The University of Rochester's commencement for graduates in the College (arts, sciences, and engineering) and the School of Nursing will be held at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 19, on the Eastman Quadrangle on River Campus.
James O. Freedman, president emeritus of Dartmouth College and past president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Paul Horn, senior vice president and director of research for IBM Corporation, are the speakers for the ceremony for the bachelor's and master's degree candidates. Freedman will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Horn will be presented with the Hutchison Medal, the highest honor the University gives its alumni.
Separate commencement ceremonies are scheduled that day for students receiving their bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music and their master's degrees from the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
The Eastman ceremony will be held at 11:15 a.m. in Eastman Theatre. Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist Ron Carter is the school's commencement speaker and will receive the Hutchison Medal.
The ceremony for students in the Warner School will be held at 11:15 a.m. in the Interfaith Chapel on the River Campus. Graduate student Lorraine Gianvecchio will speak.
Earlier that weekend, commencement ceremonies for doctoral candidates from all divisions will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, in Eastman Theatre.
The commencement ceremony for M.D. graduates of the School of Medicine and Dentistry will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 26, in Eastman Theatre. Dr. John W. Rowe, chairman, president, and CEO of Aetna Inc., will give the address and will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Rowe received his medical degree from the University of Rochester in 1970 and is known nationally for his work in geriatric medicine.
The School of Medicine and Dentistry will hold commencement ceremonies for its master's degree candidates at 4 p.m. Friday, May 17, in Adolph Auditorium at the Medical Center.
The William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration commencement will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 16, in Eastman Theatre.
Degrees to be awarded in all schools: 2,359 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees
Highlights by Ceremony
College (arts, sciences, and engineering) and School of Nursing Commencement Ceremony for Bachelor's and Master's Degree Candidates
When: 9 a.m. Sunday, May 19 Where: Eastman Quadrangle, River Campus
Speakers are James O. Freedman, recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, and Paul Horn, recipient of the Hutchison Medal.
Freedman is president emeritus of Dartmouth College and past president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also served as dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and president of the University of Iowa. He is the recipient of the William O. Douglas First Amendment Freedom Award from the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith and the Frederic W. Ness Book Award of the Association of Law and Higher Education. Freedman is considered one of the nation's most distinguished educational leaders and is a vocal champion of liberal arts education. In his 1996 book, Idealism and Liberal Education, he stressed the valuable role of a liberal arts education in nurturing the skills students need to be leaders in their communities and the nation.
As senior vice president of the IBM Corporation and director of research, Horn is responsible for overseeing the worldwide efforts of 3,000 technical employees to solve real world technology problems and translate research innovations to the marketplace. Horn received his Ph.D. in physics from the University in 1973 and has published approximately 100 papers in condensed matter physics. Prior to joining IBM in 1979, Horn was assistant and associate professor in the physics department and the James Franck Institute at the University of Chicago. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the recipient of its 2002 Pake Prize.
There will also be two teaching awards presented to University Faculty. Rita D'Aoust, senior associate in the School of Nursing, will receive the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She has worked on developing two new accelerated programs for non-nurses who already have baccalaureate degrees in other programs and is a recipient of the school's Nursing Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Randall Halle, assistant professor of German in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, will receive the G. Graydon Curtis and Jane W. Curtis Award for Nontenured Faculty Teaching. Besides German, Halle teaches courses in comparative literature, film studies, women's studies, and visual and cultural studies, and has sponsored such extracurricular activities as a series of roundtables on global conflict in response to the events of September 11.
There are a total of 1,218 candidates for bachelor's and master's degrees from the College and the School of Nursing.
Eastman School of Music Commencement Ceremony for Bachelor's and Master's Degree Candidates
When: 11:15 a.m. Sunday, May 19 Where: Eastman Theatre
Jazz bassist Ron Carter, who was described by Down Beat magazine as the "epitome of jazz elegance and rectitude" and a master of improvisation, is the speaker and will receive the Hutchison Medal. Carter earned his bachelor's degree at Eastman in 1959. He was a member of Miles Davis' legendary quintet, performed with Cannonball Adderley, Thelonious Monk, Lionel Hampton, and others, and has won Grammy Awards for jazz composition and jazz performance. He is Distinguished Professor of Music at the City College of New York.
There are 223 candidates for bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music.
Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development Commencement Ceremony for Master's Candidates
When: 11:15 a.m. Sunday, May 19 Where: Interfaith Chapel, River Campus
A total of 67 candidates will receive their master's degrees from the Warner School in the Sunday morning ceremony. Lorraine Gianvecchio, who will be conferred her Ph.D. in education in the doctoral ceremonies on Saturday, will speak to the graduates. Gianvecchio was a Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Fellow, one of the most prestigious fellowships held by Ph.D. students at the University.
Doctoral Degree Ceremony for all divisions
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18 Where: Eastman Theatre
There will be 208 doctoral degrees awarded at the Saturday morning ceremony. The ceremony also includes presentation of the graduate teaching award and the Rochester Distinguished Scholar Award, presented to doctoral graduates who have gone on to a distinguished career in academia, industry, or government.
The University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching will be presented to Michael K. Tanenhaus, professor of brain and cognitive sciences and of linguistics. A faculty member since 1983, Tanenhaus teaches courses in psycholinguistics and language and reading comprehension.
Lillian M. Nail, who received her Ph.D. from the School of Nursing in 1985, will receive the Rochester Distinguished Scholar Award. Known for her work in psychosocial oncology, Nail is presently the Dr. May E. Rawlinson Endowed Professor of Nursing/Senior Scientist at the Oregon Health and Sciences University and a member of the Oregon Cancer Institute.
Bruce R. Smith, who received his Ph.D. in English from the University in 1973, will also be honored with the Rochester Distinguished Scholar Award. Professor of English at Georgetown University, Smith is recognized for his influential scholarship in the field of English Renaissance literature and culture and for his pioneering book in the cultural history of hearing, The Acoustic World of Early Modern England.
School of Medicine and Dentistry M.D. Commencement Ceremony
When: 11 a.m. Sunday, May 26 Where: Eastman Theatre
Dr. John W. Rowe, chairman, president, and chief executive office of Aetna Inc., will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree and will speak to the 115 graduates receiving their M.D. degrees. Rowe received his medical degree from Rochester in 1970. Prior to joining Aetna in 2000, Rowe was president and chief executive office of Mount Sinai NYU Health, one of the nation's largest health care organizations. Internationally recognized for his research and health policy efforts for the care of the elderly, Rowe was a founding director of Harvard Medical School's Division on Aging.
School of Medicine and Dentistry Master's Degree Commencement
When: 4 p.m. Friday, May 17 Where: Adolph Auditorium, Medical Center Room 1-7619
There are 80 candidates for master's degrees from the medical school.
William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration Commencement
When: 10 a.m. Sunday, June 16 Where: Eastman Theatre
The Simon School commencement ceremony for master's candidates is traditionally held in June.