Much has been said about the millennial generation, Timothy Snyder said Saturday to a packed Savage Arena, and plenty of it has been negative.

Students graduating from universities now, such as those at the University of Toledo’s commencement he was addressing, have been called self-centered, or said to expect instant gratification, and more. 

But instead, the president of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles said, this generation is “the most capable generation the world has seen.”

PHOTO GALLERIES: University of Toledo  |  Bowling Green State University

“These sentiments are dead wrong,” he said. “You are acting toward a significantly more creative future.”

Mr. Snyder received his bachelor’s degrees in psychology and mathematics from UT in 1981, and a master’s in mathematics in 1983. He received a second master’s and a doctorate in computational mathematics from Princeton University.

Peppering his commencement speech with references to social media and technology, he said those graduating from UT were entering the work force at a unique time and with unique gifts. Their education and their willingness to adapt to a changing society will open doors for them, but they need not worry about finding their path right away.

“Today is special,” he said, “not just for you, but for all humankind.”

The University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University hosted commencement ceremonies for fall 2016 graduates. 

Thousands received their bachelor’s, master’s, or doctor’s degrees on Friday and Saturday.

At UT’s Saturday commencement, more than 2,000 students received degrees from the colleges of arts and letters; business and innovation; health and human services; medicine and life sciences; natural sciences and mathematics; nursing; pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences; and the Judith Herb College of Education.

The college of engineering held a commencement ceremony on Friday in Savage Arena.

“I hope you are as proud of your accomplishments as I am,” University of Toledo President Sharon Gaber said.

Mr. Snyder is a Toledo Public Schools graduate who in 2014 was awarded the UT Alumni Association’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics’ Outstanding Alumnus Award. He has held positions at Berklee College of Music, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Fairfield University in Connecticut, and Loyola University-Maryland. He was named president of Loyola Marymount University in 2015.

Mr. Snyder received an honorary degree during the ceremony.

BGSU had two ceremonies in the Stroh Center, and more than 1,000 students received degrees. Of the graduates, 159 received honors.

On Friday night, students in the Graduate College and the colleges of Business Administration; Health and Human Services; Musical Arts; and Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering held their commencements, as did BGSU Firelands.

On Saturday, the colleges of Arts and Sciences and Education and Human Development held their ceremonies. The commencement speaker was BGSU graduate D.C. Crenshaw, who is the chief executive officer of Fete Business Group and the publisher and editor-in-chief of Fete Lifestyle Magazine.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.

First Published December 18, 2016, 5:00 a.m.