David Mamet to Speak at Commencement

Director, essayist, novelist, poet and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet will be the keynote speaker at the University of Vermont's 200th Commencement Sunday, May 23, at 9 a.m. Mamet was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for his play Glengarry Glen Ross, which recreated the atmosphere of a gritty Chicago real estate office. His critically acclaimed screenplays include The Verdict, The Untouchables, Wag the Dog (which earned both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for best screenplay) and The Spanish Prisoner. Mamet, who attended Goddard College in Vermont and has lived in the state part-time for 40 years, will also be awarded an honorary degree.

This milestone Commencement for the university marks the return of ceremonies to the University Green, which is the heart of the campus and central to students' college experience. The Green is overlooked by a row of UVM's oldest and most historic buildings, and is also where the university's first president, Daniel Clarke Sanders, cleared trees with his own hands to build his house on campus.

"Few universities are able to commemorate a 200th graduation," said UVM President Daniel Mark Fogel. "This occasion warrants a true celebration of our long and distinguished history." Fogel will provide an overview of the university's two centuries of educational leadership.

Also receiving honorary degrees this year will be Florence Knoll Bassett, a pioneer of 20th century modern design; Edwin I. Colodny, former UVM interim president and former CEO of U.S. Airways; Charles W. Johnson, former Vermont State Naturalist; Michael L. Lomax, Dillard University president and CEO elect of the United Negro College Fund; Grace Paley, renowned author, activist and Vermont State Poet; and alumnus Stephen B. Rubenstein, who recently bestowed the largest gift in the university's history to promote study of the environment.

For a full schedule of Commencement activities, including ceremonies to be held by individual colleges and schools, go to http://www.uvm.edu/commencement or call (802) 656-2005.