A guide to Commencement

MORE THAN 2,000 STUDENTS — 1,202 UNDERGRADUATES AND 815 GRAD

For alumni who need a refresher on the details of graduates’ last few days as Princeton students, and others who just want to relive it all, here’s a brief guide:

BEING PREPARED  

Commencement takes place on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall. Only truly severe weather — thunder, lightning, dangerous winds — would force the ceremony inside to Jadwin Gym, says Ann Halliday *78, who oversees Commencement arrangements. The last time that happened: 1981. Though the record shows that the heavens tend to smile on Prince­ton, there is a Plan B: Staff members have 10,000 orange ponchos at the ready. This year, graduates and faculty members on stage sweltered under their black robes in hot and humid weather — making water bottles and sunglasses, not ponchos, the hot Commencement items.

SERIOUSLY FESTIVE MUSIC

Commencement music is “very joyous and yet festive in a serious way at the same time,” notes Michael Pratt, conductor of the University Orchestra and director of Princeton’s Program in Musical Performance. Though Pratt usually conducts at Commencement, he was injured in a biking accident recently and handed the baton to Paul Bryan, a faculty member at the Curtis Institute of Music, who conducted members of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. Among the pieces played were British military-band classics, including William Walton’s “Crown Imperial March,” written for the coronation of George VI; Donald Hunsberger’s arrangement of Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture”; and marches by John Philip Sousa. The group does not perform Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” says Pratt: “It’s a great piece, but it’s been run into the ground.”  

WHO’S ON STAGE  

All faculty members are invited to march in the Commence­ment processional — and about 150 did. Most of the remaining 100 seats on the stage are occupied by trustees, administrators in President Tilghman’s cabinet, chaplains, and award winners, including honorary-degree recipients. Faculty members wear the academic gowns of the institutions where they completed their graduate study — explaining the spectrum of colors.

HEAR, HEAR!  

Unlike many colleges, Princeton has no celebrity graduation speaker. (Excep­tions can be made for U.S. presidents: Bill Clinton spoke at Commence­ment in 1996 in honor of Princeton’s 250th anniversary.) By tradition, Princeton’s president delivers remarks to the students as they enter Princeton, at Open­ing Exercises; and as they leave, at Commencement. Students deliver the valedictory oration and the Latin salutatory, the oldest Commencement honor.   As all alumni know, graduates have crib sheets telling them when to laugh, guffaw, shout, murmur, and otherwise react during the Latin address. Parents, however, believe that their kids really are that smart.

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE

The awarding of an honorary degree to baseball legend Hank Aaron brought the graduates and their families to their feet, and the warm reception continued for other honorees: Geoffrey Canada, the chief executive officer of the Harlem Children’s Zone; Susan Desmond-Hellmann, an oncologist, clinical ­scientist, and now chancellor of the University of Cali­fornia, San Francisco; Charles Coulston Gillispie, the Dayton-Stockton Pro­fessor of History emeritus at Princeton; Judith Jamison, a dancer, choreographer, and the outgoing artistic director of the Alvin Ailey Ameri­can Dance Theater; and Robert H. Rawson Jr. ’66, former chairman of the trustee executive ­committee.  

The names of honorary-degree recipients are not released until Commence­ment Day. A committee of trustees, faculty members, a staff member, and students make recommendations to the board of trustees, which votes on the names. “You want to put before [graduating students] people that have some connection to the life of the mind and the University’s mission, but also who could serve the students as role models,” explains Halliday.

HOODING

Commencement caps three days of graduation celebrations, including Baccalaureate and Class Day (see page 56). Graduate students get ready for the big event in a hooding ceremony, where they receive their colorful doctoral and master’s-degree hoods. Princeton held its first hooding ceremony in 1994 in Procter Hall in an effort to “recognize students individually,” says David Redman, associate dean for academic affairs at the graduate school. The ceremony, which already had outgrown Richardson Auditorium and then McCarter Theatre, this year moved to Princeton Stadium, and some 2,000 guests attended.  

One Ph.D. recipient was particularly relieved to be hooded: Dora C.Y. Ching, who earned her degree in art and archaeology 21 years after starting it. She had handed in a draft of her dissertation on Chinese imperial portraiture in 1997, but got derailed by a car accident. Ching, the associate director of the P.Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Center for East Asian Art at Princeton, was determined to finish her degree this year. “It’s been a long time in coming,” says Ching.

FUNNY SENIORS

Though academic stars are honored at Commencement, the funniest seniors have their day in the sun at Class Day, the day before. This year, 25 seniors competed for the honor of being Class Day speakers by submitting written speeches, and the top 10 — as judged by the Class Day chairs and class officers — were invited to audition. The winners: Dan Maselli ’11 and M. Cristina Luzarraga ’11, who scored lots of laughs (see page 57). The tradition of having students speak at Class Day began in 2001 and originally was not meant to be humorous, though it evolved that way quickly, says Tom Dunne, associate dean of undergraduate students. One reason: Adam Ruben ’01, who was one of the first Class Day speakers. Ruben went on to become a molecular biologist — and a standup comedian. Some graduates see Class Day as an audition for a professional job in comedy, and Princeton legend says that the speech by Jay Katsir ’04 led to his job writing for The Colbert Report.  

Class Day speakers had a special target this year: grade deflation. Class president Alex Rosen said the policy serves as the “single best excuse in the history of liberal arts education” for explaining why one didn’t get more A’s to prospective employers and parents.

IN THE NATION’S SERVICE  

Each year after Commencement, some graduates receive commissions as U.S. Army officers. This year, there were two: Amanda Van Duynhoven ’11 and Nathan Plough ’11, above, now second lieutenants — Plough in the Army’s Ordnance Corps, and Van Duynhoven in the Adjutant General Corps. After the ceremony in Nassau Hall’s Faculty Room, the new officers handed shiny silver dollars to the first enlisted soldiers who saluted them, in a tradition called the “Silver Dollar Salute.” Upon completion of their training, Plough will be stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska, and Van Duynhoven at Fort Eustis, Va.

Among the events were ceremonies for LGBT, black, and Latino students. At the ­Pan-African Graduation on May 29 in Richardson Auditorium, seniors ­listened to Joshua Guild, an assistant professor of history and African-American studies at Princeton, deliver the keynote address. Graduating seniors from Ballet Folklórico performed at the Latino Graduation, also held May 29 on the Frist Campus Center south lawn. And at the Lavender Graduation, sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Center May 7, President Tilghman placed lavender honor cords around the necks of soon-to-be graduates. “ All of you will be citizens of cities, suburbs, towns, and hamlets that will depend on their public schools for their future prosperity, and all of you will be able to find ways to devote some of your time and talents to raising both their sights and their levels of achievement. Your pledge today to demand that those schools in your communities serve all their students well, not just the lucky ones like you, could make all the difference in the world. The stakes have never been higher, nor the moment more urgent, for millions of young Americans and our nation as a whole. ” — President Tilghman, in her Commencement address. Tilghman discussed the K-12 education system that is “leaving vast numbers of students behind,” saying it could be a “drag on the economy and a potential source of social unrest.”

“ Cherish the memory of your foibles as well as your success, O friends (not that our Mother was ever grudging with success): She knows all, but forgives: Real life isn’t always like that. What joy it has been to be a young tiger! ” — ­Salutatorian Veronica Shi ’11, translated from the Latin. She expressed gratitude to Princeton, President Tilghman, parents, and professors and recalled the students’ common experience, exclaiming, “Hurrah, Victory!” 

“ I hope that as new graduates, we will all have the courage to continue to think both deeply and independently and have original ideas which do not fit into the mold. Certainly this is one of the best ways to demonstrate the spirit of intellectual curiosity and capacity that we have cultivated for the last four years. ” — ­Valedictorian John Pardon ’11, who discussed the attitude toward learning developed at Princeton and encouraged classmates to “seek out great teachers throughout your life,” be curious, and seek challenges.

“I thought the hardest part about Princeton would have been getting in. But the hardest part is getting out. I love it here. I will miss my classmates, and I don’t want to be far from you. Especially because a few of you still owe me money, and I know who you are. ” — ­Class Day speaker Dan Maselli ’11 started by recalling the “single book” he read in college, The Zombie Survival Guide; ­expressed his fears of moving on; and said that his classmates will enter a world where “your worth will no longer be measured by your GPA but something far less shallow and superficial, like your kids’ GPAs.”

“My future’s pretty uncertain. I worry about what’s to come. ... If the friendships I made here were the chief catalysts for overcoming my shyness — and I ­believe that they were — then, surely, those same friendships can also sustain me during lean times. With good friends, who needs pizza subsidized by your parents? Better yet, who needs laundry? Class of 2011, when it comes to being hungry, smelly, and jobless: There’s no one whose company I’d prefer to keep. ” — ­Class Day speaker M. Cristina Luzarraga, who observed that when she was new to Princeton, “I struggled at first to find where I belonged,” but eventually started talking to people, developed friendships, studied abroad, and “got a better haircut.”

“What separates soldiers from the rest of professionals is ... the responsibilities that these two cadets are going to take into their hearts. ... It’s the responsibility that you have as a second lieutenant when you have 39 soldiers and you are walking down the middle of a river, knowing that there is an enemy that is trying to figure out how to hurt you. ... These responsibilities weigh hard, and these responsibilities start effectively today. ” — ­Brig. Gen. Gustave F. Perna, to recent graduates and their guests at the Tiger Battalion ROTC commissioning ceremony.

BROOKE SHIELDS ’87 - CLASS DAY

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG p’01 - BACCALAUREATE

KNOWN AS
Shields: Actress, currently starring as Morticia in “The Addams Family” on Broadway
Bloomberg:  Three-term billionaire mayor of New York City

BIGGEST LAUGH / MOST EFFECTIVE PANDERING
Shields: [On being asked to speak:] I immediately felt like I had gotten accepted to Princeton all over again! I've been accepted! I don’t have to go to Harvard!
Bloomberg:  You’re leaving now – and next year’s seniors are slated to get the highest grades in Princeton history, since Dean Malkiel is also leaving. Bad timing, folks – what can I say?

WINKING NOD AT REUNIONS EXCESS
Shields: To those of you who have not yet gone to sleep ... How’s that working out for you?
Bloomberg: I showed up last night hoping to settle in and get a good night’s sleep. Only when I arrived, you were apparently having some type of pagan beer-drinking festival with lots of people wearing orange-and-black tank tops and jockey shorts.

NOT-SO-WINKING NOD AT THE COST OF TUITION
Shields: Over the past four years — and I hope it was just four, this place gets expensive — you have learned much.
Bloomberg:  I showed up last night hoping to settle in and get a good night’s sleep. Only when I arrived, you were apparently having some type of pagan beer-drinking festival with lots of people wearing orange-and-black tank tops and jockey shorts.

BEST ADVICE
Shields: Being an actress, for instance, is a lot like having to go through bicker on a daily basis! And I believe all industries are like that ... You will need to continue to prove yourself.
Bloomberg:  Do what you love and figure out a way to get paid for it.

BEST REFERENCE TO ­ CURRENT EVENTS
Shields: Then, the sickness and severe doubt sets in: What if they made a mistake [in asking me to speak]? What if I fail? Was I their first choice? Who couldn’t they get? Why did Snooki pass?
Bloomberg:  The revolutions for freedom that now spread like wildfire in the Arab world burn with the anger from decades of suffering and repression. But they were lit, in part, by technology that was developed by your generation.

BEST SHOUTOUT TO A PRINCETON ALUM
Shields: [On writing her speech]: I’d need to get out my highlighters and red markers and note cards. I’d call my boyfriend [actor] Dean Cain [’88], tell him I couldn't see him. We haven’t dated in 20 years, but whatever.
Bloomberg:  In 1917, in his address to Congress asking for a declaration of war, your fellow Princetonian, President Woodrow Wilson [1879], said, “What’s right is more precious than peace ... ”

NOT TO BRAG, BUT ...
Shields: I remember not getting into the Tigerlilies ... This year, I am about to return to star on Broadway in a musical for the fifth time. I don’t know if this has any relevance, I just wanted to let the Tigerlilies know what’s going on with me.
Bloomberg:  In my life, I’ve found that service is one of the most rewarding things you can do. It’s what led me to take on the biggest challenge – and the biggest risk – of my life: running for mayor.

ON THE VALUE OF A PRINCETON EDUCATION
Shields: Without the four years of learning and growth that culminated in my degree, I would have never survived my industry, a business that predicates itself on eating its young.
Bloomberg:  You have all been fortunate to be part of an institution that’s always put an emphasis on practical thinking, real-world solutions, and sticking to the facts.

ON THE KEYS TO SUCCESS
Shields: Please don’t be lazy. Or act entitled. Please continue to work hard.
Bloomberg:  In everything you do, work hard. Take risks.

IN A WORD ...
Shields: Strive
Bloomberg:  Serve

KNOWN AS
Shields: Actress, currently starring as Morticia in “The Addams Family” on Broadway
Bloomberg:  Three-term billionaire mayor of New York City

BIGGEST LAUGH / MOST EFFECTIVE PANDERING
Shields: [On being asked to speak:] I immediately felt like I had gotten accepted to Princeton all over again! I've been accepted! I don’t have to go to Harvard!
Bloomberg:  You’re leaving now – and next year’s seniors are slated to get the highest grades in Princeton history, since Dean Malkiel is also leaving. Bad timing, folks – what can I say?

WINKING NOD AT REUNIONS EXCESS
Shields: To those of you who have not yet gone to sleep ... How’s that working out for you?
Bloomberg: I showed up last night hoping to settle in and get a good night’s sleep. Only when I arrived, you were apparently having some type of pagan beer-drinking festival with lots of people wearing orange-and-black tank tops and jockey shorts.

NOT-SO-WINKING NOD AT THE COST OF TUITION
Shields: Over the past four years — and I hope it was just four, this place gets expensive — you have learned much.
Bloomberg:  I showed up last night hoping to settle in and get a good night’s sleep. Only when I arrived, you were apparently having some type of pagan beer-drinking festival with lots of people wearing orange-and-black tank tops and jockey shorts.

BEST ADVICE
Shields: Being an actress, for instance, is a lot like having to go through bicker on a daily basis! And I believe all industries are like that ... You will need to continue to prove yourself.
Bloomberg:  Do what you love and figure out a way to get paid for it.

BEST REFERENCE TO ­ CURRENT EVENTS
Shields: Then, the sickness and severe doubt sets in: What if they made a mistake [in asking me to speak]? What if I fail? Was I their first choice? Who couldn’t they get? Why did Snooki pass?
Bloomberg:  The revolutions for freedom that now spread like wildfire in the Arab world burn with the anger from decades of suffering and repression. But they were lit, in part, by technology that was developed by your generation.

BEST SHOUTOUT TO A PRINCETON ALUM
Shields: [On writing her speech]: I’d need to get out my highlighters and red markers and note cards. I’d call my boyfriend [actor] Dean Cain [’88], tell him I couldn't see him. We haven’t dated in 20 years, but whatever.
Bloomberg:  In 1917, in his address to Congress asking for a declaration of war, your fellow Princetonian, President Woodrow Wilson [1879], said, “What’s right is more precious than peace ... ”

NOT TO BRAG, BUT ...
Shields: I remember not getting into the Tigerlilies ... This year, I am about to return to star on Broadway in a musical for the fifth time. I don’t know if this has any relevance, I just wanted to let the Tigerlilies know what’s going on with me.
Bloomberg:  In my life, I’ve found that service is one of the most rewarding things you can do. It’s what led me to take on the biggest challenge – and the biggest risk – of my life: running for mayor.

ON THE VALUE OF A PRINCETON EDUCATION
Shields: Without the four years of learning and growth that culminated in my degree, I would have never survived my industry, a business that predicates itself on eating its young.
Bloomberg:  You have all been fortunate to be part of an institution that’s always put an emphasis on practical thinking, real-world solutions, and sticking to the facts.

ON THE KEYS TO SUCCESS
Shields: Please don’t be lazy. Or act entitled. Please continue to work hard.
Bloomberg:  In everything you do, work hard. Take risks.

IN A WORD ...
Shields: Strive
Bloomberg:  Serve

ELIZABETH (LIZ) BORGES: the Harold Willis Dodds *14 Prize, awarded to the senior who best has embodied Dodds’ qualities of scholarship and service

BENJAMIN OSEROFF: the Allen Macy Dulles ’51 Award, given to the senior whose actions fulfill Princeton’s motto of service  

MARGARET HARRIS: the Frederick Douglass Award, for her contributions to a deeper understanding of the experiences of racial minorities

ALEX ROSEN: both the W. Sanderson Detwiler 1903 Prize and the Class of 1901 Medal, which are awarded by the class to the senior who has done the most for the class and the most for Princeton, respectively

BRYAN LOCASCIO: the Priscilla Glickman ’92 Memorial Prize, honoring independence and imagination in community service

Undergraduate degrees conferred on the Class of 2011: 1,202

Bachelor of arts: 1,006

Bachelor of science in engineering: 196

Honors: 522 received honors, including 114 who received highest honors

Phi Beta Kappa inductees: 140

Graduate degrees: 815, 350 Ph.D.s (a record), 465 master’s degrees

Master of arts: 302

Master in public affairs: 73

Master of architecture: 25

Other master’s degrees were: master of fine arts, master in finance, master in public policy, master of science in engineering, master of engineering

33% pulled an all-nighter once a semester

29% never pulled an all-nighter  

22% were members of a fraternity or sorority

44% said the worst dorm was Forbes

45% believe the most attractive building on campus is East Pyne

55% swam in the Woodrow Wilson School fountain

04% plan to volunteer after graduation

17% plan on going to graduate school after graduation

93% would marry a fellow Princetonian