About : standard furniture diana
Title : standard furniture diana
standard furniture diana
[drumming] good morning. and what a beautifulmorning it is. welcome to the 363rd celebrationof harvard commencement. i'm diana eck, a professorof comparative religion and indian studieshere at harvard. i'm joined in our tree houseby professor dan schrag, who is a professor of geologyand the head of the harvard university centerfor the environment.
it is a really great day. the people are streaming intothe tercentenary theatre, where we're seated. we have a great view and arelooking forward to spending these next few hourswith you, as you have the bestseats in the house. so get a cup of coffeeor tea, put up your feet, and enjoy thecommencement exercises. so diana, it's reallyspectacular today.
not only is theweather magnificent after a long, coldwinter in cambridge, it's just clearand beautiful here. but actually, it'sthankfully not too hot. last year we were swelteringin 90 degree heat. it was. it was incredibly hot. and this year, it'sjust-- everybody looks excited and happy.
this is such a specialday when you look out and you see all ofthe phd students and professional students filinginto the tercentenary theatre. you see all thispotential for the future. what's wonderful about thisday and this celebration today is that it's both lookingback and looking forward. there's a lot of hardearned history here. as you said, this isthe 363rd commencement. and there'll be lots ofaspects of this day that'll
include talking to the50th reunion class, or the 25th reunion class. but really, what today isabout is looking forward, looking at all ofthese students who've worked so hard for the lastseveral years, sometimes two, three, four. in the case of phdstudents, even more. and here they arenow working, going forward out into the worldto really change the world.
they are our future. it is commencement. in that sense, itis a beginning. and with trepidation, andwith hope, and high optimism for the future, everyoneis beginning a new phase of their life, all of thesegraduates who are here today. that's great. and we actually are joined rightnow by one harvard graduate. she is in the class of 2014.
we have valerie shen here. valerie shen is in cabot house. she is graduating in bothenvironmental science and public policy, and inearth and planetary science. i know valeriebecause she actually took my course as a freshman. and was wonderful. and then ultimatelyworked in my laboratory, did here senior thesis with me.
she won a hoopesprize for her thesis. congratulations. and is graduating summa cumlaude and phi beta kappa. congratulations, valerie. welcome. thank you. thank you for all of your help. so valerie, tell us alittle bit about today. you came in with allof your classmates.
when you look out there,what do you think about? well, i think about allthe wonderful opportunities that harvard has given us,all the great friendships that we've made,the amazing mentors like yourself that we've hadthe opportunity to work with. but also, all theopportunities that we all have for the future. and being part of thealumni association, being able to meetalumni around the world,
and the great jobs andinternships that we've all had and will continue tohave throughout the rest of our lives. so valerie, who'shere with you today? i mean, what family do you have? where do you come from? so i'm from madison, wisconsin. and both of my parents, ben,and children are here with me today.
my younger sister,kelly, is here and my boyfriend,jamie, is also here. it's a very exciting day. and you know, what's wonderfulabout today is there are just hundreds of thousandsof students, each with their own story,each with their own path. now, valerie, you'reheading off to first travel a little bit in southeast asia. yeah.
i'm very excited. i haven't seen a lot ofthe world, i feel like. so going around a couple ofcountries in southeast asia. also going to japan andchina for a little bit. and then i'm goingto be starting work full time in septemberout in san francisco. now, you're followingan interesting path. you were very interestedin energy issues, environmental issues.
you've worked on climatechange for your senior thesis. and yet, you're heading offinto the business world. tell me a little bitabout what you're thinking, about howyour path is going to be improved afteryou leave harvard. sure. so i think the business worldwill be really exciting, because i'll gain a lot ofvery valuable skills there. i think a lot of the work tobe done in energy and climate
change can be done through theprivate sector with clean tech companies leading the way. and i think that after a fewyears in the business world, i'll be able to go get a mba. and i'm also going to be gettinga master's in environment and resources at the same time. and with that and mybusiness experience, really be prepared to makechange on climate change issues, especially if i wantto go into the public sector
or even continue inthe private sector. valerie, it's very,very exciting. it's wonderful. and i can't think of a moreimportant area to go into. so congratulations. thank you very much. congratulations on today. and good luck with those dreamsin the future, because this is really important work.
thanks for all your support. have a great day and enjoy it. bye bye. so this really is a ritualtransition for everyone. and the processionsthat brought people from their houses ortheir graduate school this morning in greatbattalions are really the processions toward thisgreat rite of transition that takes place here inthe tercentenary theatre.
this is a ritual passage. it is a rite ofinitiation for everyone. that's right. and what's wonderfulis that both classes of old and thecurrent classes all take part in this celebration. so very soon, we'll see the25th and the 50th reunion classes coming in. and they're special people.
each one of theseclasses is really made up of remarkableindividuals. what we're beginning tosee are the processions. and we will see the processionof the alumni as well. but you caught a glimpse amoment ago of the president's procession, which is movingthrough the open ranks of the seniors inthe freshman yard. the houses are lined up with theprocessional path between them. and the president'sprocession is the first.
we'll see it severaltimes before they enter into thetercentenary theatre and take theirplaces on the stage. and of course, with thepresident in addition to the various deans andleaders of the university are also, of course, thehonorary degree recipients, who we will talk about later. and there are themembers immediately with the president, themembers of the corporation.
here you see some of thehonorary degree recipients, if one can recognizethem, just a glimpse of them with theirfaculty escorts. the members of thecorporation will sit with the honorary degreerecipients, and the president's party, and thefaculty on the stage. one member of thecorporation, susan graham, is a professor of computerscience at berkeley. very distinguishedcomputer scientist.
and she is a member ofpresident obama's science advisory council with me. i know her very well for that. and she's celebrating avery special day today. it's her 50th reunionyear at harvard as well. so she not only ison the corporation, but she's also with the50th reuinion celebration. that's splendid. and several of our colleaguesare in that 50th reunion class
as well. marshall ganz fromthe kennedy school. marshall, reallyextraordinary individual. he was a class of'64 slash 1992. yes. because he actually leftharvard before he graduated. he didn't take part incommencement that year in 1964, because hewent down to the south and worked for the studentnonviolent coordinating
committee. he did. and then he worked with cesarchavez as well in california. he was cesar chavez's righthand man in the farm workers, and did that for many decades. and ultimately cameback to harvard, finished his undergraduatedegree, got a phd, and now teaches atthe kennedy school. what a tremendous story.
and sheila jasanoff,of course our colleague also at the kennedy school, oneof the founders of the science technology studies discipline. brilliant scholar, fabulousteacher and mentor. she's also celebratingher 50th reunion today. that's a wonderful note as well. here we see the variousprocessions starting. i see various facultycoming through. faculty members coming through.
of course, all of the differentcolors and the pageantry. i see peter bol from eastasian studies, rick mccullough, our associate provost. the deans. there are several of thedeans of different schools here as well, members ofthe president's procession. dean pfister, whojust passed, who has been the interimdean of harvard college during this year.
there's mike smith, deanof arts and sciences. you see all of the differentcolors representing the universities wherethey got their phds. all wonderful different colors. described by one wonderfulperson at the 300th anniversary of harvard as a flockof iridescent birds in so many different colors. we see quite a lotof crimson here, but the othercolors of the ivies
and other greatuniversities as well. there's a picture of all of theundergraduates getting ready. you can see them watching. and it's really awonderful tradition where the facultyfile through the ranks of the undergraduates. it's just a spectacular feeling. i'm up here with youon the stage today in front of thetelevision camera.
but i sort of miss filing intothis theatre through the ranks of the undergraduates, andhaving them applaud you and vice versa. it's just a wonderful moment. and just reachingout to see that there is the president coming pastlowell house, the president and fellows division. she's accompanied by themembers of the corporation, whom you see behind her.
and that corporation hasgrown just a bit larger in the last few years. and i love theirhats, i must say. they have spectacular hats. the tall hats, top hats. scarcely-- notvery many contexts in which the top hats and thebroad brimmed hats of the women are as visible as here. there's eric jacobsenfrom chemistry.
dan lieberman from humanevolutionary biology. all sorts ofwonderful colleagues. this is such a spectacular-- you might say they're stragglingrather than processing. but that's good. they're making their way. and there's presidentfaust who will soon be stepping onto the stage,which is right beneath us here. the crimson gowns ofthe phd graduates,
they will beacknowledged almost first in the recitation of theconferring of degrees. yeah, it's a very special honor. the phd is really, it'sthe ultimate achievement here as a student at harvard. really at the pointwhere now, you are joined the ranks ofan independent scholar. they're qualified to teachand be a professor anywhere in the world.
590 phds being awarded today. my colleague peter galison, ourfriend from history of science, tells me that theirsmall department actually had 16 phd graduates fromhistory of science this year in the class. really quite extraordinary. that is extraordinary, and avery, very important field, that's to be sure. here in this-- well,what some people call
harvard yard between thememorial church and widener library, this was renamed thetercentenary or tercentenary theatre in the 300thanniversary of harvard in 1936. there we see alan garberthere on the left. alan is the provost, of course. and he has his phd in economics,and an md as well from harvard. and those emptychairs on the right will contain the undergraduatesas they file in house by house. the graduate schoolsare already seated here.
they gathered in [inaudible]quad a little bit earlier this morning andbegan their procession with the phds, and then allof the other graduate schools. one of the amazingthings about this day is that it's the only time thatyou see harvard as a whole. i mean, harvard universityis a word, really, until you see this incrediblegathering on commencement day with thousands, 10s ofthousands, 32,000 people somehow in these quadrangles.
well, it's really anextraordinary collection of knowledge, anextraordinary collection of eager students withincredible ambition, incredible potentialto change the world. and i see that inthinking about issues related to energyand environment. when i look acrossthese schools, all of these students-- i'vecome across so many of them over the last several years.
and they're going togo off around the world and literally change the world. it's very exciting. and they really come from aroundthe world in so many ways. at least in their generation,their parents' generation, their grandparents,if the grandparents of all of these graduatescould be here today, it would be a globalvillage to be sure. and of course, what yousee also in the background
is a lot of parents as well. and of course, it'simportant to remember that behind every student isseveral family members, perhaps parents, perhapsother relatives. but really, who help themget here all the way. and this is an achievementnot just for that individual, but of course fortheir entire family. it's very, very special. some of our studentscome from families
who've never been touniversity before. others have long historiesconnected with harvard. but whatever the background,whatever the connection, our students really are atestament to the parents, and families, andall their support. and this day is as muchfor them as for all of us. one of the things that'squite remarkable every year, but especially inthe last 20 years as harvard has becomeso much more global,
is the baccalaureate that theundergraduates have took place yesterday in thememorial church. or tuesday, rather. oh, here the undergraduatesare starting to file in. here they begin. and it began with areading from confucius in chinese and then english. and then readingsfrom the bhagavad gita in sanskrit, fromthe hebrew bible,
from 1 corinthians in greek,and from the quran in arabic. i mean, this isthe linguistic base of the sacred texts of themembers of this graduating class. and it's anextraordinary testament to what has happened tothe stock of the puritans, as fair harvard puts it. the stock of thepuritans has expanded to include people fromall over the world.
and this is an extraordinarytestament to that. it's true. globalization isreally not just a word. it's here at harvard. and it's very exciting. and if you look at the deans ofthe harvard graduate schools, who we will hear from, theycome from all over the world. xiao-li meng of gsasof chinese background. and nitin nohria of theharvard business school,
who is of indian background. and julio frenk, the schoolof public health, from mexico. from mexico. and of course, mohsen mostafavi. from iran. from iran, from the gsd. and the new dean ofharvard divinity school is from northern ireland. so the flock of deans is reallyan international and indeed
a group of people witha global perspective. and i think that is oneof the hallmarks of what is happening at harvard today. not only all the worldin this small place, but a sense ofglobal consciousness among the studentsand faculty here. so here come the faculties. now, we don't separate thefaculties in this sense. all our colleaguesare all mixed together
across all thedifferent schools. it's so true. i mean, the faculty line up. they're supposed to,i mean undergraduates are told, they're supposed todoff their hats as they pass the statue of johnharvard, which we just saw. i'm not sure how manyof them still do that. one of the things that isgreat about this ritual space, the tercentenarytheatre, is
that there's so muchof individual student's history that takes place here. for the ab graduates,the undergraduates, they come here-- and inrecent years have come here-- for their freshman convocation. and then there are all sortsof great public events. there was the yard fest wherejanelle monae, who sang almost at the same time shesang at the white house, came here to be thelead entertainer.
an extraordinary event. and major speeches by peoplelike al gore took place here. al gore came here tocelebrate the harvard's effort and commitment tosustainability at harvard. this is also a space that'sused by the students for things like political rallies. it is indeed. so this is a place wherestudent activism and student political speechreally is center stage.
and that's part of thevibrancy of this place. here we see some of thephd students coming in. all of these students,believe it or not, and their familieswill be fed somewhere after these exercises are over. there'll be processionsand movements back to the variousbuildings on campus, and to all of thehuge tents that have been set up everywhere.
there is virtually analternate campus of tents. well what's so lovely is thatharvard is really in full bloom right now. i mean, the trees, theleaves have come out in the last few weeks. and the grass is green. the grounds crew has beenworking incredibly hard. it's been pretty cold. but it's amazingly special.
i was just talkingto ned friedman, who was the director ofthe arnold arboretum. the arnold arboretumis in spectacular-- glorious. --glorious time right now. the rhododendronsare almost out. and it's really an amazing timeto go see the arnold arboretum. it's a very special placeattached to harvard. but really, this entirecampus as a botanical
display right now. but i must say, if we had beenlooking out over the crowd yesterday afternoon during thetime that the undergraduates were having theirclass day, you would've seen people who were-- thereis sheila jasanoff, by the way, and jay jasanoff. oh yes. and jay jasanofffor 50th reunion. some of the faculty coming in.
but the parents were all sittingin their coats with their hoods on. and the students as well,except even those on the stage. it was extraordinary. it was chilly. when they all cameback to the houses, we had a reception for allthe lowell house parents and graduatesyesterday afternoon. and they were cold.
we served them a bit of wine. but they also wanted alittle tea and coffee, because they hadbeen sitting here. it was a wonderfulafternoon, though. and i must say, thewords of sheryl sandberg, who is the ceo of facebook,were really extraordinary. she has written thisgreat book, lean in, but with it a lot ofadvice for students about it's not a ladder that you climb up.
these days, it's morelike a jungle gym where you have to be veryflexible and move from side to side as you makeyour moves in life. and that you never knowwhat you're going to be. she said, when shegraduated of course, she had no idea about facebook. there was no facebook. in fact, there was no internet. so the world changes fast.
and i think the flexibilityis really extraordinary. yes, that's right. now diana, you'rea house master. and house master, for those inour audience who don't know, really plays a veryspecial role at harvard for the undergraduates. the undergraduates live in thehouses, they eat in the houses. the houses also play a role intheir intellectual development. absolutely.
all sorts of activities andevents that you organize. so seeing themoff and graduating a class of seniorsfrom lowell house for you must be bothwonderfully satisfying, and also a little bittersweet. it is bittersweet, asthis day in general is bittersweet for all of us. i think for faculty,for house masters, for graduates, for ourtutors in the houses.
but it is true that the housesare not, we have to say, they're not simply dorms here. they are inter-generationalcommunities of faculty and of tutors,who are in graduate school, and undergraduates. and we have lots of events. i think you came to one of themaster's dinners this year. i came to a dinner and had along discussion with students. i was so impressed with howcurious the students were
and how engaged they were. i mean, we've had-- this isa tradition that's great. these are opportunitiesin the houses to have a small dinner or asmall discussion gathering with, in this case, thelikes of dan schrag, or this year withjustice souter, who is a member of oursenior common room. and with david gergen, andwith members of the faculty throughout.
just a wonderful chance. those kind ofopportunities to interact with faculty membersoutside of the classroom, really in these more special,more intimate encounters, that's a very special partof the harvard experience. well, and it'sone of the reasons that i love beinga house master. i think it's thebest job in harvard. you're not supposed tobe out raising money.
i mean, althoughwe do need that, i should remind our audience. but it's an opportunityto be with students outside the classroom. and some of those studentsare in your classes as well. but it really is fabulous. you eat with them,you live with them. you deal with them in hardtimes and with glorious times. so you really get to knowthem in a very special way.
one of our greattraditions at lowell house is thursday afternoon teawhere dorothy and i pour tea in a silverteapot to all comers. it started out as alowell house event, but actually we haveliterally 200 students from all over the college whowant to be served a cup of tea. it's a civilizinginfluence as well, i think. what a wonderful tradition. it is great.
so i think we're getting close. we're ready to begin. we are getting close. it looks like theundergraduates are-- undergraduates are-- --mostly in. they're continuing to filein and take their seats. seeing thisgentleman in a turban reminds me that inyesterday's baccalaureate,
there was also a readingfrom the guru granth sahib from the sikhscriptures, really for the first time in my memory. well some of those seats onthe right are still empty. so we have a little time to gobefore they are all filled in. one of the things thatis totally in evidence here are the literallythousands of cell phones on which people aresnapping their pictures. this is-- drew faust tried totalk a bit about this yesterday
in her baccalaureatespeech, where she says, you are the class who enteredin 2010-- what's sometimes called the yearof the smartphone. you tweeted andbuzzfed it all as you instagrammed your selfies,viral tagged your pinterest accounts, and monitoredyour twitter feedback. and then she said, ihope i got that right. yeah, i think that drew isnot of a generation that uses all those social--
that's instagramming selfies. we're not doing thateither at the moment. but i will say that thisis a generation where the selfies of dozensof students, they've really developed long enougharms to take group selfies and send them instantlyto their friends. this class of graduatingseniors this year is filled withspecial people, people like valerie shen,who we met earlier.
some of our colleaguesalso have children in the graduating class. this year, forexample, kathy buckley, one of our associateprovosts, her son tom miller is graduating from adams house. he concentrated in psychologywith a secondary in government. and congratulations totom and to kathy buckley. and there's so many storieslike that, our colleagues and our friendswho have students.
there are also manydistinguished friends of harvard who are in their25th reunion class as well. my friend ariel anbar fromarizona state university, and lisa dilling from theuniversity of colorado, those are bothearth scientists who are back here fortheir 25th reunion. scott nathan, who'sa friend of harvard, led baupost investmentfirm in boston and is now working inthe state department,
scott has been incrediblygenerous with his money, but also with his time,working tirelessly for a variety ofenvironmental issues. and now, he'sworking in washington in the state department. and also, jonathan shaw,who is the managing editor of harvard magazine. jonathan has beena wonderful force at harvard magazinefor many, many years.
his father was actuallymy father's roommate at adams house inthe class of 1959. jonathan shaw is celebratinghis 25th reunion today as well. congratulations to him. here, we see pictures of theband playing the last few notes before we get ready to start. what will happen once thesheriff of middlesex county calls this meeting toorder is that there's almost nothingthat is unscripted.
there's a small bookletthat is almost like a ritual manual for the marshalof the university. marshal jackie o'neill isthe chief ritual officer, so to speak. and all the words thatthe president speaks and that the deans ofthe various faculties speak as they introducetheir students, all of those are part of that script. it's very traditional.
it changes a bitfrom time to time. but on the whole,this is a festivity that is both utterlychaotic and rather ordered. there you see dean ellwoodof the kennedy school, and jackie o'neill on thebottom left, who is our-- there's david ellwood-- --marshal. --dean of the kennedyschool talking with-- with drew faust again.
with drew faust. now, of course, asthe ceremony proceeds, president faust willbestow the degrees en masse for mostof the students. the deans will getup individually and ask the presidentto bestow the degrees that the students have earned. and she will do it enmasse with one exception, the undergraduates who graduatesumma cum laude, the highest
greek honors thatthey can receive. very small number ofthem in each class. they will actually come upand receive their degree. the summas are asked to drawnear as the undergraduates are introduced. and they get,basically, a handshake. the truth is, thedegree is bestowed today by a speech actof the president, by authority of thepresident and fellows
of harvard college, andthe members of the board of overseers, all whom votedthese degrees yesterday. that is how thesedegrees are bestowed. and they are graduates,as they are here in this tercentenary theatre. then, when they actuallyget their diploma, that's sort of extra. they didn't really havediplomas for a long time. and there's a wonderful piece inthe harvard gazette about that
this time, that youcould buy a diploma. there you see charlesrosenberg, drew faust's husband there below the screen. there's jeremybloxham on the right, jeremy dean of natural sciences. area dean for natural sciencesand arts and sciences. and lee rosovskyon the bottom left. lee of course son of theformer dean rosovsky. i think i see our nextundergraduate guest, who
is approaching. everybody's getting veryexcited for this to start. we have here with us alexdiaz, who is at lowell house. it's not a wonder that i knowthis remarkable young man as house master. lowell house isalready seated, right? we just sat down now. alex, you know me. this is dan schrag, who is--
congratulations, alex. thank you so much. what a great day. tell us a little bit aboutwhat you've done here. majored in and-- i majored in psychology,focusing on applying psychology to law and policy. and my greatestpassion now is to learn how to implement policy that'sa little bit more updated
and informed by science,specifically psychology. that's wonderful. so what are yougoing to do next? but your area inpsychology would interest-- social psychology. would interest people,because you're really examining the roots of-- unconscious biases, yeah. --unconscious biasand prejudice.
so tell me, what areyou going to do next? so i've been blessed enough toreceive a rhodes scholarship. so i'll be at oxford next year. that's spectacular. reading for public policyfor my first year there. that'll be a wonderful,wonderful next step. i'm so excited. i cannot wait. that's really fun.
so when do you headto the england? i head in october. or last week of september. and what are you goingto do for the summer? i'll be back home in new jerseyworking with senator cory booker on his upcoming campaign. that's very exciting. oh, that's terrific. so tell us a little bit aboutyour background in union city
new jersey. so, i mean, my parentsimmigrated here from cuba in the '60s duringthe communist revolution, pulled themselves upby the bootstraps. and my dad worked his waythrough college and law school, and worked his way to getme to be where i am today. i'm so grateful for my parentsfor all they've done for me. are they here today with you? they're here today, yes.
they must be very exciting. aw, man. this is all for them. it's not even for me. do you have brothersand sisters? i have two older brothers. and they're also here, too. what a wonderful celebration. good for you.
and what you hope tobe doing in 10 years? i have no idea. i want to practicelaw for a bit. but i do want to go backand help out my community. wherever i end up, as longas i stand for my values, i feel like i'veaccomplished something. and are you headed to lawschool after the rhodes? so i'm headed to lawschool and business school. i'll doing the jointwhen i come back.
are you doing that at harvard? yeah, both here. oh, good. so we'll see you again. i'll be back, yeah. you'll have a couplemore commencements. alex, thank you so much. enjoy the rest of the day. thank you so much, diana.
a great pleasure. great pleasure to have you here. yes, thank you. ok, we see the final handfulof undergraduates filing in. here's one of our honorands. and i think many peoplewill recognize him. yes, there we go. president georgeh w bush, 41st-- and he's with roger porter
--president ofthe united states. every honorarydegree recipient is accompanied by aharvard faculty member. of course, thecommencement speaker, the head of the honorarydegree class this year, is michael bloomberg, formermayor of new york city. he's accompanied by rebeccahenderson, university professor at the business school. well, at the honorarydegree dinner
last evening, george bushwas not able to attend. he's conserving his energythese days, and rightly so. but it's a great honorto have him here. honestly, no matter where youwere on the political spectrum during the bush years, therewas a lot that happened, including the fall of the berlinwall, and the end of the soviet union, and-- he also was a huge president. he achieved a lot.
i think that peopleare not aware of some of his spectacular achievementsin the environment. for example, the cleanair amendments of 1990 were really under his-- there's anotherof our honorands. people may not recognize him. that's seymour slive. that is seymour slive, they say. slive.
but he is a great art historian. i knew him for conversation atseveral cambridge scientific club, or some of these thingsthat were really interesting. it's a wonderful traditionthat every year, at least one of the honorarydegree recipients is a former harvardfaculty member. and there are a lot of long timeharvard faculty members who, well, who alreadyhave degrees, but who deserve the honor ofan honorary degree.
and we'll see all ofthe honorary degree recipients in justa little while. we'll see them one by one. and everybody who has agazette in their hands already knows who they are. a friend of mine,one of our colleagues who was on the honorarydegree committee that selects the honorarydegrees recipients told me a story-- i don'tknow if it's apocryphal--
but that president bush, whenhe was told that he was selected to receive an honorarydegree from harvard this year said, oh, that's wonderful. barbara can just driveme down from maine. i don't know if that'sactually how he got here. i imagine. that's a wonderful story. it's only about anhour from [inaudible]. well, the honorarydegrees will be
awarded at the very end ofthe festival rites today. one of the things that itore out of the gazette, i think it is, is theaccounting of sustainability that might interest you intoday's commencement program. that there will be 1,500pounds of sustainable salmon. 100% of harvard yard groundsare managed organically with zero toxicpesticides or herbicides. there are 109 receptacles forrecycling roundabout here. a sense thatsustainability is something
that goes from what we eatto how we manage the grounds. and certainly, how wethink about the science of the future. i mean, this must beextraordinary for you, the director of theharvard university center for the environment. such an important-- i can't help but thinkabout these issues when i look out at the class.
looking at all of these studentsfrom the professional schools, from the college, these arethe environmental challenges that they're going to strugglewith for their whole lives. i mean, this is-- when theytalk about the rising sea level and what it will belike in 2050 or 2075, this is part of the livesof the people who are here. we are passing thesechallenges onto them. and in some ways,you can tell when you talk to thesestudents, they're
passionate about these issues. they're curious. they want to get outthere and solve them. they have allsorts of new ideas. and i think it's hard not tofeel a little bit optimistic when you actuallylook out and see all of these smart studentsheading off to the world and try to makeit a better place. there's richard tarrant, has avery important role in harvard
commencement. he is the person who is incharge of the committee that selects the studentcommencement speakers, and that coachesthem as they practice to deliver their addressbefore such a huge and in many ways very,very intimidating crowd. and if you ask who is speakingat harvard commencement, well, the speakers here areliterally three students-- two undergraduates anda graduate student.
and then of course,this afternoon, people will acknowledge thatthere is the speech of former mayor of newyork mayor bloomberg. but the speakers arebasically students here. a latin address andtwo english addresses. so there's some relativelyshort addresses by students. and the rest of it isreally just the ceremony. it happens very, very quickly. really, once it starts, it'llbe over in about an hour
and a half. but there are a lot of studentsto acknowledge in the meantime. many of the people who areinterested in the speakers at the harvardcommencement in general also are interested in who isspeaking at the class days. we mentioned sherylsandberg, the ceo of facebook who spoke yesterdayto the undergraduates. at the kennedyschool, the class day speaker with samanthapower, who is currently
our ambassador tothe united nations. samantha ran the carrcenter for human rights here at the kennedyschool for many years. she's a spectacularjournalist and author, wrote that beautifulbook on a history of american foreign policydealing with genocide. lessons from hell. problem from hell, yes. and really has beenvery influential
on the national security councilin the obama administration before she was appointed to theambassador position to the un. at the school of public health--or i think maybe at the medical school rather-- vivek murthy,also a harvard graduate who was the nomineefor surgeon general, was the class day speaker. and each of theschools-- law school, public health-- havetheir own speakers for the in gatheringof the class
on the day before commencement. but samantha poweris a classic example of someone who really verycommon at harvard how many of our colleagues, both on thefaculty and former students, who go onto service. who really focus onserving this nation and serving the world ina variety of capacities. today, we say goodbyeto a colleague of ours in the law school, david barron.
david and i taughta course together. he focuses on a varietyof issues in cities. and we taught acourse together on how boston will deal with sealevel rise, along with a couple of professors from thegraduate school of design. and what about the river houses? are they stillgoing to be there? they will still be there. i'm a little moreworried about austin.
but david barron. served in the early daysof the obama administration in the legal counsel office. and then he's nowjust been nominated to become a judge onthe circuit court. he was just confirmeda few days ago. and so he will be leavingharvard tomorrow, on friday, and take up hisjudgeship in boston. it's both bittersweet.
it's wonderful thathe will be there. we need his kind of wisecounsel on the bench. but at same time, we'll miss himfrom being part of our faculty. we remember today, of course,that you were reminding me as we gather thatthis is actually the birthday of john f kennedy. he would be 97 ifhe were alive today. when i think of the50th reunion class, i mean, this has beenfrom start to finish
a year of 50th commemorations. and that 50th reunion classlived through them all, really, from the beginning oftheir senior year on. there was the 50th anniversaryof the march on washington. then the 50th anniversaryand commemoration of the assassinationof president kennedy. in fact, if you talk tothe 50th reunion class, i've spoken to many of them. they all know exactly wherethey were at that time
when they heard that news. and then the 50thanniversary of that spring, when students went down tolobby for the civil rights bill. and the 50th anniversaryof the visit of the beatles to cambridge. i mean, all of this waspart of the lived life of that remarkable class. and it includes, by the way, youmentioned sheila jasanoff and-- marshal ganz.
--marshal gantz. stephen breyer, asupreme court justice. and andy weil, one of thegreat health gurus of our time all back for this 50th reunion. and we wish them well. i have one personal interestin this extension school class that's graduating. and that is my tobe daughter-in-law is getting a degree inextension studies as a graduate
with a master's inmuseum studies today. diana, congratulations. good for her. what is her name? her name is crystal stone. and her fiance,kreshnik zejnullahu is one of the fourkids from kosovo who came to livewith us in 1999. and he will graduate frommedical school in umass
on sunday. and then the two of themwill get married a week from saturday inlowell house, and then head off for his residencyat university of california at san francisco. so it's really fun. and of course, the extensionschool is often forgotten, but it's a very importantpart of harvard. it is.
the way that wereach so many people who have a variety ofalternative education opportunities. it's open. it's our open university. and it really isvery, very important. so many people are connectedto this proceeding today. i was at the doctor yesterday. i went to see an eyedoctor yesterday.
i don't need glasses. i'm fine. but i was telling-- heasked me what i did. and i told him i wasa professor and was going to be doing thecommencement today. he told me abouthis niece, who's graduating from the medicalschool, catherine eric kohn, who's part of themedical school class today. oh, there you seemayor bloomberg.
mayor bloomberg withone of our honorands. very special woman. aretha franklin. this is going to be really avery exciting, very exciting commencement morning. everyone does havetheir memories. and you talk aboutyour eye doctor. i was running across the streetand hailed by a former class day speaker, or commencementspeaker, the comedian jimmy
tingle, who was with usa couple of years ago. i do think mosteveryone is seated. i don't see thoserows of empty chairs. i think when we see themarshals come down the aisle and report to theuniversity marshal that everyone is seated. i still see a handfulof students filing in. there they are. but they're almost done.
you can see the end ofthe procession there. the band playing10,000 men of harvard. and certainly today, thereare 20,000 men and women of harvard gathered here inthe tercentenary theatre. it is just extraordinaryto see this space so filled with such a galaarray of people. there's dean pfister, whohas served so admirably as the interim deanof the college. talking to jackieo'neill, the marshal.
and she's aboutready to get going. martha minow justwalked by the camera, the dean of the law school. and julio frenk islooking at us there in his blue and gold robes. and in the white is-- former health ministerof mexico, and now dean of the school of public health. in the white is grace scheibner,who deserves a lot of credit
for putting thiswhole show together. she has an office overin wadsworth house and works on this from onecommencement to another. planning for this event doesnot happen in just a few weeks. this is something thatreally takes all year long. there's jackie o'neill. this is the oldestnon-religious ritual in the unitedstates, the festival rites of harvard commencement.
and this sense of thegathering of a great university is really powerful,of the faculties, of the students,and of the alumnae, who constitute part of whatis now embraced in that term-- harvard university. here come the marshals, thelast few people to file in. let's see them withtheir top hats. the array of marshalsresponsible for keeping order as the ushers and sort of ritualmagistrates of the university.
it's kind of remarkable thatthis isn't just total chaos. it is incredible thatthis is not total chaos. and that is due to the goodoffices of the marshals. everybody's getting ready. i can sense the anticipationof the students. the last few peopleare filing in now. ben levy reporting, harry lewisreporting to jackie o'neill that all is in order. [bell rings]
the bell is rung. [cheering] a roar goes up from this crowd. mr. sheriff, pray,give us order. as the high sheriffof middlesex county, i declare that themeeting will be in order. please rise as our honorandmiss aretha franklin performs-- --performs the national anthem-- --after which thechaplain of the day
will deliver the opening prayer. oh say can you see by the dawn'searly light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight'slast gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright starsthrough the perilous night o'er the ramparts we watchedwere so gallantly streaming. and the rockets' red glare,the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the nightthat our flag was still there. oh say does that starspangled banner yet wave, o'er the land ofthe free and the home-- we
are the home of the brave. [applause] the home of the brave. look to the soaring heavens. look to the depthsof our hearts. and let us pray thatfrom horizon to horizon, from the first glimmering ofan idea to its full flowering, from the dawningof companionship to firm friendship andfellowship in learning,
all we celebratetoday be blessed. may the world find blessing inthe women and men of harvard. may these bannered hostsarrayed in crimson fledge as forces for good inthe world of our times, so that speedily and soon,on the hill of washington and in the canyonsof wall street, in the highestreaches of academe, and on the vanguard's ofour arts and industry, in schools and in hospitals, inlaboratories and in law firms,
in theaters of conflict, andin crucibles of statecraft, there may be heard newvoices of wisdom and voices of compassion, voices ofreason and voices of insight, voices of exhilaration andvoices of understanding. voices that say,let us join hands to forge a way of purpose and ofpromise, for the need is great, and the time has come. for just as the rain and thesnow fall from the heavens and there do not returnwithout first having watered
the earth so that she births,and sprouts, and gives seed to the one who sows andbread to the one who eats, so too shall be my word whichproceedeth from my mouth. it shall not return to meunfulfilled, nor without first having accomplished that whichi desire, and having prospered, that for which i send it. you shall go forth in joyand be guided by peace. the mountains and the hills willgive a joyous shout before you, and all the trees ofthe field will applaud.
so may it be with us thisglorious day and every day. and if such can be your prayertoday, then say with me amen. amen. [singing in latin] latin salutatory. [speaking latin] did i get that right? candidate for thedegree of bachelor of arts, timothybarry-heffernan.
senior english address, aharvard spring candidate for the degree of bachelorof arts, sarah abushaar. when i was around seven,my toothless brother and i on long, boringtaxi rides in syria would indulge inimperialistic fantasies of how we wanted totake over the country outside our windows. my parents would quicklycrush these imperial conquests by warning, shh, you'll gettaking by secret service
if they hear you. the walls everywhere,we were told, could hear ourrevolutionary ideas and would send us to prison. whereas children here hadghosts and the bogey man, our equivalents our governments. fast forward to 2010. when i first gothere, someone told me if harvard shut its gates, itcould be its own country, just
like the vatican. as i've walked throughthis place every day for the past fouryears, i was struck by how true this idea was. i thought everywherethe harvard nation. i saw it in the bigand obvious things. we had our own version of thestatue of liberty-- the john harvard statue. our own embassies, the harvardclubs of boston and london.
a tax collection agency, theharvard alumni association. [laughter] and an endowment larger thanmore than half the world's countries gdps. we also have our owndiplomatic passports. nowhere did i see thismore clearly than at us immigration atboston logan airport. whenever they saw i wascoming from the middle east-- what wereyou doing there.
why are you here? why did god make youfrom the middle east? but i made sure i dressed likeour overly proud harvard dads with harvard hat, harvard shirt,harvard shorts, and harvard underwear. and as soon as they saw iwas a citizen of harvard, oh, you go to harvard. surely you must not be anational security threat. welcome to america.
and suddenly, all the gates tothe american dream opened wide. i saw it everywhere,this harvard nation, but i saw it not justin the hard structures. but more importantly, inits invisible institutions. the invisible scaffoldsaround and under-girding the hard institutions. i saw it in the quarrelingcolumns of the crimson newspaper, it's kung fu fightsof ideas and lively student debates with the potencyto propel policy changes
by the next morning's print. i saw it in our clutteredbulletin boards, bustling with life, with announcementsof student led conferences, broadway worthy shows,and dorm room projects turned world's next facebooksmothering each other for our cursory glimpse. a trivial detail,these cluttered boards that often slip notice. but where some saw papers, i sawpassions, purpose, creativity.
i saw a heartbeat of civiccommunity's vivacity. my parents'countries were places where institutionaldysfunction killed off the social dynamism andvibrant productivity. and so i felt acutelyhere the value of civil society and living,breathing institutions. my time here wouldgive me a working model of a better world. not only that, but that sense ofempowerment to initiate change.
you see, with thosespying walls still lurking in my memory that constrainedthe little napoleons in my brother and me, youmight imagine my shock when in one of myfirst classes here, i suddenly found myselfdebating a president. so it's the 1990s. our negotiations classprofessor set the stage. a war is about to break outbetween ecuador and peru. how will you stop it?
i raised my hand to respond. wait. professor shapiro stopped me. tell the president what to do. and in walked theecuadorian president. and bringing thepresident to me and having me speak to and questiona shaper of history and experience thevalue he saw in my view, harvard would make mefeel i too could be him.
i too had the power toshape history and not just be passively shaped by it. that sense ofinfinite possibility we have as children to thinkbig and conquer great things was returned to me here. a less despotic version of it. but what seemed intractableproblems of the world became opportunities forme, for us to change things. you know, when i first gothere, my name was sarah.
after harvard, itwould become, hey harvard, with peoplestuffing 378 years, 5,000 acres of real estate, theentirety of widener library, and 32 heads of state all intomy five foot six inch self. ridiculous as it is, there'sa strange reality to it. arab americanauthor randa jarrar pictures inhabiting a newplace as running barefoot, the skin of ourfeet collecting sand and seeds and rocks andgrass until we had shoes,
shoes made of everythingwe picked up as we ran. and running through harvardyard over the past four years, the skin of our feet collectinga world of experiences, we each become thisplace in a strange way. each of us picking up bits ofpeople, and history, and ideas that changed the waywe saw the world. accumulations i hope we willcontinue to wear on our souls and leave a footprint of all thebest we took from harvard yard on our new destinations.
and that's why i amhopeful for the future. i'm hopeful because ofmy dining hall dinners spent marveling at friends who,while their countries waged bloody war against eachother, are able to carry out civil conversation and buildgenerative projects together. i am hopeful becauseof the founding mothers and founding fathers ofrevolutionary ideas like these being launchedinto the world, who will make of its institutions,its constitutions,
its hospitals, its arthouses something better. we hear a lot in the newsabout an arab spring. this graduation issending 6,000 revolutions into the world in the 6,000revolutions graduating as part of the class of 2014. if we take those revolutions,those great ideas sparked behind chipotleburritos and starbucks coffee cups in our version of tahrirsquare, harvard square, out with us into the real world,into the real tahrir squares,
and make something of them. revolution's not inarms, but in minds more powerful, andpermanent, and pervasive. for this isn't a ukrainianrevolution or an arab spring, but a global revolution. this is the harvardspring of 2014. this is the harvard spring. graduate english address,a kind of destiny. candidate for thedegree of master
in public policy,philip a harding. over two centuriesago, a man came to harvard uncertain ofhis future and his fate. he had received an offerhe could not refuse, and though he felt unworthy,he wrote to his family that he believeda kind of destiny was driving him to cambridge. he spent his first night righthere sleeping in harvard yard, and awoke the nextmorning-- july 3, 1775--
to take command of the troopsof the united provinces of north america, the fledglingcontinental army. george washington had a uniqueharvard application process. his admissions committee wasthe second continental congress. and his experiencehere at harvard would not only define thefinal 24 years of his life, but the startup helaunched here would go on to change the courseof human history. just across the street, under atree, is a group of monuments,
one displaying rows ofstrapping uniformed soldiers welcoming washingtonto cambridge. and another says,under this tree, washington first took commandof the american army-- july 3, 1775. and i've alwaysfelt a sense of awe for this world changing spot. but then i did someresearch, and i found something less romantic.
washington's harvard welcomeweekend was less than grand, and his first year harvardwas downright awful. on sunday, july 2, herode in to a deserted looking town soakingwet and half sick. in fact, the welcome receptionwas canceled due to rain. and several soldierswrote in their journals that nothing new or remarkablehappened on july 3rd. imagine if we could go back intime to this very spot that day in 1775.
we would be sitting ina very different harvard yard, a field full of makeshifttents, un-uniformed soldiers, and a rough defense positionin place of lamont library. one historiandescribed this scene like woodstock, new york 1969. a volunteer undisciplined,under-equipped militia of farmers and merchants. this was the group,about half the size of the crowd we'veassembled this morning,
this was the groupthat washington came to lead against themost powerful military force on earth. but washington took what wasoffered to him here at harvard and he made the most of it. and i'm not justtalking about the brass doorknobs, or the metal roofhe took off harvard hall to melt into musket balls--which they did take. but he took ideas that existedonly as words and writings
and he turned them into realityfor millions and generations to come. and less than a year later,after pushing the british out of boston, washingtonreceived an honorary degree from this fine institution,his first academic degree. and like manyharvard graduates, he went on to take a prominentposition in new york city. and it almost killed him. well, the britishnearly killed him.
and we almost lostthe entire war. in fact, the next sevenyears of the war effort would become the mostchallenging years of his life. today, you will receive apiece of paper representing your short time here at harvard. your successes, your failures,your all night study sessions, your lessons, yourfirst a minus. and the friendships thatwill last a lifetime. through theseexperiences, you've
developed, practiced, andhoned the skills you need. but sitting here today, facingan uncertain future-- let alone the examples of mayors andentrepreneurs, nobel prize winners, presidents,and a queen, the queen of soul--sitting here today facing a lot of uncertaintyand a lot of high bars, it might seemdifficult to connect the dots to your destiny. but have faith.
because there is a kind ofdestiny waiting to be fulfilled that is uniquely yours. you see, washington hadto go through a difficult transformation process, evenafter receiving his harvard degree, to turnhis kind of destiny into a real force thatcould change history. and he came to discoverhe could not do it alone. the individualsand incidents that faced him over thenext seven years
whittled, carved,and sculpted him into the monumentalman we remember today. and in the end,the army he thought he was coming totransform ended up being the force thattransformed him. and while you maynot realize it yet, some of the biggestlessons you'll take with you fromthis experience have come from the people who'vebeen learning right beside you.
they've challenged you. they've pushed you. they've inspired you. they've supportedyou, and ultimately helped reveal a betterversion of yourself. you see, thequestion is not only what you will take with you,but who you will take with you. on july 4, 1775, still a fullyear before the declaration of independence, washingtonissued his first general orders
to the troops from righthere in harvard yard, declaring that alldistinctions of colonies should be laid aside so that onespirit may animate the whole, and the only contestbe who shall render, on this great and tryingoccasion, the most essential service to thisgreat and common cause in which we are all engaged. and just as washingtoncame here to harvard to unite the 13 colonies, we'vecome together this morning
to celebrate the unity anddiversity of our 13 schools. whether you are driven tosolve the world's largest public or private problems,cure that dreaded disease, alleviate human suffering, workacross religious and cultural divides, generate knowledgeand push education forward. create effectivelegal frameworks. design and construct thefuture world we live in. or use technology to enable newdiscoveries and innovations. whatever kind of destinyis compelling you today,
imagine the countless lives thatare waiting for you to step up. in two centuries, who might betalking about the grand mission you begin today in this yard? who will be sayingthey sat right there under that tree in that spot? let today be your moment toaccept the challenge that has been offered to you. bring that mostessential service only you can provide to thisgreat and common cause.
and together, let us notjust go change the world, but let us go servethe world with passion. [singing latin] these addresses by selectedcandidates for ordinary degrees being ended, the deans ofthe several departments will now present to thepresident and fellows and to the board of overseersin the favoring presence of the friends here assembled,the candidates on whom the various academicdistinctions are,
with due ceremony,to be conferred. the dean of the facultyof arts and sciences. madame president, fellowsof harvard college, mr. president, members ofthe board of overseers. mr. president. in the name of the facultyof arts and sciences, and by its authority,i have the honor to report on fourgroups of candidates who will be presentedto you today.
first, the dean of the graduateschool of arts and sciences will present candidates for thedegree of doctor of philosophy, and then the degrees ofmaster of arts and of science. next, the dean of the schoolof engineering and applied sciences will present candidatesfor the degrees of master of science and of engineering. third, the dean of continuingeducation and university extension willpresent candidates for the degrees of associates inarts, bachelor of liberal arts,
and master of liberalarts in extension studies. finally, near the closeof these exercises, the seniors inharvard college who are candidates for the firstdegree in arts or in science will stand proudly before you. the candidates ineach of these groups have, by vote of thefaculty, fulfilled the requirements for the degreesfor which they are severally recommended.
i salute all thesemen and women, trusting that they will foreverwisely enjoy the freedoms that their education hasgiven to them while bearing the responsibilities thattheir learning demands of them. each of these groups willnow be introduced to you by the deans responsible forthe programs in which they had been enrolled. candidates for the degree ofdoctor of philosophy will rise. the dean of the graduateschool of arts and sciences.
madame president, fellows ofharvard college, mr. president, members of board ofoverseers, and mr. president. as dean of the graduateschool of arts and sciences, i have the honor to present toyou these scholars, all of whom have devoted themselvesto rigorous pursuit of advanced study, haveattained high distinction, and have made originalcontributions to knowledge in their severalfields of scholarships. by virtue of authoritydelegated to me,
and recognizing your highacademic achievements, i confer on you womenand men of learning the degree of doctorof philosophy. and i welcome you to theancient and universal company of scholars and entrustto you the free inquiry of future generations. candidates fromthe graduate school of arts and sciences forthe degrees of master of arts and masterof science will rise.
mr. president, members of boardof overseers, mr. president. i have the honor to presentto you these candidates, all of whom have completeda commemorable step of advanced study in theirrespective disciplines. i confer on you the degreeof master of arts or master of science, and certifythat you have surmounted with distinction the firststage of graduate study. candidates from the schoolof engineering and applied sciences for the degrees ofmaster of science and master
of engineering will rise. the dean of the school ofengineering and applied sciences. board of overseers,and mr. president, as dean of the school ofengineering and applied sciences, i have the honorto present to you these women and men who have completed theirfirst step of advanced study in engineering andapplied sciences. i confer on you the degree ofmaster of science or master
of engineering and certifythat you have surmounted candidates for the degreesof associate in arts, bachelor of liberalarts, and master of liberal arts inextension studies will rise. the dean of continuing educationand university extension. madame president, fellows ofharvard college, mr. president. hat back on here. and members of theboard of overseers. as the dean of the division ofcontinuing ed and university
extension, i have thehonor to present to you these students, candidatesfor the degrees of associates of arts, and bachelorof liberal arts, i confer on you the degreeof associate in arts, bachelor of liberalarts, or master of liberal arts inextension studies, and admit you to the fellowshipof educated men and women. [band playing] the dean of thefaculty of medicine.
and mr. president. in the name of the faculty ofmedicine and by its authority, i have the honor to report todaythat two groups of candidates in the fields of medicineand dental medicine have fulfilled the requirementsof the faculty for the degrees for which they are recommended. they will be introducedto you by the deans responsible for the programsin which they are enrolled. the candidates for the degreesof doctor of dental medicine,
doctor of medical sciences,and master of medical sciences will rise. the dean of the schoolof dental medicine. mr. president, and membersof the board of overseers. as dean of the schoolof dental medicine, i have the honor to present toyou these women and men, each of whom has devoted four yearsto the study of medicine, or at least three years topost doctoral studies aimed at improving health andthe quality of life.
i confer on you the degreeof doctor of dental medicine, doctor of medical sciences,or master of medical sciences, and declare thatyou are qualified for practice and research in ademanding branch of medicine. candidates for the degrees ofdoctor of medicine and master of medical science will rise. the dean for medical education. mr. president, andmembers of the board of overseers, mr. president,mr. mayor, and madame queen.
as dean for medicaleducation, i have the honor to present to you thesemen and women, each of whom has worked hard and well toprepare for a life of learning and service in medicine. i confer on you the degree ofdoctor of medicine or master of medical science and declarethat as physicians, you are ready to engage in anhonorable and merciful calling. candidates for the degree ofmaster of theological studies, master of divinity,a master of theology,
and doctor oftheology will rise. the dean of thefaculty of divinity. mr. president, members ofthe board of overseers, as dean of thefaculty of divinity, of whom has devoted two,three, or more years to theological orreligious studies, in preparation forcareers as leaders, in scholarship andvocations of service. i confer on you the degree ofmaster of theological studies,
master of divinity, master oftheology, or doctor of theology and declare that you are wellprepared to foster the health and vitality ofcommunities of faith, and to further scholarshipin religious studies, and to help in shaping theshared values of the broader society. candidates for the degrees ofdoctor of law, master of laws, and doctor of juridicalscience will rise. the dean of the faculty of law.
mr. president mr.mayor, queen of soul, distinguished honorands. as dean of the facultyof law, i have the honor to present to you thesewomen and men, each of whom has completed a degreein legal studies toward the end of advancingjustice and promoting the rule of law. i confer on you the degree ofdoctor of law, master of laws, or doctor of juridicalscience and declare
that you are ready to aid inthe shaping and application of those wise restraintsthat make us free. candidates for thedegrees of master in business administration-- --and doctor of businessadministration will rise. the dean of the faculty ofbusiness administration. members of the board ofoverseers, and mr. president, and mr. mayor. as dean of the faculty ofbusiness administration,
it is my great honor to presentto you these women and men who have mastered the studyof business administration and prepared themselvesto become leaders who will make a differencein the world. i confer on you thedegree of master in businessadministration or doctor of business administrationand testified that you are ready to leadpeople, and organizations, and enterprises that will makea difference in the world.
candidates for the severaldegrees in architecture, landscape architecture, urbanplanning, and design will rise. the dean of thefaculty of design. and members of theboard of overseers, as the dean of thefaculty of design, i have the honor to present toyou these men and women, each of whom has qualifiedfor a master's degree in architecture,landscape architecture, urban design, urban planning,or design studies,
or for the degreeof doctor of design. by virtue of authoritydesignated to me, i confer on eachof you the degree for which you have qualifiedand declare your competence to lead in shaping thespaces in which we live. candidates for the degreesof doctor of education-- --doctor ofeducation leadership, and master ofeducation will rise. the dean of thefaculty of education.
as dean of thefaculty of education, i have the honor to presentto you these women and men-- --who will be leaders-- --in education practice,policy, and research. by virtue of authority delegatedto me, i confer on each of you the master's or doctor'sdegree in education and declare that you are wellprepared to guide and serve the learning needs ofcontemporary society. candidates for the severaldegrees in public health
the dean of the facultyof public health. as dean of the facultyof public health, now in its 100thanniversary, i have the honor has qualified for a master'sdegree or a doctoral degree to provide leadership,advanced knowledge, and improve the public's health. i confer on you thedegrees in public health for which your studieshave qualified you, and i declare that you arewell prepared to generate
and utilize knowledge to improvehealth throughout the world. in public administration-- --master in publicadministration in international development-- --and master in public policy-- --will rise. the dean of thefaculty of government. mr. president,members of the board of overseers, mr.president, mr. mayor,
and royally deservingdistinguished honorands. as dean of the facultyof government, it is my-- it is my great honor to presentto you these women and men, each of whom havequalified to provide outstanding leadershipin public service. i confer on you the degreefor which your studies have qualified you, andtestify that you are well prepared to offerleadership in the quest for enlightened public policyand effective public service
throughout the world. candidates for the degree ofbachelor of arts or of science their chosenrepresentatives together with candidates for thosedegrees summa cum laude will draw near. with warm appreciation forhis leadership and service this past year, irecognize the interim dean of harvard college. [chanting]
pfister, pfister, pfister,pfister, pfister, pfister, pfister, pfister. madame president. fellows of harvardcollege, mr. president, members of theboard of overseers. as dean of harvardcollege, it is my-- of whom have fulfilled--i'm emotional. they-- pfister, pfister, pfister,pfister, pfister, pfister.
each of whom has fulfilledthe faculty's requirements for the first degreein arts and sciences. each candidate standsbefore you prepared to advance knowledge,promote understanding, and to serve society. i confer on you the firstdegree in arts or in sciences ok, my turn now. no one, it has beensaid of our first guest, has done more to kindlea passion for the arts
at harvard. he joined the harvardfaculty 60 years ago, a world war ii navyveteran with two degrees from the university of chicago. he went on to become apreeminent art historian, a museum leader, and a teacherof uncommon prowess and flair. he has shaped thestudy of dutch art, especially the goldenage works of rembrandt and other dutch masters.
his famed lectures captivatedthousands of harvard students, spellbinding talks,one student recalls, that open both youreyes and your heart. for nearly a decade,he served with aplomb as director of thefogg art museum, strengthening one of harvard'smost treasured institutions and propelling plansfor the sackler museum. in one admirer'swords, he is a credit to humanity in every way asa scholar, family man, friend
to many, generous in spirit,and scrupulous in his dealings with everyone. when friends set outto produce a volume to commemorate his75th birthday in 1995, they attracted nearly as manyeager contributors as the years it marked. he has personified theuniversity's commitment to understanding andpreserving culture at a time when the arts and humanitiesmore than ever demand
and deserve our support. as a colleague writes, forgenerations of students, he was art history at harvard. another said simply this-- he isthe only man at harvard i ever loved. we proudly honor harvard'sown gleason professor of fine arts emeritus,seymour slive. a living portrait inebullient erudition and humane inspiration, he hasmasterfully illumined the works
of dutch masters, his owncareer a rare work of art. seymour slive, doctor of arts. our next guesthas been a pioneer at the crossroads of law,medicine, ethics, and policy, and she has been anexemplar of academic values and common sense in thegovernance of the university. after a childhood inthe segregated south, she came to massachusettsto attend wheaton college. she went on to harvardlaw school in an era
when the doors of legaleducation and practice had barely begun to openfor african american women. she pursued herdevotion to civil rights in positions at the equalemployment opportunity commission and thedepartment of justice before launching a four decadecareer at the georgetown university law center. having served on alandmark commission on protecting human subjectsof biomedical research,
she played a formative role inshaping the field of bioethics. over the years, she has appliedher expertise and judgment to complex ethical questionsposed by everything from human radiationexperiments to genomics, from stem cell research tothe interplay of bioethics and race. at harvard, she broughther strong moral compass, her multi-disciplinaryoutlook, and her deep concern for educational opportunity tobear on the work of the harvard
corporation from2006 until 2012. she has also playedleadership roles on the boards of wheatoncollege, the russell sage foundation, and thekaiser family foundation, besides serving onmajor advisory counsels for the nationalinstitutes of health, the institute ofmedicine, and others. she wears her prodigiousaccomplishments with humility and grace.
we have all been the fortunatebeneficiaries of her wisdom. we proudly honor our colleagueand friend patricia king. bridging disciplinesand overcoming barriers, elucidating ethics, andembracing beneficence, a trusted trustee whosesagacity and tenacity always bend the arctowards justice, patricia n king, doctor of laws. as a student, he was struck bythe incongruities he perceived between the standard modelstaught in economics class
and the realities hewitnessed in daily life. he began to questionthe invisible hand and to wonder aboutthe limits of markets. in time, he rose toprominence in an array of domains of economics--macroeconomics and monetary theory,development economics and trade, and the distribution of incomeand wealth, to name a few. among his academiccolleagues, he is perhaps bestrecognized for shaping
the economics ofinformation, in particular for explaining how unevenaccess to information affects theoperation of markets. his work earned him anobel prize in 2001. his noted booksfor wider audiences include globalizationand its discontents and the price of inequality. they reflect his concern forhow and when governments should intervene in markets,and how efforts
to spur the globaleconomy might be devised to lessen ratherthan widen the growing gap between rich and poor. he served at mit, yale,stanford, oxford, and princeton before becoming auniversity professor at columbia, where he foundedthe initiative for policy dialogue and co-chairs thecommittee on global thought. deeply engaged with national andinternational economic policy, he has also serve as chairmanof the president's council
of economic advisers, chiefeconomist of the world bank, and chair of the un commissionon reforming the international monetary and financial system. we recognize the eminenteconomist joseph stiglitz. demarking the limits of markets,discerning global discontents, a paramount progenitorof information economics who bestrides the spheresof theory and policy, joseph e stiglitz,doctor of laws. he is one of the world'sgreat plant biologists
and a champion ofglobal biodiversity. as one colleague put it, heis a dynamo intellectually with a passion for science, fornature, and for conservation with a good doseof fun mixed in. time magazine hailed himas a hero for the planet. his many honors include thenational medal of science. he long led the renownedmissouri botanical garden while serving as angelmanprofessor of biology at washingtonuniversity in st. louis.
a prolific researcher, hehelped introduce co-evolution, a seminal concept inevolutionary biology. he has also madefundamental contributions in biogeography, folk taxonomy,and pollution studies. a distinguished teacher, hehas written leading textbooks on both botany andthe environment and mentored scoresof grateful students. an energetic citizenof science, he has been a central figure inthe work of both the national
academy of sciences and thenational geographic society. recognized worldwide for hisleadership in conservation and sustainability, he has beenelected to scientific academies in nearly 20 nations, fromdenmark to new zealand, from brazil to india. he helped lead a massiveproject to classify the 31,500 species of plantsin china and has been a catalyst forinternational scientific collaboration.
we salute a man who inthe words of one admirer has touched the whole worldwith the power of science and the moral imperative of theconservation of life-- peter raven. a grand sycamore inthe garden of science, he has nourished our knowledgeof the phyla of flora and cultivated care for theprecious diversity of life-- peter hamilton raven,doctor of science. maybe the most importantreason for writing
is to prevent theerosion of time so that memories will notbe blown away by the wind, our next guest has said. we should write whatshould not be forgotten. her own vivid works ofimagination and remembrance will not be forgottenby countless readers around the world. born in peru, raisedlargely in chile, she had a turbulent childhood.
in time, she made her way as ajournalist and talk show host in santiago. on september 11,1973, a violent coup felled president salvadorallende, her cousin. suddenly everything changed. by 1975, she was in exile invenezuela building a new life. in 1981, she learned thather beloved grandfather, still living inchile, was dying. the letter she setout to write him
grew into her first novel,the house of the spirits, a landmark in latin americanfiction and a testament to chile's tumultuous times. she has gone on towrite 20 books in all, emerging as one of the westernhemisphere's most illustrious authors. her stories mixhistory with fantasy, the intensely politicalwith the fiercely personal, the strikingly real withthe hauntingly surreal.
her several memoirs reflectwith candor and wonder on her own life experience,including the devastating death of her daughterpaula, in whose memory she maintains acharitable foundation to promote the welfare ofwomen and children worldwide. her lyrical style hasbeen described as packed with action, prodigalin invention, vivid in descriptionand metaphor. her stories, asone critic writes,
have moved the readers oflatin american literature in ways that few authors have. we honor isabel allende. conjuring memoriesblown by winds of exile, leavening realismwith dashes of magic, she fills her splendoroushouse of stories with spirits and shadows,anguish and love. isabel allende,doctor of letters. this stage has been graced bypresidents and prime ministers,
laureates and literary lights,even the occasional prince or king. in fact, with us here today, wehave a president, a laureate, a literary luminary,and even a king. we now proudly welcometo this esteemed company her regal highness,the queen of soul. born in memphis,raised in detroit, she was a child prodigywith a voice that shook the rafters of her church.
as a teenager, she set outon gospel caravan tours with her father. she soon had arecording contract. and within a few years, she wasnot just climbing the charts, but topping them withfive straight singles that sold more than amillion copies each. over the years, her recordshelped compose the soundtrack of a generation--"respect," "chain of fools," "i never loved a man," "baby,i love you," "think until you
come back to me," "spanishharlem," and on and on. she has won an eyepopping 18 grammy awards. including the awardfor best female r&b vocal performance for anamazing eight straight years. her voice has galvanized threepresidential inaugurations, and it graced the funeral ofdoctor martin luther king. the first woman inducted intothe rock and roll hall of fame, and a recipient of thenational medal of arts, she was presented in 2005with the nation's highest
civilian honor-- thepresidential medal of freedom. her vocal virtuosityis so admired that her home state ofmichigan declared her voice one of the state'snatural resources. there are singers,ray charles once said, and then there is aretha. with the utmost respect--i won't spell it out-- we honor aretha franklin. hey band, do that again.
we couldn't hear youwith the cheering. [band playing - aretha franklin, "respect"] almighty fire and amazinggrace, she reigned sublime as the electrifyingempress of soul. for this, our highest honor,she is a natural woman. aretha franklin, doctor of arts. our next guest'ssingular career has combined extraordinaryentrepreneurial success, distinguished public service,and visionary philanthropy
for the common good. born across the river atsaint elizabeth's hospital in allston/brighton,raised in nearby medford, he worked his way throughcollege at johns hopkins before earning his mba atharvard business school. wall street beckoned. he soon became a rising star inequity trading and information systems, and then launchedthe firm that bears his name. the rise of bloomberglp, transformed the world
of financial information. and it establishedits founder as one of the nation's mostsavvy executives and imaginative entrepreneurs. having built his companyinto a global force, he set his sights on anew leadership challenge. three times, he won election asmayor of the city of new york, serving from 2002 until decemberof 2013 over that 12 year tenure, he dedicated himself toenhancing the city's schools,
spurring the creation of newjobs, improving public health, nourishing the arts and culture,and confronting the challenge of climate change, all whilehelping the city navigate the wrenching aftermath of 9/11. as a philanthropist, he hasdevoted more than 3.3 billion and counting ofhis own resources to an array of worthy causes,education foremost among them. few figures in our timehave made so strong a mark on both business and government.
on both the vitalityof private enterprise and the creative pursuitof the public good, let us honor his honormichael bloomberg. from hopkins toharvard, wall street to city hall, a resolute leaderand fervent philanthropist, whose entrepreneurial spiritand zeal for innovation have helped ournation's burg to bloom, michael bloomberg,doctor of laws. it is seldom onthis stage that we
take the occasion tohonor a former member of the cheerleadingsquad at yale. but there is more to this story. born in milton, massachusetts90 years ago next month, he served with valorand distinction as a navy pilot in thepacific during world war ii. in 1945, he married hissweetheart, barbara pierce. soon after, he enrolledin a quaint college in the hinterlands ofsouth central connecticut
in a city that stakesits claim to fame on being the birthplaceof the lollipop. he kept in yale's baseball teamas a left handed first baseman, and he led them to the finalsof the college world series two years in a row. when babe ruth presentedan original manuscript of his autobiographyto the yale archives, our guest was chosento receive it. by the 1960s, in texas, helaunched his remarkable career
in public service. across the decades,it would take him from the house ofrepresentatives to service as us ambassadorto the united nations, from chairing the republicannational committee to directing central intelligence, fromeight years as vice president to his election in 1988 as the41st president of the united states. with a clear eyeand a steady hand,
he led the united statesthrough a transformative time in world affairs. his presidency saw theliberation of kuwait, the fall of the berlin wall, thecrumbling of the soviet union, the signing of the firsttwo strategic arms reduction treaties, and theend of the cold war. he was a force behind thehistoric north american free trade agreement. working with congress, hechampioned the americans
with disabilities act, theclean air act amendments, the community andnational service act, and the immigration act of 1990. and throughout his longcareer in public service, extending well beyondhis presidency, he has been a champion ofvolunteer service for the well being of others. what he has famouslycalled points of light-- or as they like to say innew haven, points of looks.
with a burst of elicheer, we proudly honor the honorable georgeherbert walker bush. with faith, courage, and servicetrue, his eyes ever fixed on points of light,he piloted our nation through changeful skies. his cap was blue,his house was white, and now his robe is crimson. george h w bush, doctor of laws. in the name of thissociety of scholars,
i declare that these personsare entitled to the rights and privileges pertainingto their several degrees, and that their namesare to be forever borne on its role of honorary members. degree candidates andtheir guests and all alumni are warmly invited toattend the afternoon session of commencementday exercises under the direction of theharvard alumni association. the alumni paradewill begin at 1:45 pm,
and the exerciseswill begin at 2:30 pm. the commencement speakerswill be michael r bloomberg and the president ofharvard university. now, the commencementchoir director will lead us in the singingof the commencement hymn. following the hymn,the pusey minister will pronounce the benediction. the commencement exercisesthen being ended, the sheriff ofmiddlesex county will
declare the meeting adjourned. the audience is requestedto remain seated until the president andfellows and their guests have withdrawnfrom the platform. [music - samuel gilman, "fair harvard"] as we close thismorning's ceremony, i would like to offera benediction inspired by one of the greatestintellectuals, poets, and preachers of the 20thcentury, the reverend clarence
lavaughn franklin, whosedaughter we honored here today. as an eagle stirrethher nest, oh god, we ask that you would stirus to be kind and give thanks every day. stir us, oh god, totreat our bodies well. for we are made in theimago dei, the image of god. be kind, be of service. stir us, oh god, to treatour neighbors right. stir us.
stir us so that wemight discipline ourselves to knowourselves better. and in knowingourselves better, we begin to loveourselves as we are. and when we break through thecloud of insecurity that often confines ourbodies, then we will be able to love ourneighbors as ourselves. stir us, so that wemight, in humble ways, bring your kingdom here onearth as it is in heaven.
may we all say together, amen. i declare that themeeting will be adjourned. now the bell in thechurch begins to ring. and there is a tintinnabulationof bells all over cambridge, including the great lowellhouse bells from russia. and there's the sheriff ofmiddlesex county and drew faust, president of harvardleading the procession. procession of overseers. this is a grandboard of overseers,
and alan garber, the provost. everybody's headingoff the stage. and there will be apresident's spread. all of these luncheonsare called spreads. and they take place everywhere. the president's over nearlowell house on quincy street. this has been an amazingday in harvard yard, beginning with the influx ofso many students, and faculty, and parents, and families.
and just extraordinary. if you just look atall the happy faces, all the amazing achievementof all of our students, and the celebrationof their current and also future accomplishments. it's just such an exciting time. and thank you. here we see aretha franklinbeing congratulated. and the harvard band.
actually, i think we shouldnote that the latin orator is a member of the harvard bandwhen he put on that roman hat for his oration. the faculty are filingup to congratulate the honorary degree recipients. this afternoon,this will fill again with the harvard alumnaeassociation annual meeting, which willbe called to order. the new alumnaeassociation president
is cynthia torres, who waselected rather recently. and 1980 graduate of the collegewho welcomed the newest class yesterday afternoon. so diana, it's been a reallywonderful commencement, and i'm glad i got tospend it with you here. we're just the talkingheads here of course. there's an entire crew ofpeople-- kathy o'connell and lots of otherpeople who are helping make this commencement happenand make this broadcast happen.
it's always apleasure to witness this spectacle with you. and it's such a greatpleasure to see the joy on the faces of thegraduates, and at the delight of the faculty ofbeing here as well to be reminded by ourstudent speakers of both the historic presence ofgeorge washington in this yard, and the inspiration thatthe call to a global world really has for our students.
we heard that againand again this year. and i suspect it'sreally part of why we're all here at harvard. and the call to service. so thank you everyone. and we look forward toseeing you again next year. happy day of commencement.