The 150th Commencement draws near

ochester's Sesquicentennial Commencement is set for Sunday, May 14. Scheduled to deliver the Commencement address is Mark Schneider, who also will receive the inaugural George Eastman Medal. The medal has been established in honor of the Sesquicentennial and recognizes individuals who, through their outstanding achievement and dedicated service, embody the high ideals for which the University stands.

Schneider, who has an extensive background in public service, became the 15th Peace Corps director in December and the second returned Peace Corps volunteer to head the agency. His previous appointment was assistant administrator of the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where he directed U.S. foreign assistance programs in this hemisphere.

Commencement ceremonies for bachelor's and master's degree candidates will start at 9 a.m. on the Eastman Quadrangle of the River Campus and will proceed come rain or come shine. (In case of severely inclement weather, call x5-6000 for contingency plan information.)

Faculty receiving awards during the ceremony include John Givens, associate professor of Russian and director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures. He will be awarded the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Assistant Professor Brian Brent of the Warner School will receive the G. Graydon and Jane W. Curtis Award for Excellence in Teaching for a Nontenured Member of the Faculty.

In addition, William May '37 will receive the Hutchison Medal. May is chairman and chief executive officer of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, which has raised nearly $500 million to restore those two national monuments. The Hutchison Medal is the highest honor the University gives to its alumni.

Commencement ceremonies for doctoral candidates from the College (Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences), Eastman School, Warner School, School of Medicine and Dentistry, and School of Nursing will be held on Saturday, May 13, at 10 a.m. in Eastman Theatre.

At this ceremony Emil Wolf, Wilson Professor of Optical Physics (who also holds the titles of professor of optics and professor of physics), will receive the University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. Wolf has served the University for over 40 years. Masatoshi Koshiba will be honored with a Rochester Distinguished Scholar Medal. Koshiba is professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and is a co-winner of the 2000 Wolf Prize in physics.

The Commencement ceremony for M.D. graduates of the School of Medicine and Dentistry will be held on Sunday, May 21, at 11 a.m. in Eastman Theatre. Samuel Thier, president and CEO of Partners HealthCare System, Inc., will deliver the Commencement address and receive an Honorary Doctor of Science degree.

The Simon School Commencement will take place on Sunday, June 11, at 10 a.m. in Eastman Theatre. John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group, Inc., and president of its Bogle Financial Markets Research Center, will deliver the Commencement address.

A total of 2,442 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees will be conferred at the Commencement ceremonies.

More information on Commencement can be obtained by checking out the University's Web site at www.rochester.edu/commencement.

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