‘Leadership Grounded in Humanity’: Touro University Celebrates 2026 Graduate Studies Commencement

After a moving invocation by Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Krupka, Dr. Patricia Salkin, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost of the division, welcomed the graduates and their guests and introduced the deans of the five schools, seated on stage.

She applauded their leadership, dedication and hard work that brought the graduates to the special day, and the dedication of their program chairs and faculty.

Touro’s Mission

“Today we celebrate not only your academic achievements, but your resilience, your purpose and your commitment to shaping a better world,” said Dr. Salkin. “Touro was founded on a simple but profound belief: that education transforms lives and that those in our communities who are underserved deserve education, support, opportunity, dignity and a path forward. You are the living embodiment of that mission.”

Each of the five fields the graduates have chosen is essential, she reminded them, requiring leadership; and each field is undergoing rapid transformation, especially as technology, including  AI reshapes how we work, learn and serve, she said.

“AI will not replace the human beings who bring empathy, judgement, creativity and moral clarity to your professions. It will not replace the teacher who inspires a student, the social worker who listens without judgment, the business leader who makes a principled choice, the technologist who imagines what does not yet exist, or the scholar who interprets meaning and preserves memory,” she shared. “Technology can enhance your work but it cannot be your work.”

“What the world needs now – urgently – is leadership grounded in humanity. And that is exactly what Touro has prepared you to do,” Dr. Salkin continued. “Hold on to the passion and the sense of possibility that brought you to further your education.”

Student Speaker Reflects

Each year, a student from one of the five schools addresses the graduating class. Shema Joseph, who graduated with a M.S. in Early Childhood Education and Special Education, Birth – Grade 2, was chosen to speak to the Class of 2026. Joseph, who was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. 18 years ago, teaches at a charter school in Queens. She took the graduates back through their journeys, sacrifices and accomplishments.

“Every graduate sitting here today carries a story that cannot be summarized by a GPA, a transcript, or a title. Behind every cap and gown is a sacrifice. Behind every smile is perseverance. Behind every accomplishment is a series of moments when we had to decide whether we would give up or keep going,” she said. “We earned this moment. We survived. And not only did we survive – we grew.”

Their experiences taught more than skills or knowledge, Joseph said. They also learned resilience and discipline and how to continue moving forward during uncertainty, exhaustion or fear.

“Now we have an opportunity to make a difference in ways that extend far beyond ourselves,” she added. “Because the world doesn’t simply need more educated people. It needs more compassionate, ethical, courageous people. People willing to lead with empathy…and use their success to help others rise...That is the true power of education.”

As the ceremonies drew to a close, Dr. Salkin congratulated the students from each of the five schools and invited their deans to deliver brief comments prior to handing them their diplomas: Dr. Mary Louise Lo Re from the Graduate School of Business; Dr. Nelly Lejter Morales from the Graduate School of Education; Dr. Moshe Sokol from the Graduate School of Jewish Studies; Dr. Nancy Gallina from the Graduate School of Social Work; and Dr. Shlomo Argamon, from the Graduate School of Technology.