University of Massachusetts Boston
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University of Massachusetts Boston COMMENCEMENT 2010 ,... ;Sth-"0. f ~~ "; = ~ .z:c-~ "- FRIDAY, }UNE 4, 2010 The University Mace Symbols ofauthority and power, maces were originally hand weapons for use against armor. Traditionally carried in processions atformal academic events, they evoke the history and ideals ofthe institutions they represent. The staffof the University of Massachusetts Boston mace is fluted mahogany; its foot is brass. At its top, in a mahogany surround on a blue granite base, stands a bronze disk bearing the university seal, consisting ofthe arms ofMassachusetts encircled by the university's name and its date of founding, 1964. Reflecting the incorporation ofBoston State College into the university in 1982, the bronze sides ofthe seal's base bear the names and dates ofthat college and its five predecessor institutions, the first of which was founded in 1852. Academic Costume The academic regalia worn byfaculty and students at this ceremony represent traditions and Regalia that come down from the Middle Ages, when European universities were institutions of the church. At that time, robes were a common form ofdress, particularlyfor officials of church and state. The cut ofthe robe, its adornment, and the colors used comprised a specialized heraldry that conveyed the rank and station ofthe wearer. At the universities, both faculty and students were considered to be part ofthe church hierarchy and were expected to wear the prescribed gowns. As society moved toward more modern forms of dress, only royalty, clergy, judges, and academics retained the traditional regalia, reserving it onlyfor ceremonial use. Modern academic regalia retain some ofthe symbols ofthe earlier forms ofceremonial dress. The gown tends to be fullest, longest, and heaviest for the doctoral degree. The sleeves for the bachelor's and master's gowns are typically open at the wrist. Cuffs are more common on the doctoral gown, and its sleeves are adorned by three velvet strips, symbolic ofthe degree. The mantle worn about the shoulders, called the hood, is the remnant offunctional headgear worn for warmth in the unheated classrooms ofmedieval universities. Today its colors refer to the school that granted the degree and the level or discipline ofthe degree (e.g., navy blue for PhD, pink for music). The usual color for academic gowns in the United States is black. However, many universities in this country and many others throughout the world have adopted more colorful robes. In general, this practice has been limited to schools more than one hundred years old. Among the schools represented by colorful robes at commencement ceremonies are Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, New York, Oxford, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Tufts, and Yale Universities, and the Universities of California, Kansas, and Rhode Island. Honorary Degrees and the For centuries, universities have awarded honorary degrees as ways ofrecognizing Chancellor's Medal extraordinary achievement and affirming institutional values. Our own university's policy is typical: the recipients ofhonorary degrees "shall be persons ofgreat accomplishment and high ethical standards who exemplify the ideals ofthe University ofMassachusetts';· recipients may not, however, holdfederal or state elective office in Massachusetts. The Chancellor's Medal is a similarly high honor, presented to "distinguished leaders, both in the public and the private sectors, and to outstanding members ofour campus community, in recognition ofmeritorious service to the University and the Commonwealth." Please Note: This program is for ceremonial purposes. The official list ofgraduates is maintained by the university registrar. University of Massachusetts Boston COMMENCEMENT 2010 FRIDAY, jUNE 4, 2010 Campus Center Lawn University of Massachusetts Boston Boston, Massachusetts The Program J. Keith Motley, Chancellor, University ofMassachusetts Boston Presiding The Academic Procession Call to Order Maureen Scully, Associate Professor ofManagement The National Anthem Emily Smith, Class of2010 Welcome J. Keith Motley, Chancellor Greetings of the University Jack M. Wilson, President, University ofMassachusetts Philip W Johnston, University ofMassachusetts Board of Trustees Presentation of the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award to Robert Carter J. Keith Motley, Chancellor Presentation of the Chancellor's Distinguished Scholarship Award to Lloyd Schwartz ]. Keith Motley, Chancellor Presentation of the Chancellor's Distinguished Service Award to Peter Kiang ]. Keith Motley, Chancellor Presentation of the John F. Kennedy Award for Academic Excellence to Thao Xuan Do, Class of 2010 Winston Langley, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs University ofMassachusetts Boston Remarks on Behalf of the Class of 2010 ThaoXuanDo 2 Conferral of Honorary Degrees and the Chancellor's Medal upon Daisaku Ikeda Victoria Reggie Kennedy Edward J. Markey George A. Russell, Jr. Principal Address Victoria Reggie Kennedy Conferral of Doctoral Degrees Conferral of Master's Degrees, Graduate Certificates, and Bachelor's Degrees upon Students from The College of Liberal Arts The College of Management The College of Nursing and Health Sciences The College of Public and Community Service The College of Science and Mathematics The Graduate College of Education The John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies Induction of New Alumni Thao Xuan Do 'w, Kennedy Award Recipient William Walczak '79, President, Alumni Association Singing of "To UMass Boston" (See inside back cover for lyrics.) Concluding Remarks J. Keith Motley, Chancellor Recessional At the conclusion ofthe main ceremony, all graduates will proceed by college to individual diploma-presentation ceremonies. For details, please refer to the separate page that was distributed with this program. 3 Daisaku Ikeda Japanese national Daisal'U Ikeda is a widely respected Buddhist leader and educator who has Doctor ofHumane Letters spent most of his life working to build global peace. Early in life he metJosei Toda, a leader of the Buddhist community Soka Gakkai ("value-creating society") whose teaching and vision would come to have a formative influence on Mr. Ikeda's life. A proponent and practitioner of wide-ranging dialogue-his dialogue partners have included Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks-Mr. Ikeda has founded a number of cultural, educational, and peace research institutions around the world. These include Soka Gakkai International, a global network of some 12 million members that is considered to be the largest and most diverse international lay Buddhist association in the world today; the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research; and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. All are nonprofit institutes dedicated to cross-cultural, interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing a variety of issues. A prolific writer, Mr. Ikeda has published more than a hundred works on Buddhist philosophy, as well as biographical essays, poetry, children's stories, and photo collections. He calls education the culminating endeavor of his life, and he continues to develop networks of educational exchange and collaboration. More than twenty research institutes worldwide are dedicated to the study of his thinking. Since 1983, he has written a number of peace proposals, which include recommendations for strengthening the involvement of civil society-an essential element of an enduring peace, in his view. However, he also believes that peace relies as much on self-directed transformation within a person as on societal reforms. "A great inner revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation ... of all humankind;' he writes. We honor Daisaku Ikeda for his unflagging commitment to Buddhist ideals, and for making his own life and values rich sources of inspiration to many others working to bring about world peace. Victoria Reggie Kennedy Victoria Reggie Kennedy is an attorney and advocate for women, children, and families, Doctor ofLaws working with organizations in Massachusetts and Washington, DC, on issues such as homelessness, political disenfranchisement, health care, education, and domestic violence. Mrs. Kennedy practiced law in the private sector for seventeen years, with an emphasis on federal and state regulation of commercial banks and savings-and-loan institutions. She is a cofounder and a trustee of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston and is a member of the advisory board of the Edward M. Kennedy Oral History Project at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia. She is the founding president of Common Sense About Kids and Guns, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to reduce gun deaths and injuries to children in the United States. President Obama recently appointed her to the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and she is a member of the board of overseers of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She is on the boards of Catholic Democrats of Massachusetts and the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management. In 1994, 2000, and 2006, Mrs. Kennedy played an active role in the reelection campaigns of her late husband, Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA). In connection with the 1994 campaign, she created a Massachusetts Women's Council, which served as a model for political campaigns around