College of Charleston Winter Commencement 2025 Highlights

More than 185 students received degrees at the College of Charleston winter commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.

College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu welcomed the undergraduate and graduate students to the ceremony with a meaningful reminder that they make up a remarkable class shaped by extraordinary times.

“Wisdom is not just about memorizing facts or reciting formulas,” he told them. “It’s about taking what you have learned and putting it to work – using your knowledge to untangle hard problems, to open doors for others and to push our communities and our country forward. Simply put, it’s knowledge that doesn’t sit still. It moves, it builds, it serves.”

Renee Romberger ’81, chair of the College of Charleston Board of Trustees, presented Tara Hudson Snyder and Lance Alan Snyder with honorary degrees, recognizing that their support, partnership and leadership have enriched the community in meaningful and lasting ways.

Bethany Goodier, professor of communication, addressed the graduates. She spoke about her role as director of the Martin Center for Mentorship in Communication and how it has provided her the opportunity to watch students discover the value of mentorship in all its forms.

“Mentors who ask good questions, friends who offer courage, professors who hold belief for you on the days you can’t hold it for yourself: If you let them, these people become part of your foundation – woven into the structure of the life you’re building,” she said. “Every life has moments where the tool in your hand just isn’t enough. That doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re human. Mentorship is simply the practice of borrowing tools and offering tools – borrowing hope when yours is low, offering clarity when someone else feels lost, sharing strength until theirs returns. And here’s the beautiful part: You will not only receive guidance – you will become someone else’s steady hand. Someone will look back one day and say, ‘You helped me find my way.'”

Dylan McGuire, president of the Graduate Student Association, spoke to his peers about how environmental science shaped his understanding of resilience, not only in urban planning but also in navigating life’s challenges.

Laurie Minges ’83, president of the Alumni Association, welcomed the Class of 2025 to join the association’s more than 105,000 members. She invited graduates to turn their rings so the seal faces out, indicating their new status as alumni of the College.