RIT Welcomes President Clinton as Commencement Speaker, May 25

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A. Sue Weisler

President Bill Clinton, left, shown beside RIT Trustee Tom Golisano, delivered the keynote address at RIT\'s 122nd Academic Convocation and Commencement May 25.

The Rochester Institute of Technology community marks an historic milestone as the university prepares to celebrate its 122nd annual commencement May 25-26. RIT’s living-alumni population will surpass 100,000 as members of the Class of 2007 accept their diplomas.

Albert Simone, who retires next month after 15 years as RIT president, will confer degrees on more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students during the weekend’s kickoff event, Academic Convocation, at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 25. President Bill Clinton is the keynote presenter. 

Clinton and Yohei Sasakawa, chair of The Nippon Foundation of Japan, will each receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters during the ceremony. Sasakawa is acknowledged as the primary advocate for the foundation’s funding of the Postsecondary Education Network International (PEN-International) at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

Individual ceremonies for RIT’s eight colleges, at which each graduate is recognized individually, take place through Saturday, May 26:

Friday, May 25

• Academic Convocation, keynote address by President Bill Clinton, 10 a.m., U Lot
• College of Liberal Arts, 1:30 p.m., Frank Ritter Ice Arena
• College of Applied Science and Technology, 2 p.m., Gordon Field House and Activities Center
• National Technical Institute for the Deaf, 4 p.m., Ritter Arena
• Kate Gleason College of Engineering, 5 p.m., Gordon Field House
• College of Science, 6:30 p.m., Ritter Arena

Saturday, May 26

• College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, 9 a.m., Gordon Field House
• B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, noon, Gordon Field House
• E. Philip Saunders College of Business, 3 p.m., Gordon Field House

MEDIA NOTES: Credentials to cover Academic Convocation must be pre-approved by contacting Paul Stella, RIT University News, at (585) 475-4950 or pbscom@rit.edu. University News staff will be available at the Convocation venue beginning at 9 a.m. Friday to distribute credentials. Electronic media is invited to take a clean feed of RIT’s video coverage of the event from outputs supplied on site. All media parking is accessible from the north side of campus through D Lot.

Other RIT commencement-related stories available for media coverage include:

• Kevin Rollins sets an inspiring example in the power of determination. Brain trauma resulting from an automobile accident in 2001 initially derailed his plans to complete an RIT education. But since then, Rollins has overcome significant hurdles, and he is now prepared to accept his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering technology on Friday during the College of Applied Science and Technology ceremony.
• Only months after IBM Corp. introduced the first IBM personal computer, RIT launched its microelectronics engineering program—the first of its kind in the nation. This year, the university’s microelectronics engineering department celebrates its silver anniversary. More than 600 RIT micro-e graduates currently work in the semiconductor field.