From the Princeton Weeklyn Bulletin, June 9, 1997
"Legacies and Prophecies"
Princeton confers 1,088 bachelors and
606 graduate degrees on June 3
This is my 10th Commencement at Princeton," said President Shapiro from the platform in front of Nassau Hall, "and it's the first time there has been more color out there than there is up here." A ripple of laughter rose from the sea of orange ponchos worn by the students and guests seated on the Front Campus. It was grey, and it was cold, but it was graduation. The rain held off, and good humor prevailed.
Princeton conferred a total of 1,694 degrees -- 912 bachelors of arts, 176 bachelors of science in engineering, and 606 advanced degrees, in cluding 332 doctors of philosophy and 274 master's degrees. The valedictory address was delivered by Daniel Katz, a chemistry major who earned a certificate in materials science and engineering, and the Latin salutatory by Jessica Davis, an art and achaeology major in classical archaeology.
250th legacies
In his address to the graduating class, "Legacies and Prophecies," Shapiro recapitulated "some of the insights gleaned during this anniversary year. First, we have learned that every generation of faculty and students at Princeton leaves its own signature on the evolution of the University, a university which itself is in a constant process of renewing and redefining itself. . . .
"A second legacy of our 250th anniversary celebration was the reaffirmation of the absolute centrality of our commitment to sustain teaching programs of the very highest quality. . . . [W]e established a new set of teaching initiatives . . . designed to keep Princeton at the forefront of undergraduate and graduate education by supporting and encouraging our faculty, year in and year out, to develop new courses, to experiment with new approaches to teaching and with new uses of technology in the classroom. . . .
"A third legacy was the recognition that in our increasingly internationalized world, students, faculty and alumni would be ever more deeply involved with colleagues from all nations. . . . Expanding Princeton's international reach not only enriches the educational experiences in and out of the classroom but is essential if Princeton is to continue to achieve its aspirations for academic leadership in an increasingly global society. . . .
"A fourth important legacy of our 250th was a renewed determination to expand and enhance Princeton's commitment to community service. I especially commend your class for Challenge '97, a three-year mentoring partnership with Hedgepeth/Williams Middle School in Trenton. . . .
What the future means
"And now a note about the future that is before us and what it means to you as you take your place in the world." Citing his work on the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Shapiro pointed out, "This was not an assignment for which I had ever explicitly prepared." But he emphasized the importance of being ready to tackle such complex and unexpected topics.
"In the course of your lives and careers, you are likely to be asked to lead or participate in many such discussions of difficult issues. . . . You will be asked to draw upon all your knowledge and your insight, your capacity for critical thinking and your capacity to make moral judgments. I hope you have developed such skills and passions here at Princeton . . . I hope this for you both because it will make your lives fulfilling and because these are qualities the entire world urgently needs."