PHOTOS: Winter Commencement 2023
Nearly 500 students crossed the stage at UND’s Winter Commencement ceremonies Dec. 14-15
When Mark Pfeifle graduated from UND in 1997, it wasn’t the typical commencement experience.
With historic floodwaters overtaking campus and much of Grand Forks that spring, Pfeifle elected to take his current grades and receive his diploma in the mail. He never crossed the commencement stage.
After he helped local residents recover by working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he carved a path as a communicator, strategist and advisor in some of the country’s highest offices.
Twenty-six years later, now a commencement speaker, Pfeifle got his chance to cross that stage.
“Sometimes that little extra gesture is significantly powerful in one person’s life,” Pfeifle wrote on LinkedIn, after his participation in UND’s 2023 Winter Commencement ceremonies.
In his post, Pfeifle clipped the moment when UND President Andy Armacost welcomed him to receive his diploma in person, replete with announcement and applause from those at the 1 p.m. undergraduate ceremony on Dec. 15.
Pfeifle thanked Brooke Conlin, director of ceremonies and events, who came up with the idea of including one more graduate in the proceedings.
“Thank you, Brooke and President Armacost. Teaching me, once again, that giving back and making one person’s day is worth doing,” Pfeifle wrote. “Might we all find those little things and make them happen?”
Between the three ceremonies, close to 500 graduates participated. Thousands more watched live on YouTube and Facebook. The ceremonies are available to watch in full on UND’s YouTube channel, where a one-minute recap of the festivities is also available.
Pfeifle’s full speech is available to read at UND Today.
“Remember those who gave a hand along the journey,” Pfeifle said to UND’s newest graduates. “Say ‘yes’ to new skills and never stop learning. Expose yourself to ideas you don’t agree with. Learn from mistakes along the way and be ready for those moments when it all comes together.”
>> THE DAY IN PICTURES: UND photographers capture the joyful moments. (Hosted by Exposure)
