On
Sunday, May 16, the largest class in Haverford College history-323
seniors strong-marched across campus to receive their diplomas
from President
Tritton in front of Roberts Hall.
Honorary degrees were awarded to
world-renowned chimpanzee expert and wildlife conservationist
Jane Goodall; New York Times columnist and Princeton economics
and international affairs professor Paul Krugman; Temple University
poet and professor Sonia Sanchez; and the award-winning artist
James Turrell. All honorary degree recipients offered words
of congratulations and inspiration to the new graduates.
Goodall reminded them that the power
to change the world lies in their hands. "Hang on to
what you have learned about your important role in this life,"
she said. "Every day, you make a difference by the way
you behave, by the way you speak, above all by your actions."
To the audience's delight, she also provided an auditory example
of how one of her chimpanzees would say "congratulations."
Krugman, who spoke of the Bush
administration's shortcomings regarding the war in Iraq, encouraged
graduates to stand up for what they believed, no matter what
opposition they faced. "Whatever it is you're worried
about, learn as much as you can," he said. "And
learning what other people think and what other people have
said, think for yourself."
Sanchez
offered encouragement in the form of a lyrical poem. "So
listen, gentle men, gentle women, pull your hearts out of
your armpits, get your tuxedoes out of mothballs, put your
long red dress on, girls, and snap your breasts into place,
as we go sailing on tongues, loving, living, learning to speak
without a crutch," she told the graduates.
Turrell
spoke of his own college graduation and his subsequent search
for signs leading to his destiny. What he discovered, he said,
was that "there are signs about, and sometimes we're
the ones who make these signs. These signs are simple, and
part of the self-fulfilling prophecy that we create as we
make our lives."
Following the awarding of
degrees, the new Haverford alumni joined their families and
friends for a reception on Founders Green.
On
Sunday, May 16, the largest class in Haverford College history-323
seniors strong-marched across campus to receive their diplomas
from 