College of Social Sciences

Alan Kazdin,

’67 Psychology, ‘26 Honorary Doctor

Alan E. Kazdin is the Sterling Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University. Before coming to Yale, he was on the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. At Yale, he serves as chair of the Psychology department, director and chair of the Yale Child Study Center at the School of Medicine, director of Child Psychiatric Services at Yale New Haven Hospital and chair of the Yale University Press Publications Committee. Kazdin’s research has focused primarily on the treatment of aggressive and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents.  Currently, his work focuses on world mental health and scalable treatments of mental disorders. His 850+ publications include 52 books that focus on mental disorders and their treatment, research methodology, psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents, parenting and child rearing, and interpersonal violence. His work on parenting has been featured on NPR, PBS, BBC, and CNN, and he contributed commentary on the Today Show, Good Morning America, ABC News, and 20/20. Kazin has developed an online course to help parents with the routine challenges of everyday parenting. In 2008 he was president of the American Psychological Association. Read more about him in SJSU Magazine.

Liz Archibald,

’99 Communication Studies, College of Social Sciences Advisory Board member

Elizabeth (Liz) Archibald is a seasoned communications leader, executive coach, and proud alumna of San José State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in communications in 1999 with a minor in industrial/organizational psychology. With more than 15 years of experience in corporate communications and executive advisory roles, she has built a career helping leaders communicate with clarity, confidence and authenticity in high-stakes environments. Throughout her career, she has coached hundreds of senior executives and C-suite leaders across leading technology companies, including Gilead Sciences, NVIDIA, Cisco, Sony and HP. She has prepared these leaders for media interviews, keynote speeches, town halls and other critical moments where communication matters most. She is known for combining strategic insight with a highly personalized coaching style that helps individuals strengthen their executive presence and resonate with audiences. Archibald is passionate about mentoring emerging professionals and helping future leaders develop confidence, resilience and authentic communication skills. She believes strong communication is one of the most powerful tools for building trust, fostering collaboration and creating meaningful impact in both organizations and communities. She is honored to return to SJSU to celebrate the next generation of graduates and the lasting importance of communication, connection and adaptability in a rapidly changing world.

Regalia

Commencement exercises like today’s ceremony date from the Middle Ages and the traditions of Europe’s first universities. Our graduates and members of the platform party are wearing regalia — robes, hoods and caps — that are likely adapted from the clothing of medieval priests or friars. Spot the differences in the gowns:

• Presidential gown is adorned with four bars, representing the Office of the President.
• Doctoral gown has velvet panels down the front and three velvet bars on each of the bell-shaped sleeves. The color of the velvet may indicate the academic discipline.
• Master’s gown may be worn open and has long sleeves with slits above the elbow.
• Bachelor’s gown has a closed front and long, pointed sleeves.

Draped over the shoulders, the hood evolved from a priest’s cowl and was often used to carry items — the first backpack, perhaps. The lining colors signify the college or university granting the degree. At San José State, the hood is gold, blue and white. The monk’s skullcap became the mortarboard cap or tam. Black is the accepted cap color in the United States, but many foreign universities have colorful headdresses.

Tassels vary in use and color. At SJSU, the color of tassels for bachelor’s degree candidates represent each college. The color for the College of Social Sciences is cream.

The Ceremonial Mace

An ornamental staff or scepter, the mace is carried by officials as part of formal parliamentary or academic ceremonies. A gift from the Tower Foundation of SJSU, the university’s ceremonial mace was designed and created by Art and Art History Lecturer Yvonne Escalante, ’13 MFA Spatial Arts . She found inspiration for the design in both SJSU history and the paths students take to reach graduation.

Hail, Spartans, Hail!

Hail, Spartans, Hail! — Hail, gold, blue and white!

We pledge our hearts and hands to keep thy colors ever bright.

Forward we go! We will not fail!

Sing to our Alma Mater,

Hail! Hail! Hail!