Three classes of NYSID graduates receive their degrees and the wisdom of honorary doctorate recipients Jennifer Graham '85 & John Edelman.

On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, the New York School of Interior Design honored the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 with a traditional Commencement ceremony at 92NY’s Kaufmann Concert Hall. In the aftermath of years of pandemic lockdown, this year’s ceremony felt extraordinary. The auditorium buzzed with excitement as a band played "Pomp and Circumstance" as the 119 graduates found their seats. 

There is nothing quite like walking across the stage to receive one's degree from academic mentors, surrounded by the love of family, friends, and teachers, which is why NYSID invited the Classes of 2020 and 2021 to return for their long-awaited moment. 

With students hailing from 20 countries, the Class of 2022 is the most geographically diverse in NYSID's history, so the crowd encompassed many cultures and spoke many languages. NYSID President David Sprouls said, "I am joyous because, for the first time since 2019, I am once again standing in this magnificent auditorium, facing all of you who, with unwavering dedication and drive, have maintained your focus on a life goal throughout the most difficult collective time in recent history." 

Student Speakers  

NYSID allows graduating students to vote to determine who will speak on their behalf at Commencement. This year, the undergraduates selected Shane Curnutt (BFA, 2022), an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Air Force who has achieved high honors at NYSID. The graduate students chose Laura Lindsay (MFA1, 2022), who also received high honors.

"We have the choice to act as a steward for the planet, create environments for our future generations to thrive in, and create a reality that works for everyone," Curnutt said. "Design should leave no one behind. As they say in Texas, 'y'all means all.'"

"I imagine that my graduate school experience was a little different from most of yours because I am a mum of two young boys," Lindsay mused. "It was not without some envy that I imagined you all. . .while I was home chasing my naked two-year-old around the apartment. But then I realized that each of us will have had our own challenges during these unprecedented times, and that these differences in our experiences are small compared to the great common process we all put ourselves through, by which I mean the education, the curriculum and the community that makes up this superb school."

Commencement Speakers & Honorary Doctorate Recipients

President Sprouls bestowed honorary doctorates upon two designers who significantly impacted the industry and the discipline through their illustrious careers. 

This year, one of the honorary doctorate recipients was an alumna, Jennifer Graham (BFA, '85). Graham emigrated to New York from her native country of Barbados in 1981 specifically to study at NYSID. "I was a foreigner. I was one of very few students of color when I arrived at NYSID,” she told the audience. “Every one of us as humans feels the need to belong. Although I was an anomaly, I found myself accepted into a special club: that was to be part of an institution that believes wholly in the power of design." 

Graham's three-decade career in interior design has been defined not only by the excellence of her design and management of enormous workplace and hospitality projects, but also by her ethos of giving back. At Perkins&Will, where she is a principal, she has led the company's Social Purpose Initiative since 2016. The SRI groups provide pro-bono services for nonprofits for whom such expertise would otherwise be out of reach. Graham is also co-leader of Perkins&Will New York Office JEDI (Justice, Equity & Inclusion) Initiative and serves as the IIDA NY's Vice President of Action. She is a member and supporter of NYSID's DEI Commission. 

Her advice to the graduates as they embarked on their careers in interior design was this: "Find acceptance; know where your passions lie; and share knowledge and give back to your community." She added, "As designers, we have the power to change people's lives through design. So, when we design, we must think 'design for all.’ Design to create a special place that emits a sense of place for all, where people have a sense of belonging and can be their best selves."

The second honorary doctorate recipient was John Edelman, a leader with decades of experience in all aspects of the business of design. Edelman is celebrated for transforming once-troubled retailer Design Within Reach into the world leader in authentic modern design. Purchasing and joining the company as CEO in 2010, he revitalized DWR, adding trade and contract divisions, expanding product development, and opening new DWR Studios. For these achievements, Elle Decor named him a 2014 design innovator—the same year the iconic Herman Miller, Inc. purchased the renewed DWR, retaining Edelman as CEO of DWR and Herman Miller Consumer Group. Before his departure in 2019, Edelman's collaborations with preeminent designers created scores of successful furniture collections. Today, Edelman is the CEO and president of Heller, sits on the Chilewich Board of Directors, and serves as executive chairman of Crypton Fabrics.

Among the many pieces of advice Edelman bestowed was, "Whoever asks the most questions wins. It's your job to learn everything you can about the customer. You're their therapist, their psychologist. It's your job to make their life better, but it has to be the life they want; it can't be the life you want them to have. It's that learning about people up front that will lead you to success."

2022 Student & Faculty Achievement Awards

One of the highlights of Commencement is when Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Ellen Fisher, announces the winners of the faculty and student achievement awards. 

The 2022 winners were: 

The Chairman's Award

Alexis George (BFA)

Sheng-Wei Yang, aka Winston Yang (MFA1)

Wu Jin Hwang (MFA2)

Ana Blanc Verna Award for Excellence in Interior Design

Janice Julian (BFA)

The Alumni Award for Service to the College

Shane Curnutt (BFA)

Rishae Rucker (MFA1)

The Robert Herring Travel Prize

Nicole Lockley (BFA)

Brianna Thompson (MFA1) 

The Breger Faculty Achievement Award

Warren Ashworth

Farewell 

NYSID grants AAS, BFA, MFA1, MFA2, MPS in Healthcare Interior Design, MPS in Lighting Design, and MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments degrees. After the graduating students from every program had received their degrees, President Sprouls left them with some parting words. 

“I have every confidence that you, as a part of this group of talented graduates in front of me, will join those who came before them to use their skills, intellect, and boundless creativity to make a genuine difference in this world,” he said. “The role of the designer in the welfare of society is paramount; I know you all understand that, and I know that, as you leave here, you leave us to go on to do amazing things with your education.”