associate dean of faculty and academic affairs at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. She spoke at Colgate 187th commencement.

President Chopp, members of the Board of Trustees, Colgate faculty and staff, family and friends of the graduating class, and--most importantly--the women and men of the Class of 2008:

Today is your day, and I am honored to share in it with you. As you will experience this afternoon, there is something overpowering and humbling about hearing your family and friends applaud and cheer as they congratulate you for all that you have accomplished. And even though today marks the completion of your time at Colgate, we celebrate commencement, not conclusion. For all the endings that accompany today--leaving this place, leaving your friends--today is ultimately about new beginnings and fresh possibilities.

Note: The following is President Rebecca S. Chopp's prepared remarks to the Class of 2008.

On this day of joy and celebration, let us begin by thanking those who have made this occasion possible. Every graduate who walks across this stage is supported by many here at Colgate and at home who have worked hard to ensure the opportunities our students have enjoyed.

The family members and friends here today -- and waiting at home -- have made it possible for you to flourish. Join me in thanking your parents, grandparents, and other family members and friends who have supported your education in so many ways.

Thank you!

The online map allows you to click on a pushpin or a name to see what graduates will be doing - whether it's a job, graduate school program, or fellowship - and where they will be doing it.

"We're proud of what our seniors have accomplished during their four years here and prouder still of what we know they will accomplish after commencement," said Colgate President Rebecca S. Chopp. "Whether it's with the Peace Corps or on Wall Street, our graduates will make a difference in the world."

In the fourth episode of the podcast series Colgate Conversations: Writers and their Craft, Suermondt talks about his current work, its direction, and the influence of the Colgate Writers' Conference upon it.

A program launched and supported by Information Technology Services helped four faculty members undertake projects with technology twists this past academic year.

The goal of the Technology Innovation Fund, which allocated $20,000 in grants, is to help professors explore emerging technologies and their potential for enhancing teaching and research, according to David Baird, director of academic technologies for ITS.

Thanks to a prestigious $1.2 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Colgate will be one of the few primarily undergraduate colleges or universities in the country where students can study systems biology, an important interdisciplinary field that uses complex mathematical analysis to study networks of interactions within living systems.

The grant will allow Colgate to hire a tenure-track systems biologist with a joint appointment in mathematics and biology, who will work with members of both departments to develop courses, laboratory modules, and pedagogical tools that will help students integrate the complex material associated with this rapidly expanding field.

Colgate also will introduce a new major -- in mathematical biology -- in fall 2009.

The Class of 2008's "green" gift to the university was the subject of an article in The Post-Standard.(Syracuse)

The class has raised about $23,000 to launch a fund that will help the college reduce energy use. About 94 percent of the senior class has made donations.

During his recent visit to campus the Dalai Lama met with Colgate President Rebecca Chopp and Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson for a special episode of Colgate Conversations, the university's podcast series that highlights members of the campus community.

The discussion, which also was videotaped, delves more deeply into some of the topics His Holiness raised during his public appearance at Colgate on April 22, when he spoke to nearly 5,000 people.

As the presidential candidates battle for the White House, Colgate senior Bobby Campbell has been on a mission of his own: to transform politically apathetic college students into engaged voters.

Fueled by his passion for politics and frustration with the low turnout of young voters in past elections, Campbell took matters into his own hands in hopes of getting the under-30 crowd fired up to vote.

"I couldn't sit still any longer," the political science major said.

One goal.

That slimmest of margins was the difference in two thrilling victories Saturday for the Colgate men's and women's lacrosse teams.

Both teams are headed to the NCAA Tournament, but first they get a chance to revel in their home victories that fueled the passions of Raider Nation and established several "firsts" for the programs.

The men's team beat the No. 2 squad in the nation -- Syracuse -- by a score of 12-11 at Andy Kerr Stadium. The Raiders held off a furious rally by the Orange to secure the win in front of 4,572 fans.

Politics may be partly to blame for the demise of Syracuse's once vibrant salt industry.

That's according to Colgate geography professor William Meyer, whose research about the Salt City's salt springs was highlighted this week in The Post-Standard (Syracuse).

Meyer's research project was one of five funded this academic year by the university's Upstate Institute, a resource for organizations seeking regional expertise and information about upstate New York.