In her first Commencement address as University president, Maurie McInnis encouraged graduates to demonstrate compassion in an age of partisanship, during the Baccalaureate Ceremony for Yale College seniors and guests.
McInnis began her remarks by reflecting on her own experience as a parent before shifting her attention to ideological divergences. She noted that the graduating class began their time at Yale as the American partisan divide reached historic levels, adding that, currently, many individuals view oppositional parties as "downright evil."
"All of us can sense that conversations have become more brittle. Trust in institutions -- and one another -- is fraying. Common ground feels hard to find and still harder to sustain," McInnis said. "I don't think we've lost the ability to talk with each other so much as the will to."
As she continued her address, McInnis turned to consider how individuals can find common ground, examining the question as both an "educator and a parent." Drawing on her academic expertise in art history, she concentrated on John Trumbull's painting "The Battle of Bunker's Hill" as an example.
She described the painting's portrayal of the American Revolutionary War, a battle scene in which a British soldier prevents his compatriot from bayoneting a fallen American soldier. McInnis highlighted the British soldier's choice to preserve the American soldier's dignity as "an unexpected demonstration of compassion amidst chaos."
"The kind of courage that Trumbull invites us to see is the kind we too often overlook. The courage to practice restraint over retribution. The courage to see a fellow human being, even when every voice around you insists they are the enemy," McInnis said. "The courage, in short, to show compassion."
She noted that the piece is currently displayed at the Yale University Art Gallery, emphasizing the presence of American ideals within the University's foundation. McInnis acknowledged that ideological dispute is "welcome" and "investible," while emphasizing the importance of recognizing "common humanity."
In another example, McInnis pointed to the Beer Summit -- a 2009 meeting at the White House between former professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. '73 and an officer who wrongly arrested Gates at his own home -- as a moment of "shared humanity" and "unexpected connections."
"The two discovered that they descend from the same ancestor, reminding us of how interwoven our lives often are -- if only we summon the courage to look more closely and to listen more carefully," McInnis said.
The address concluded with McInnis' recognizing the graduating class' responsibility and privilege to continue to practice the "excellence and empathy" that they learned during their time at the University,
"To remember that even in those moments of profound conflict, we can choose instead to be guided by a spirit of compassion. That we can choose to act with dignity toward those with whom we disagree. And that in a world divided, civility may be our most revolutionary act," McInnis urged.
Although McInnis cited statistics on political partisanship, she did not mention the federal government's current targeting of higher education institutions or declining public trust in elite universities -- the latter a topic she addressed in her inauguration speech in April.
At the beginning of the Baccalaureate address, in remarking on the many developments the class of 2025 witnessed during their time at Yale, McInnis described the graduates as "pioneers in navigating the new frontier of generative AI in the classroom." The remark earned a sustained moment of laughter from the crowd of students seated before her.
McInnis is the first woman to serve as University president in a non-interim capacity.