Undergrads receive diplomas

On Thursday, May 23, undergraduates and their families gathered to celebrate Johns Hopkins' 126th commencement. Both the undergraduate diploma ceremony and the University-wide degree-conferring event that preceded it took place on Garland Field.

The clear-span tent pitched on Garland Field held 6,000 guests, graduates, faculty and administrators during the undergraduate ceremony, which took place at 1:45 p.m. As each undergraduate was given only four tickets for tent-seating additional guests were seated in Garland Hall, where a live broadcast was displayed on a closed-circuit television.

The event lasted about two hours, with an address by NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Tom Brokaw. Brokaw was also presented with an honorary degree, as was baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr.

Students from the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering processed to the stage, where they shook hands with President William R. Brody and the deans of their respective schools. Students obtained their diplomas afterward from designated buildings on the Shriver Quadrangle.

Brokaw's speech addressed the new world atmosphere of terrorism, in which "personal and national security is an urgent and primary concern." He compared this year's graduates with the Class of 1942, which was also forced to "find [their] way through the perilous waters in which [they] had no previous experience."

He also spoke of the patriotism and political unity that arose from the struggle against terrorism and urged the graduates to go even further to eradicate terrorism and its causes.

"A primary challenge of your generation is to bank the fires of hostility now burning out of control, to neutralize the hatred, to expedite not just global competition economically and politically, but also global understanding," Brokaw said.

"It is a hard, complex task, but it is also exciting because it is an unparalleled opportunity to define your time and leave a lasting legacy."

As he closed his speech, Brokaw reminded the graduates to appreciate and learn from the legacy left by their grandparents, on whom he bestowed the phrase "the greatest generation."

The University-wide degree-conferring ceremony, which was held at 9:15 a.m., lasted approximately three hours. Brody addressed the graduates, reminding them to "focus on fulfillment, not fame."

"Even if your heart yearns for fame, set your mind to discover where it can find innermost satisfaction," said Brody, "and steer a course in that direction."

This was the first year in which a live broadcast of the ceremony was featured.

Other minor changes distinguished the event from last year's commencement, according to Director of Special Events Deborah Pankey-Mebane.

"Among the minor changes for 2002 were the assistance of the newly-created Disability Services Coordinator position to enhance the accommodation for those with special needs," said Pankey-Mebane, "and a revised seating plan in the clear-span tent that allowed guests to be closer to the stage.