William Paterson Gives Out More Than 2,700 Degrees

More than 2,700 graduates of were challenged to become complete individuals and find satisfaction in who they are, rather than what they do, NorthJersey.com reported Wednesday.

Click to view a slideshow of photos taken at the ceremony.

The university’s 189th commencement ceremony was held at the Izod Center Tuesday morning.

, the undersecretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights, . She is the first Latino undersecretary to serve in the state department. She received an honorary doctorate of laws degree from the university.

Nathan Giroux is this year’s valedictorian. He earned a bachelor’s in music with highest honors.

Three faculty members were honored for their outstanding accomplishments this year: Maboud Ansari, a professor of sociology; Edward Burns, an English professor; and Rochelle Goldberg Kaplan, a professor of educational leadership and professional studies.

The university has several photographs from the ceremony available to view online and a social media stream from Twitter from users who posted with the hashtag #wpunj2012.