CONTACT: Kira Jastive 617-358-1240 or kjastive@bu.edu
(Boston) – Boston University today announced that Eric E. Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, will deliver the commencement address at Boston University’s 139th graduation ceremonies at BU’s Nickerson Field at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 20.
Mr. Schmidt will speak before more than 5,000 graduates and 20,000 guests at New England’s largest graduation ceremony. Schmidt will receive an honorary Doctor of Science.
BU President Robert A. Brown announced the commencement, baccalaureate speakers and honorary degree recipients to the members of the Class of 2012 this morning at the annual Senior Breakfast, held at the George Sherman Union.
Brown also revealed that The Honorable Sandra Lynch, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals First Circuit, will deliver the Commencement Day baccalaureate address at 11:00 a.m. at Marsh Chapel. Lynch will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
The prestigious list of honorary degree recipients also includes former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Norman Augustine (Doctor of Science); Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient, Thomas G. Kelley (Doctor of Laws); and noted actor, Leonard Nimoy (Doctor of Humane Letters).
Also announced today are the recipients of BU’s Metcalf Cup and Prize and Metcalf Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Receiving the esteemed Metcalf Cup is Andrew Duffy, master lecturer of Physics at the College of Arts and Sciences. This year’s Metcalf Award winners are Marisa Milanese, lecturer in the Arts & Sciences Writing Program; and Robert Lowe, associate professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine. The Metcalf Cup carries with it a prize of $10,000 and the Metcalf Award winners receive $5,000. Students, faculty and alumni nominate candidates for the awards established in 1973 by a gift from the late Boston University Board of Trustees chairman emeritus Arthur G.B. Metcalf.
Since joining Google in 2001, Eric Schmidt has helped grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology. As executive chairman, he is responsible for the external matters of Google: building partnerships and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership, as well as advising the CEO and senior leadership on business and policy issues.
From 2001-2011, Schmidt served as Google’s chief executive officer, overseeing the company’s technical and business strategy alongside founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation.
Prior to joining Google, Schmidt was the chairman and CEO of Novell and chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc. Previously, he served on the research staff at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), Bell Laboratories and Zilog. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Schmidt is a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council in the U.K. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006 and inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a fellow in 2007. He also chairs the board of the New America Foundation, and since 2008 has been a trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized private research university with more than 30,000 students participating in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. BU consists of 17 colleges and schools along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes which are central to the school’s research and teaching mission.
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High-resolution digital photographs of the 2011 BU Commencement participants can be downloaded at:
http://buphotos.photoshelter.com/gallery/Boston-University-Honorary-Degrees-2012/G00002j6WoNuFrm0
Password: BostonU
