President's Message at Convocation September 12 1973
“I come to you as an optimist. I believe that our presence here today is evidence of our mutual commitment to learning, that the work we are engaged in is potentially fruitful, and that education is one of the few processes developed by mankind that offers opportunities to find meaning in the chaos of life…A college is an environment in which the earnest seeker will find the resources he needs in his educational explorations. But what should mainly characterize your experience at Manhattanville and the thrust of your efforts? I suggest: recognition of the value of diversity; the ability to live with ambiguity; the development of judgment and the discovery of the roots of your values.”
- Elizabeth McCormack, Remarks at Manhattanville College Convocation, September 12, 1973
President's Message at Commencement May 24 1974
"My words to the graduating class must be different this year...We leave the College together. This commencement is yours and mine in a real sense. Until this year, after giving the degrees, I have been left behind and so I have never completely understood how others felt about leaving this Purchase campus, the students, the faculty, the College. But the Class of '74 and I are doing this together. We are leaving our College which has given us so much."
- Elizabeth McCormack, Remarks at Manhattanville College Commencement, May 24, 1974