Robert Barker/University Photography

Fan Li, one of 42 Johnson-Cornell Tech MBAs, had his 5-year-old son, Peter, sitting with him during the recognition ceremony. Li's family was in China while Li earned his degree.

As the procession of MBAs began to march into Newman Arena in Bartels Hall, the real action was happening in the corridor. The 391 graduates waiting to enter hollered, hooted and slapped high-fives as the line slowly snaked up and down the hallway, sounds of celebration reverberating in the rafters.

The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management’s graduate recognition ceremony took place May 28, acknowledging the accomplishments of the school’s 69th graduating class. Four graduates earned doctorates in business administration and 387 earned Master of Business Administration degrees. Of those earning MBAs, 23 also earned another Cornell degree in disciplines from real estate to law and engineering, and 42 earned Johnson-Cornell Tech MBAs.

During their time at Johnson, the graduates had accomplished much, Dean Soumitra Dutta said in his address. They raised thousands of dollars for nonprofits, helped companies solve their thorniest problems, participated in pitch competitions, launched startups and inaugurated a TEDxCornellTech conference, he said.

MBAs raise $108,800 for Johnson
The Class of 2016 presented Dean Soumitra Dutta with a check for $108,800 in donations to Johnson. Grace Coriell, one of several graduates who organized the campaign, said: “Today we become stewards of Johnson’s future. Looking out at all of you, who have already made the choice to donate, I am confident that we will be good stewards of this incredible institution as we join 15,200 fellow Johnson alumni around the world.”

Dutta encouraged the graduates to surround themselves with people who are different from themselves as they move forward into their careers.

“Seek those who bring with them something you lack. Remove the barriers to change. Keep your minds and hearts open to differing points of view. The moment at which you are most certain of your position is the time to pause and consider the opinions of your family and friends,” he said.

Amid the “fever pitch” of the MBA and Ph.D. programs, the graduates’ personal lives thrived as well, he said. The Class of 2016 had announced eight engagements, celebrated four weddings and welcomed eight babies, Dutta said to enthusiastic applause.

Family played a central role in the graduation ceremony for Fan Li, a Johnson-Cornell Tech MBA. His 5-year-old son, Peter, sat on his lap during the entire ceremony. “He wanted that,” Li said. “I had no choice. He’s been stuck to me all the time in the past two weeks.”

For the past nine months, Peter and his mother have lived in China while Li focused on his studies at Johnson. The boy flew from China to New York City with his mother and grandmother two weeks prior to attend the ceremony.

Li said the family separation was tough, but knowing his family was taken care of allowed him to focus on his studies. “Every night I studied until midnight,” said Li, who graduated with distinction, in the top ten percent of his class. “Everyone did, actually. Cornell is the best place for studying.”

Li was drawn to the program, in which students spend three months in Ithaca and nine months at Cornell Tech in New York City, because of its strong technology focus. During the program’s Company Challenge module, he worked with Splash That, a creator of experiential marketing software. And in the program’s Startup Studio, he and other students formed an e-commerce services team to solve the “fit problem” for people shopping for clothing online.

Li has a job waiting for him in Seattle, where he will work for the Amazon Web Service on a machine-learning team.

With most graduates having jobs in hand, the ceremony marked the end of a chapter in the careers of two retiring faculty. Jan Suwinski, clinical professor of management and operations, was the first clinical professor at Johnson and was also co-leader of the Semester in Strategic Operations Immersion program. L. Joseph “Joe” Thomas, longtime professor of operations, had served as associate dean and dean of Johnson. Both received standing ovations from the graduates. 

Senior lecturer Barbara Mink read each of the graduates’ names aloud as they crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. With one-third of students coming from 39 foreign countries, many of the names were difficult to pronounce, she said. A speaker of several languages, Mink asked the graduates to email her a recording of their name. She listened to each one and made phonetic notes on cards.

Mink said it was important to her to give each student’s name a moment of recognition. “Because it’s not for the graduates,” she said. “It’s for their parents.”