Photograph: The commencement robes of the honorary degree candidates being delivered Monday to Low Library. Photo Credit: Joe Piniero.
Commencement exercises next Wed., May 17, will mark the conclusion of Columbia's 241st year.
President Rupp will deliver his second commencement address and will confer degrees on more than 8,000 graduates of the University's 15 schools, Barnard College and Teachers College in exercises on Low Plaza beginning at 10:30 A.M.
Individual schools have planned additional commencement week activities for their graduating classes.
Three Broadcasters
Among the speakers, honorees and visitors on campus during commencement week will be U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Madeleine K. Albright, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown, former Columbia Trustees Chairman Samuel L. Higginbottom, U. S. Attorney Eric Holder, Teachers College Trustees Chairman Thomas W. Evans, Harvard Professor Robert Coles and broadcasters Tom Brokaw, Charles Kuralt and Robert MacNeil.
Commencement week begins Sun., May 14, with the Baccalaureate Service, an interdenominational religious observance beginning at 4:00 P.M. in St. Paul's Chapel.
The ceremony, planned by students, staff and religious counselors of Earl Hall Center, is open to all bachelor's degree candidates who will graduate Wednesday from Columbia College, Barnard College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of General Studies and the School of Nursing.
Delivering this year's Baccalaureate address will be Rabbi Charles Sheer, who is marking his 25th year as Columbia's Jewish chaplain.
Performing will be the Barnard-Columbia Chorus, directed by Gail Archer, the Barnard-Columbia Gospel Choir, directed by Dorothy Cunningham and Vandalyn Kennedy, and the Choir of St. Paul's Chapel, directed by George Stauffer.
The Chorus and Choir will sing "The Heavens are Telling," from Franz Joseph Haydn's The Creation. The benediction will be delivered by the Reverend H. Scott Matheney, the Columbia Presbyterian chaplain and acting director of the Earl Hall Center.
Commencement exercises are expected to draw tens of thousands of students, parents, friends and alumni, who will watch the proceedings from rows of seats stretching from Low Plaza to Butler Library.
Marshals will lead the graduates and anniversary alumni classes as they proceed to their seats; head marshal for candidate procession will be John P. Rohan, professor of physical education, and head marshal for the academic procession will be Georgiana Jagiello, the Virgil C. Damon Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Other head marshals include Edmund J. Sullivan, director of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association; Stephen G. Berry, director of Print and Mail Services; Kenneth Torrey, professor of physical education; Peter J. Awn, professor of religion; Aaron Schneider, dean of students at Barnard; Emmett S. Watson, director of planned giving for the office of University development and alumni relations, and Brian. E. Bodine, administrative coordinator, intercollegiate athletics.
Martha Howell, professor of history, will preside for the first time, and the invocation will be delivered by Rabbi Meshulem Dickman, the father of SEAS senior Menashe Dickman. The benediction will be delivered by the Reverend Alfonso A. Narvaez, the father of Columbia College senior Alicia Isabel Narvaez.
Honorary hood marshals are selected each year from the 25th and 50th anniversary classes. This year's marshals are Ezra P. Grossman CC '70 and Harold Samelson CC '45.
Alumni Federation
After the ceremonies, the Alumni Federation will hold its 96th Commencement Day Luncheon at 12:45 P.M. in Low Rotunda, following a 12:15 P.M. reception in the Faculty Room.
Alumni medals will be presented by John A. Grammer Jr. SIPA '63, chairman of the 1995 Alumni Medal Committee, at a post-luncheon program at 1:45 P.M.
Madeleine K. Albright MA '68 and Ph.D. '76, the U.S. Representative to the United Nations, will be the keynote speaker. Also speaking will be Peter a. Basilevsky CC '67 and Law '72, president, Columbia University Alumni Federation, and Rupp.
Alumni medal recipients will be Ellen Davidson Baer, Nursing '62; David T.W. Chiu, P & S '73; Carol Herman Cohen, BC '59 and MA '61; Frances Perlman Freedman, Social Work '82; Richard J. Greenwald, CC '41; Mark N. Kaplan, CC '51 and Law '53; Laurans A. Mendelson, CC '60 and Business '61; Catherine S. Michelson, BC '71, SIPA '73, and Business '78; Florence Van Veen Peavy, GS '47, and Henry Schneider, Law '34.
The following is the schedule of school events:
Columbia College
Class Day exercises for the seniors will be held Tuesday, at 10:00 A.M., on South Field. Tom Brokaw, anchor and managing editor of the NBC Nightly News, will give the Class Day address. Other speakers include Bryonn R. Bain, president of the Class of 1995; Allyson B. Baker, president of the Columbia College Student Body; Vikram Kenneth Jaswal, class salutatorian; Roger Lehecka CC '67, dean of students; Martin S. Kaplan, CC '61, president of the Alumni Association; Steven Marcus, CC '48, dean of Columbia College and vice president for arts and sciences; Jonathan Robert Nowitz, class valedictorian, and President Rupp. Harry Boardman, CC '45, and Harold Samelson, CC '45, will present class pins.
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Class Day will be held Tuesday, at 7:00 P.M. in Levien Gym. Guest speaker will be Samuel L. Higginbottom, CC '43 and SEAS '43, Chairman Emeritus of the Trustees of Columbia University. Dean of students Chris Columbo will give the introductory remarks and acting dean Don Goldfarb will present awards. Rishi Gupta, the class president, will present the class gift. The graduating class will be presented by Gregory Basso, SEAS '68, president of the school's alumni association. Diplomas will be distributed following commencement. The Engineering School, in keeping with tradition, will announce its salutatorian and valedictorian at Class Day.
School of General Studies
Phi Beta Kappa ceremonies will be held Sunday, 5:30 P.M., in 308 Lewisohn. Class Day will be held at 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday in the Kathryn Bache Miller Theatre, followed by a reception in 307 Lewisohn. Speakers will include Acting Dean Gillian Lindt and class valedictorian Peter Vignoles, a mathematics major. After Commencement, the General Studies Alumni Association will hold a reception in Lewisohn Lounge, where diplomas will be distributed.
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
After Commencement, the school will hold a buffet luncheon in the courtyard between Avery and Fayerweather. At 2:00 P.M., Dean Bernard Tschumi will present diplomas and awards in St. Paul's Chapel. An exhibition of selected student work will open May 13 at 6:00 P.M., and will be on view in the galleries of Buell and Avery Halls until May 26.
School of the Arts
The presentation of diplomas will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Wednesday in the Kathryn Bache Miller Theatre. Dean Smith will give the dean's valedictory address and award-winning playwright Tony Kushner will deliver the guest address. A reception for students and guests will follow in the lobby of Dodge Hall.
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
A convocation will be held at 3:30 P.M. on Tuesday in St. Paul's Chapel for all doctoral and D.M.A. candidates and their invited guests. The speakers will include Eduardo R. Macagno, dean of the faculty; Elaine R. Sisman, professor of music; Claire F. Ullman, Ph.D. candidate in political science; and President Rupp. A reception will follow the convocation at 5:30 P.M. on Philosophy Hall lawn. A reception will be held after Commencement in 301 Philosophy.
Columbia Business School
On Monday at 5:30 P.M., there will be a reception for graduates and guests in Watson Library of Uris Hall. Following the reception there will be a ceremony in Dodge Gymnasium. The guest speaker will be Russell L. Carson MBA '67, a general partner in Welsh, Carson, Anderson, & Stowe. The MBA student speaker will be Joshua G. Getzler.
School of International and Public Affairs
A ceremony honoring graduates will be held Tuesday at 2:30 P.M. Ancell Plaza. This year's guest speaker will be Ronald Brown, U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Following Commencement a reception will be held on the sixth floor of the International Affairs Building and diplomas will be distributed.
School of Journalism
Journalism Day for graduates of the class of 1995 will begin at 10:00 P.M., Tuesday, in the World Room of the Journalism Building. Opening remarks will be delivered by Dean Joan Konner and the annual Pringle Lecture will be delivered by James C. Warren, associate managing editor of the Washington Bureau of the Chicago Tribune. The Mike Berger Award and the Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award will be presented, along with 22 student awards. On Wednesday, at 3:30 P.M., a diploma ceremony will take place at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. The Columbia Journalism Award will be presented to recently-retired CBS broadcast journalist Charles Kuralt. A reception will follow at the Synod House on the cathedral grounds.
School of Law
A ceremony will take place on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M. at Carnegie Hall, where Eric Holder, Law '76, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, will deliver the address. The Distinguished Achievement Award will be presented to Bernard B. Jacobs, Law '40, president of the Shubert Foundation, and the Willis Reese Prize for Excellence in Teaching will be given to Anne Alstott, associate professor at Columbia Law School. Diplomas will be distributed at a reception following Commencement on Revson Plaza in front of the Law School.
School of Social Work
Diplomas will be presented at a ceremony Wednesday, at 2:30 P.M., in Levien Gymnasium. The main speaker will be Alice P. Lin, a senior fellow at Duke University Center for Health Policy Research and Education. A reception will follow in the Old Gym of Dodge Fitness Center.
School of Nursing
Graduation ceremonies for the 101st School of Nursing class will be held on Wednesday, at 5:00 P.M., at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center Garden. The keynote speaker will be Robert MacNeil, executive editor of the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour. A reception will follow the ceremonies.
College of Physicians and Surgeons
A graduation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, at 2:30 P.M., at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center Garden. Opening remarks will be given by Herbert Pardes, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Faculty of Medicine. The keynote speaker will be Robert Coles, research psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry and medical humanities at Harvard. A reception will be held at Bard Hall Lounge, at 4:30 P.M.
School of Public Health
Graduation ceremonies will take place at 4:30 P.M. in Alumni Auditorium. Pardes will make opening remarks, and the keynote speaker will be David Satcher, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A reception will be held at 6:00 P.M. at Riverview Lounge, 4th Floor, Hammer Health Sciences Building.
Program in Physical Therapy
A ceremony will take place at 2:00 P.M. in Room 401, Hammer Health Sciences Building. George J. Davies, professor of physical therapy at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, will be the keynote speaker. At 4:00 P.M., a reception for graduates and guests will be held on the first floor of Baldwin Hall, Milstein Hospital Building.
Programs in Occupational Therapy
A ceremony will take place at 2:00 P.M. in Alumni Auditorium. Karen Jacobs, vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association, will present an address titled, "Managing Through Change." At 4:00 P.M., a reception for graduates and guests will be held on the first floor of Baldwin Hall, Milstein Hospital Building.
School of Dental and Oral Surgery
A ceremony for graduates will be held on Thursday, at 11:00 P.M., at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center Garden. The keynote address will be delivered by Enid A. Needle, a professor emeritus of pharmacology at NYU. The title of his address is "Doctor, Doctor: How Does Your Garden Grow?" A reception will take place at 1:00 P.M. at Bard Hall Lounge.
Barnard College
The graduation of Barnard's 103rd class will take place on Tuesday, at 2:30 P.M. on Lehman Lawn. President Judith R. Shapiro will preside. Madeleine K. Albright, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, is the keynote speaker and will receive the Barnard Medal of Distinction, the College's highest honor. Three other individuals will receive the same award at the ceremony. They are Derek Bok, former president of Harvard; Sissela Bok, ethicist, author and professor of philosophy; and Rosemary Park Anastos, educator and former president of Barnard (1962-1967).
Teachers College
A convocation for the graduates will be held in Riverside Church, at 2:30 P.M. on Wednesday. The graduates will march from Teachers College to The Riverside Church, led by Robert Alan Liftig, Ed. D. '83, a member of the Teachers College Alumni Council. The speakers include Thomas W. Evans, chairman of the Trustees of Teachers College; John Attinger, president of the Teachers College Student Senate, and Arthur E. Levine, president of Teachers College. Teachers College Medals will be awarded to Fred W. Friendly, Edward R. Murrow Professor Emeritus of Journalism of Columbia; Deborah H. Meier, codirector of the Coalition Campus Schools Project and Senior Fellow of the Annenberg Institute at Brown, and Robert P. Moses, founder and president of the Algebra Project Inc.
