The University of Rochester will hold its 155th Commencement for graduates in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 15, on the Eastman Quadrangle on the River Campus. Honorary degrees will be presented to Robert B. Wegman, chairman of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.; Donna Lopiano, executive director of the Women’s Sports Foundation; and Luigi Lucherini, mayor of the city of Arezzo in Italy. Carl Schramm, president and chief executive officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will receive the Eastman Medal, which recognizes individuals who, through outstanding achievement and dedicated service, embody the high ideals for which the University stands.

In addition, other divisions with separate commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 15, are:

  • School of Nursing: 11 a.m., River Road Auditorium.

  • Eastman School of Music: 11:15 a.m., Eastman Theatre.

  • Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development: 11 a.m., Interfaith Chapel on the River Campus.

    Divisions holding individual commencement ceremonies on additional dates are:

  • School of Medicine and Dentistry, for master’s degree candidates: 4 p.m. Thursday, May 12, in the Memorial Art Gallery.

  • School of Medicine and Dentistry, for M.D. graduates: 4 p.m. Friday, May 13, Eastman Theatre.

  • Doctoral candidates from all divisions: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14, Eastman Theatre.

  • William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration: 10 a.m. Sunday, June 12, Eastman Theatre.

Highlights by Ceremony:

College Commencement

Robert Wegman, who will receive an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, is chairman of one of the country’s most successful food retailers. This year, Fortune magazine ranked Wegmans Food Markets in first place on its “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Wegmans also has received numerous industry awards for service, innovation, and excellence. The company has built a reputation for community outreach by sponsoring programs such as Wegmans Early Childhood Education and Work-Scholarship Connection. The company also contributes to neighborhood activities such as community festivals, conducts nutrition education programs, and contributes to food banks. Wegman is the recipient of the Educational Achievement Award from the State University of New York Council for University Affairs and Development in recognition of the company’s employee scholarship program.

Donna Lopiano, who will receive the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters, was named one of “The 100 Most Influential People in Sports” by The Sporting News. As director of women’s athletics at the University of Texas, she ensured that athletes made satisfactory academic progress toward their degrees while producing 18 national titles in six sports and 314 All-Americans. She also worked to achieve pay equity for the university’s female coaches. The author of dozens of publications, Lopiano is a member of the National Softball Hall of Fame, National Sports Hall of Fame, and the national honors committee of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In March, she was awarded the 2005 International Olympic Committee Women and Sport Trophy. As director of the Women’s Sports Foundation since 1992, Lopiano’s mission is to ensure compliance with Title IX throughout the country.

Luigi Lucherini, who will receive an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, was recently elected to a second five-year term as mayor of Arezzo. Under his leadership, the small city launched economic and civic development programs that placed it near the top of three national quality-of-living surveys of Italian cities. Lucherini’s cultural and educational initiatives include support for the College’s international programs in Arezzo. In addition to a semester-long study program, the University conducts summer excavations at an ancient Roman site in Arezzo; the city has provided equipment, legal and administrative support, and technical assistance for the archaeological program. An accomplished engineer, Lucherini has held a variety of leadership positions in national governmental and civic organizations.

Carl Schramm, the recipient of the Eastman Medal, was appointed president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2002. Under his leadership, the Foundation, a philanthropic organization that focuses on entrepreneurship and youth education, has introduced several new initiatives. The Kauffman Scholars program is designed to help promising, low-income urban students prepare for and complete a college education. The Kauffman Campuses program awards grants to colleges and universities, including the University of Rochester, to embed entrepreneurship across schools, disciplines, and research. Schramm is the cofounder of two health-related companies, HCIA and Patient Choice Healthcare. He is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Batten Fellow at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. A native of Syracuse, Schramm holds a bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne College, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Two faculty members will be honored by the College with teaching awards. Jack Mottley, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and associate dean for undergraduate programs in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, will receive the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. A member of the faculty since 1986, Mottley has been key in the expansion of the workshop model in the curriculum and created a biomedical engineering course in which seniors develop medical devices to assist people with disabilities.

Jeffrey Tucker. assistant professor of English, will receive the G. Graydon ’58 and Jane W. Curtis Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Nontenured Member of the Faculty. Since joining the faculty in 1999, Tucker has developed courses on African-American writers and thinkers in genres ranging from postmodern literature and drama to science fiction. He also has been praised for his contributions to the Early Connection Opportunity program for first-year undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds.

In addition, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences will present its Distinguished Alumnus Award to Robert E. Smith. Smith received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University in 1959 and will be honored at the School’s diploma ceremony. Smith was involved in the design and construction of the Ginna nuclear power plant, served on the National Nuclear Accrediting Board, was a charter member of the World Association of Nuclear Operators, and served on a U.S. delegation assisting the Soviets with designing new safety programs following the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

There are 936 candidates for a bachelor’s degree and 239 candidates for a master’s degree in the College.


School of Nursing Commencement Ceremony

Diana Mason, editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Nursing, is the commencement speaker.

There are 93 candidates for a bachelor’s degree and 56 candidates for a master’s degree in the School of Nursing.


Eastman School of Music Commencement Ceremony

Chuck Daellenbach will be the speaker. Daellenbach, who received his degrees from Eastman—bachelor’s degree in music in 1966, master’s in 1968, and Ph.D. in 1971—is a co-founder of and plays tuba with the Canadian Brass.

There are 99 candidates for a bachelor’s degree and 90 candidates for a master’s degree from the Eastman School.


Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development Commencement Ceremony

There are 86 candidates for master’s degrees from the Warner School.


School of Medicine and Dentistry M.D. Commencement Ceremony

Donald A. (D.A.) Henderson will be the commencement speaker and will receive the Hutchison Medal, the highest honor given to an alumnus in recognition of outstanding achievements and service to community, state, or nation.

Henderson, who received his medical degree from the University of Rochester in 1954, directed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global smallpox eradication campaign from 1966 to 1977. In 1998, he helped create the Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. After the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, Henderson was appointed the first director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2002.

There will be 101 M.D. degrees awarded by the School of Medicine and Dentistry.


School of Medicine and Dentistry Master’s Degree Commencement

Dr. Robert J. Joynt, former vice president and vice provost for health affairs at the University, will speak. He is also former dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry and past chair of the Department of Neurology, and holds the title of Distinguished University Professor.

There are 120 candidates for master’s degrees from the medical school.


Doctoral Degree Ceremony for all divisions

Harriet Kitzman, the Loretta C. Ford Professor of Nursing, will receive the University Award for Lifetime Achievement in Graduate Education. A faculty member of the University’s School of Nursing for almost 35 years, Kitzman is credited with helping create one of the first graduate programs in the nation to train nurse practitioners in primary care. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Distinguished Scholar in Nursing Award from New York University.

Eby Friedman, Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the University’s Center for Electronic Imaging Systems, will receive the University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. Since joining the faculty in 1991, Friedman helped increase and create unique research opportunities for students. He has authored or edited seven books and written more than 280 papers and book chapters while mentoring and supervising the work of 15 graduate students.

The Rochester Distinguished Scholar Medal, awarded to doctoral graduates who have gone on to distinguished careers in academia, industry, or government, will be presented to Kenneth French and Edward Grabowski. French, an economist who received his doctorate in finance at the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, is recognized internationally for his investigations into the behavior of security prices and investment strategies. His work has appeared in such prestigious journals as the Journal of Finance, the American Economic Review, the Journal of Business, and the Journal of Financial Economics.

Grabowski joined Merck Research Laboratories after receiving his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University in 1965. In his 40-year career with Merck and Co., he authored or co-authored more than 100 research publications, was listed as inventor or co-inventor on nearly 40 patents, and presented at conferences, universities, and industrial research laboratories throughout the world. Grabowski presently chairs the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund’s Advisory Board and the Worcester Polytechnic Advisory Board.

A total of 221 doctoral degrees (Ph.D., D.M.A., Ed.D.) will be awarded at the Saturday morning ceremony.


William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration Commencement

The Simon School’s commencement ceremonies are traditionally held every June.