| Speakers set for ’06 commencement by sally acharya
Paul Volcker |
Donald Graham |
Michael Kahn |
Vanessa Ruiz |
Mother’s Day at AU is more than a time for flowers. It’s a time for mortarboards, family photos, proud moments—and, of course, a stroll across the stage to receive the long-anticipated diploma. The annual commencement ceremonies for most of AU’s schools and colleges will take place on Sunday, May 14. The Washington College of Law (WCL) will hold its graduation events a week later, on Sunday, May 21. The Washington Post’s chief executive officer, the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s artistic director, former Federal Reserve Board chair Paul Volcker, and Judge Vanessa Ruiz are slated to deliver the commencement addresses at AU’s 2006 ceremonies. Volcker will deliver the address to graduates of the School of Public Affairs (SPA) and Kogod. A familiar name throughout the 1980s, Volcker was appointed as chairman of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System by President Jimmy Carter and reappointed by Ronald Reagan. He served from 1979 to 1987 and is credited with being instrumental in ending a period of inflation. Volcker is former chairman of the Trilateral Commission and has taught at Princeton University. He is currently chairman of International House and cochairman of the Financial Services Volunteer Corps. The SPA and Kogod commencement ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m on Sunday, May 14. Washington Post chief executive officer and chairman of the board Donald Graham will deliver the address for students at the School of Communication (SOC) and School of International Service (SIS). The son of Washington Post publishers Philip and Katharine Graham, he served in Vietnam and as a patrolman on the Washington, D.C., police force before joining the Post as a reporter. Graham was elected a director of the Washing-ton Post Company in 1974 and served as president from May 1991 to September 1993. He is a trustee of the Federal City Council in Washington, D.C., and president of the District of Columbia College Access Program. The SOC and SIS commencement ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 14. The commencement address for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) will be delivered by award-winning theatre director Michael Kahn, artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. His productions have included such Shakespeare classics as Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, and Much Ado About Nothing as well as classics by Henrik Ibsen and others. He has also had a long career as an acting teacher, with students including William Hurt, Laura Linney, Harvey Keitel, Kevin Kline, Christopher Reeve, and Robin Williams. He’ll deliver the address to CAS graduates at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 14. The commencement ceremony for the Washington College of Law (WCL) will be held a week later, on May 21. The speaker will be Vanessa Ruiz, associate judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she has worked for a number of years as a lawyer before moving to the judiciary. She mentors Latino law students and has been named Hispanic National Bar Association Judge of the Year. For more information, see the commencement Web site, www.american.edu/commencement. |
