Michael Meth

Interim Dean, College of Information, Data and Society

Good evening or good afternoon, wherever you may be. My name is Michael Meth and I'm the interim dean of the College of Information, Data and Society, and I'm also the dean of the SJSU King Library. It is such an honor and so wonderful to be here with all of you today to celebrate the 2025 graduates, their families, their friends and loved ones, along with your professors and the staff of the School of Information.

As is the tradition in the School of Information, we host this virtual celebration before the formal graduation ceremony that will take place next week. This is one more chance to say hi to your classmates, meet your professors, and the staff who will support you all the way throughout your studies. And truly, what a wonderful celebration this is.

In fact, this time of year is one of the highlights of my semester. To be here with you as you are at the end of your journey as students in the School of Information is the greatest of honors. To the graduates, you have worked hard. You've learned a lot. You've gathered experiences and knowledge along the way. And I have no doubt you've made some wonderful connections and gained a few friends along the way.

I also have every faith that you are now well prepared to go out into the world and do incredible things. The degrees you have earned at SJSU, along with all that you have to offer, will present you with great opportunities in the future. Opportunities in fields that may be well established already or perhaps just on the cusp of emerging. The rapid advances in AI, robotics, and big data to only name a few areas will significantly impact your careers. Along with these new areas will also come questions and challenges in cybersecurity, governance of these systems and technologies, and questions about their ethical uses. All of these technologies will touch each and every one of us in our society. However, your degrees have prepared you to be active participants in these developments.

And I also want to pause and kind of talk about the challenges that we're facing right now. I am very cognizant that you're graduating into a time where I'm making these comments against the backdrop of challenges to our profession. The recent firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and dismissal of the US Copyright Office head Shira Perlmutter have been terrifying to watch. The challenges to free speech and freedom to read are greater than ever. The cancellation of grants and the executive orders targeting the IMLS (the Institute of Museum and Library Services) are posing further challenges to our profession. And yet, I will tell you that I remain hopeful and optimistic about our collective futures. Because you all know that we are guided by strong professional values and ethics. We're also a profession that fights back and stands up for what is right.

And most importantly, I'm very, very hopeful because of you. You are informed citizens who will be active in your communities. You will advocate for information literacy and other literacies. You will do the work to bridge digital divides and address other equity issues. You, our graduates, will rise into roles of prominence and influence. And you will see that your SJSU degree and knowledge will put you in leadership positions in your organizations where you can guide and shape important conversations that need to be had. And I believe in you, and that's why I'm hopeful for all of us.

I think you already heard from Anthony that we have 511 graduates this semester in the School of Information. It is tremendous how many of you have gone through this program and will be part of our community of professionals and information professionals. You're also now joining an alumni network, that number's over 13,000 alumni worldwide. And, graduates, you are part of this incredible group of alumni and professionals that will encounter anywhere you go.

Stay connected with each other, with the college and the university and reach out to folks in the network. Congratulations again to all of you. Enjoy the rest of today's celebration, and I hope to see a whole lot of you next week when you walk across the stage at graduation. Thank you very much.