Princeton Weekly Bulletin June 8, 1998
Gaudeamus!
Princeton conferred 1,730 degrees at its 251st Commencement on June 2.
A total of 583 men and 527 women in the graduating senior class received 930 AB degrees and 180 BSEs, and four members of earlier classes also received degrees. The 616 advanced degrees included 264 PhDs and 352 master's degrees. Valedictorian Andrew Neitzke and salutatorian Jacob Rasmussen both received ABs in math.
Shapiro articulates vision of service
President Shapiro's address to the graduating seniors began with a reference to the Commencement of 1760, when Samuel Davies gave ''what contemporary observers thought to be a splendid two-hour oration!''
Speaking much more briefly, Shapiro reflected upon ''the inescapable struggle between ''the magnetic power of our habits and our memories'' and ''the ever-present reality of change and transformation.''
He encouraged the graduates to act on ''enduring notions of public duty and responsibility'' in their lives after college, and he articulated an ''expansive'' vision of service that included ''making a positive difference to our families by supporting the enduring human ideals that sustain them ... bring[ing] integrity and excellence to our chosen professions or institutions ... constructing ever larger circles of empathy for those different from us ... [and] protecting the earth's environment and promoting the equitable allocation of the planet's resources,'' as well as ''thoughtful involvement in domestic, foreign or international public service.''
In parting, he said, ''Those of us who remain here on campus ... hope that as you commence into a new century of amazing possibilities, your visions of service and your commitments to the wellbeing of others will be clear and compelling and will guide you through all kinds of human endeavors 'in the nation's service and in the service of all nations.'''
Honorary doctors
Honorary degrees were conferred at Commencement on Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president of the AFL-CIO (pictured), the first person of color to hold executive office in that organization and the highest ranking woman in American labor; South African playwright, actor and director Athol Fugard, who has twice been a visiting professor in the Program in Theater and Dance; psychologist and educator Howard Gardner, author of Leading Minds, known for his theory of multiple intelligences; Robert Kahn, one of the founders of the Internet, now president of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives; Matthew Perry, South Carolina Senior U.S. District Judge, the first and only African American to hold that position in South Carolina; and John Tukey, Donner Professor of Science, Emeritus, first chair of the Department of Statistics and a key architect of the information age.
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