UMass Dartmouth Commencement May 27
U.S. Senator John F. Kerry will deliver the main address at UMass Dartmouth's 107th Commencement Exercises to be held Sunday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m. in the Vietnam Veterans Peace Memorial Amphitheater.
U.S. Senator John F. Kerry will deliver the main address at UMass Dartmouth's 107th Commencement Exercises to be held Sunday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m. in the Vietnam Veterans Peace Memorial Amphitheater.
Sen. Kerry will also be presented with the Chancellor's Medal in honor of his service to the region, Commonwealth and nation.
Honorary degrees will be conferred upon:
- Teresa Heinz Kerry, chairman of the Heinz Family Philanthropies;
- Edmund Barry Gaither, Director and Curator of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists;
- Robert P. Lawrence, pastor of the First Congregational Church in Fall River; and
- Julie Moir Messervy, landscape designer and author
The main ceremony will be followed by College ceremonies at the following locations, during which each graduate will have their name read:
- Arts & Sciences: Amphitheater
- Business: Between lecture halls and Charlton College of Business
- Engineering: Upper Quad between Group I and Group II.
- Nursing: Main Auditorium
- Visual and Performing Arts: Behind Group VI
Maps are available at www.massd.edu/commencement
CLASS OF 2007 FACTS
The Class of 2007 includes 1,764 students, including 1,457 undergraduates, 304 master's degree students, and three doctoral candidates. The 1,764-member class is 15 percent larger than the class of 2006.
The class came to UMass Dartmouth from 16 countries, 21 states, and 231 Massachusetts communities.
The youngest member of the class is 20. The oldest will be celebrating his 77nd birthday in October.
The class contributed thousands of hours of service to communities near and far, including 6,000 hours of reading tutoring for New Bedford children.
ABOUT UMASS DARTMOUTH
UMass Dartmouth is part of the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. Founded in 1895, the university is a public institution with a proud history of making high quality education accessible and providing research and service that strengthens the economy and culture of the region and the Commonwealth. Located in southeastern Massachusetts (one hour from Boston, 30 minutes from Providence), the main campus was designed by eminent architect Paul Rudolph and is situated on 710 wooded acres. The university also has several satellite campuses in nearby Fall River, New Bedford and Fairhaven.
The university comprises five colleges-the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Charlton College of Business, the College of Nursing, and the College of Visual & Performing Arts-as well as the School for Marine Sciences and Technology. UMass Dartmouth offers more than 70 fields of study, with minors in more than 30 areas. There are a total of 8,800 students, which includes nearly 1,000 graduate students.
BIOGRAPHIES: HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS
Senator John F. Kerry
Sen. Kerry and Mrs. Heinz recently released This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future, a book that celebrates environmental innovators, with the proceeds of the sales going to environmental causes. Sen. Kerry served two tours of duty in Vietnam. On his second tour, he volunteered to serve on a Swift Boat in the river deltas, one of the most dangerous assignments of the war. For his leadership, courage, and sacrifice under fire, he was decorated with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1982. In that office, he organized the nation's governors to combat the acid rain that was polluting lakes, rivers, and the nation's water supply. Two years later, he was elected to the United States Senate and he has won reelection three-times since. He is now serving his fourth term, after winning again in 2002 by the largest margin in Massachusetts history. In 2004, he earned the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.
Teresa Heinz Kerry
Mrs. Heinz and Sen. Kerry recently released This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future, a book that celebrates environmental innovators. As chairman of the Heinz Family Philanthropies, Mrs. Heinz is a philanthropic innovator. She is a leader in the movement to approach philanthropy as venture capital-requiring accountability, leveraging resources, taking risks, and using collaborative responses to conquer complex challenges. But she also cares deeply and passionately about empowering people. She has done pioneering work on women's retirement security and designed strategies to help guarantee that every person over 65 has access to affordable prescription-drug coverage.
Edmund Barry Gaither
Since 1969, Edmund Barry Gaither has been Director and Curator of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA), and Special Consultant at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. At the MFA, he has served as curator for eight exhibitions including Afro-American Artists: New York and Boston, a ground breaking show of l970. For the NCAAA, he developed the Museum from a concept to an institution with collections exceeding three thousand objects and a 32-year history of exhibitions celebrating the visual arts heritage of black people worldwide.
Robert P. Lawrence
Rev. Robert P. Lawrence, the senior minister of the First Congregational Church in Fall River since 1985, has been an inspirational fixture of the South Coast civic community for more than three decades. Rev. Lawrence is completing a 50-year ministry, having served churches in Little Compton, Rhode Island and Fall River, Massachusetts and was responsible for beginning the Pastoral Care Department at the SouthCoast Hospitals - Charlton site. He is a trustee on three charitable foundations and serves on the boards of 18 community organizations. He has received 19 community awards for his involvement in getting 2,300 guns off of the streets of Fall River and providing cash awards for illegal weapons.
Julie Moir Messervy
Julie Moir Messervy's vision for composing gardens of beauty and meaning is furthering the evolution of landscape design and changing the way people think about their outdoor surroundings. With more than two decades of experience, four books and numerous high-profile lectures, Messervy has emerged as a leader of a movement in which landscape design is as much a personal journey as it is leaving a unique imprint upon the earth. She has inspired a new generation of landscape designers, homeowners and others to create soulful gardens that reflect an inward vision deeply rooted in outdoor archetypes, childhood imagination and aesthetic impulses.
MEDIA: KEY PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
1. Chancellor MacCormack and President Wilson presenting the Chancellor's Medal to U.S. Senator John F. Kerry for this service to the region, Commonwealth, and nation.
2. Presentation of honorary degrees to distinguished recipients. (See biographies)
3. Dieter and Pamela Kramsch, husband and wife, of Falmouth, receiving anthropology and nursing degrees, respectively. Dieter, 76, is the oldest member of the Class of 2007.
MEDIA DETAILS
REGISTRATION
Due to the expected large crowd, it is important that all media planning to cover the event send us their names and affiliations by Friday so we can properly plan to accommodate them. To register, please contact Kathy Beals at 508.999.8015 or kbeals@umassd.edu.
ARRIVAL TIME
All media planning to cover the commencement are encouraged to arrive by 9:30 a.m. and check in at the media check-in post inside the entrance to the amphitheater on the bell tower side.
CREDENTIALS
All media covering the commencement should have their media IDs in plain view at all times. This will allow access to some areas where the general public is not allowed.
PARKING
Special parking for media who have registered will be available at the top of Lot 6 behind the Foster Administration Building. Police officers will have the list of media who have registered and allow them to park in this lot.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information on Commencement, including maps, is available at
www.umassd.edu/commencement.
Sen. Kerry will also be presented with the Chancellor's Medal in honor of his service to the region, Commonwealth and nation.
Honorary degrees will be conferred upon:
- Teresa Heinz Kerry, chairman of the Heinz Family Philanthropies;
- Edmund Barry Gaither, Director and Curator of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists;
- Robert P. Lawrence, pastor of the First Congregational Church in Fall River; and
- Julie Moir Messervy, landscape designer and author
The main ceremony will be followed by College ceremonies at the following locations, during which each graduate will have their name read:
- Arts & Sciences: Amphitheater
- Business: Between lecture halls and Charlton College of Business
- Engineering: Upper Quad between Group I and Group II.
- Nursing: Main Auditorium
- Visual and Performing Arts: Behind Group VI
Maps are available at www.massd.edu/commencement
CLASS OF 2007 FACTS
The Class of 2007 includes 1,764 students, including 1,457 undergraduates, 304 master's degree students, and three doctoral candidates. The 1,764-member class is 15 percent larger than the class of 2006.
The class came to UMass Dartmouth from 16 countries, 21 states, and 231 Massachusetts communities.
The youngest member of the class is 20. The oldest will be celebrating his 77nd birthday in October.
The class contributed thousands of hours of service to communities near and far, including 6,000 hours of reading tutoring for New Bedford children.
ABOUT UMASS DARTMOUTH
UMass Dartmouth is part of the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. Founded in 1895, the university is a public institution with a proud history of making high quality education accessible and providing research and service that strengthens the economy and culture of the region and the Commonwealth. Located in southeastern Massachusetts (one hour from Boston, 30 minutes from Providence), the main campus was designed by eminent architect Paul Rudolph and is situated on 710 wooded acres. The university also has several satellite campuses in nearby Fall River, New Bedford and Fairhaven.
The university comprises five colleges-the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Charlton College of Business, the College of Nursing, and the College of Visual & Performing Arts-as well as the School for Marine Sciences and Technology. UMass Dartmouth offers more than 70 fields of study, with minors in more than 30 areas. There are a total of 8,800 students, which includes nearly 1,000 graduate students.
BIOGRAPHIES: HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS
Senator John F. Kerry
Sen. Kerry and Mrs. Heinz recently released This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future, a book that celebrates environmental innovators, with the proceeds of the sales going to environmental causes. Sen. Kerry served two tours of duty in Vietnam. On his second tour, he volunteered to serve on a Swift Boat in the river deltas, one of the most dangerous assignments of the war. For his leadership, courage, and sacrifice under fire, he was decorated with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1982. In that office, he organized the nation's governors to combat the acid rain that was polluting lakes, rivers, and the nation's water supply. Two years later, he was elected to the United States Senate and he has won reelection three-times since. He is now serving his fourth term, after winning again in 2002 by the largest margin in Massachusetts history. In 2004, he earned the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.
Teresa Heinz Kerry
Mrs. Heinz and Sen. Kerry recently released This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future, a book that celebrates environmental innovators. As chairman of the Heinz Family Philanthropies, Mrs. Heinz is a philanthropic innovator. She is a leader in the movement to approach philanthropy as venture capital-requiring accountability, leveraging resources, taking risks, and using collaborative responses to conquer complex challenges. But she also cares deeply and passionately about empowering people. She has done pioneering work on women's retirement security and designed strategies to help guarantee that every person over 65 has access to affordable prescription-drug coverage.
Edmund Barry Gaither
Since 1969, Edmund Barry Gaither has been Director and Curator of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA), and Special Consultant at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. At the MFA, he has served as curator for eight exhibitions including Afro-American Artists: New York and Boston, a ground breaking show of l970. For the NCAAA, he developed the Museum from a concept to an institution with collections exceeding three thousand objects and a 32-year history of exhibitions celebrating the visual arts heritage of black people worldwide.
Robert P. Lawrence
Rev. Robert P. Lawrence, the senior minister of the First Congregational Church in Fall River since 1985, has been an inspirational fixture of the South Coast civic community for more than three decades. Rev. Lawrence is completing a 50-year ministry, having served churches in Little Compton, Rhode Island and Fall River, Massachusetts and was responsible for beginning the Pastoral Care Department at the SouthCoast Hospitals - Charlton site. He is a trustee on three charitable foundations and serves on the boards of 18 community organizations. He has received 19 community awards for his involvement in getting 2,300 guns off of the streets of Fall River and providing cash awards for illegal weapons.
Julie Moir Messervy
Julie Moir Messervy's vision for composing gardens of beauty and meaning is furthering the evolution of landscape design and changing the way people think about their outdoor surroundings. With more than two decades of experience, four books and numerous high-profile lectures, Messervy has emerged as a leader of a movement in which landscape design is as much a personal journey as it is leaving a unique imprint upon the earth. She has inspired a new generation of landscape designers, homeowners and others to create soulful gardens that reflect an inward vision deeply rooted in outdoor archetypes, childhood imagination and aesthetic impulses.
MEDIA: KEY PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
1. Chancellor MacCormack and President Wilson presenting the Chancellor's Medal to U.S. Senator John F. Kerry for this service to the region, Commonwealth, and nation.
2. Presentation of honorary degrees to distinguished recipients. (See biographies)
3. Dieter and Pamela Kramsch, husband and wife, of Falmouth, receiving anthropology and nursing degrees, respectively. Dieter, 76, is the oldest member of the Class of 2007.
MEDIA DETAILS
REGISTRATION
Due to the expected large crowd, it is important that all media planning to cover the event send us their names and affiliations by Friday so we can properly plan to accommodate them. To register, please contact Kathy Beals at 508.999.8015 or kbeals@umassd.edu.
ARRIVAL TIME
All media planning to cover the commencement are encouraged to arrive by 9:30 a.m. and check in at the media check-in post inside the entrance to the amphitheater on the bell tower side.
CREDENTIALS
All media covering the commencement should have their media IDs in plain view at all times. This will allow access to some areas where the general public is not allowed.
PARKING
Special parking for media who have registered will be available at the top of Lot 6 behind the Foster Administration Building. Police officers will have the list of media who have registered and allow them to park in this lot.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information on Commencement, including maps, is available at
www.umassd.edu/commencement.
