Stanford's 119th Commencement Weekend
More than 25,000 family members and friends gathered for Stanford's 119th Commencement Weekend. The keynote of Sunday's Commencement ceremony was an address by Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She spoke to the graduates who entered Stanford Stadium with the traditional Wacky Walk. Highlights on Saturday included the Baccalaureate address by Eboo Patel, executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core and the Class Day Lecture by Philosophy Professor Debra Satz, as well as graduation ceremonies for the Law School and the Graduate School of Business. Below are highlights of some of the events.
Commencement ceremony: Ambassador Rice tells Class of 2010 to fight poverty
Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Stanford history grad, '86, returned to the Farm on Sunday with a call to the graduates of 2010 to stay focused on public service as they embark on their careers. Sharing a sad story about a young boy she met in a refugee camp in Angola in 1995, Rice urged a continuing campaign to reduce the daily suffering endured by many around the world. "Some of us live in peace, freedom, and comfort while billions are condemned to conflict, poverty, and repression," she said. "These massive disparities erode our common security and corrode our common humanity." Fragile countries, she warned, are incubators of terrorism, pandemic disease, nuclear proliferation, criminal networks, climate change and genocide. On a lighter note, the ambassador told the grads, their families and friends why she has a special fondness for Stanford Stadium, where she spoke Sunday. "It happens to be the spot where my husband and I had our first romantic moment, she said. "It was just as the band was playing 'All Right Now.' But my kids are in the audience, so I’m not going to give you any more detail." Full story
Baccalaureate celebration: Eboo Patel urges the graduates to have one person in their lives who is a 'little bit crazy'
Eboo Patel told the Class of 2010 that he hoped each one of them would have at least one person in their lives who is "a little bit crazy." Speaking at Saturday morning's Baccalaureate ceremony on the Main Quad, Patel, executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, likened that person to St. Francis of Assisi or Don Quixote. "Who thinks that windmills can be giants," he said. "Who cannot pass a flock of birds without stopping to preach the Gospel. Someone willing to take on the Big Nurse so that the loony bin can watch the World Series. Someone who insists on lighting out for the territory ahead of the rest, because he can't stand the Aunt Sallies of civilization." The Baccalaureate, a multifaith celebration, began with a call to prayer with three strokes of a Buddhist singing bowl and ended with an energetic drumming song, "Whirlwind," played Stanford Taiko. In between were prayers and songs from many traditions. The audience recited "A Prayer of the Objibway Nation," which was printed on their programs, and listened as Talisman, a Stanford a cappella group, sang two songs, including the African American anthem "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing." There were readings from Christian, Sufi and Jewish perspectives. Full story
Class Day lecture: Some goods should never be for sale, Satz tells graduates
In her Class Day Lecture, philosophy Professor Debra Satz argued that "noxious" markets are a reflection of some of our most intractable problems and that they will not go away until we address the underlying issues. "Never forget there are some goods that markets do not honor and money cannot buy," she said. "Find these goods. Treasure them. But don't keep them to yourselves. Spread them around. … Take an interest in the lives of others." A highlight of Commencement Weekend for more than 40 years, the Senior Class Day lecture is given by a distinguished professor chosen by graduating students. Satz, the Marta Sutton Weeks Professor of Ethics in Society, is also the director of the Bowen H. McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society. Full story
Law School commencement: Graduates urged to use discretion and compassion
Professor Daniel Ho's own citizenship experience with a careless lawyer and a kind immigration examiner taught him a lesson he passed on to the Stanford Law graduates at a ceremony in Canfield Courtyard on Saturday. "The degree you are about to receive is a trust," Ho, an associate law professor and the Robert E. Paradise Faculty Fellow for Excellence in Teaching and Research, told the Class of 2010. "We trust you to exercise good judgment. To wield discretion with compassion. To employ law in advance of justice. To question the question marks." The class included 168 candidates for the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence and 22 candidates for Master of Laws degrees. Larry Kramer, the Richard E. Lang Professor and Dean of the Law School, honored the class and said: "I thank you for the mature and responsible way in which you handled the challenges of these years." Full story
Graduate School of Business commencement: Chase your dream Skoll advises
"Define your dream and chase it with as much rigor and authenticity as you can muster," entrepreneur and philanthropist Jeff Skoll advised Stanford Graduate School of Business 2010 graduates Saturday. "But while you're thinking about making money," said the first president of eBay and founder of Participant Media, "make sure you’re also thinking about making meaning. Money without meaning can be an unfulfilling life." The ceremony honored 351 students who received MBA degrees, 14 PhDs, 54 who earned the Sloan Master of Science Degree, and 3 Master of Arts in Business Research Degrees. Full story
Medical School commencement: The beginning of a new era in healthcare reform
Physicians can no longer be what they once were: individual craftsman. That was the message of writer/surgeon Atul Gawande, MD, whose work has influenced the healthcare debate. Speaking to the School of Medicine's 2010 graduating class Saturday, Gawande said that doctors must work together with a healthcare team to provide the best care for patients. Medical School Dean Philip Pizzo, MD, told the graduates, "it's up to you to make a difference." The year’s class included 100 medical students, 97 PhD candidates and 43 master’s of science graduates. Full Story
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