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Newswise — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced that General Wesley K. Clark will deliver the 2006 Commencement address, and will receive an honorary degree at the Institute's 200th Commencement, on Saturday, May 20, 2006 at 9:30 a.m., at the Harkness Field.
Architect Peter Bohlin '58, architect, artist, and engineer Santiago Calatrava, and FedEx Corporation chairman, president, and CEO Frederick W. Smith also will be awarded honorary degrees at Commencement.
"General Clark, Peter Bohlin, Santiago Calatrava and Fred Smith are all global leaders who know the power of innovation to change the world," said Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson. "We are delighted to have them participate in Rensselaer's 200th Commencement as our students step into the global arena."
Wesley K. Clark is one of the nation's most distinguished retired military officers. During 34 years of service in the United States Army, he rose to the rank of four-star general and in his last position was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander and the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. European Command. General Clark was a candidate for President of the United States in the 2004 election.
Since returning to the private sector in 2004, he has resumed activities as CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic advisory and consulting firm. He is also vice chairman of James Lee Witt Associates, a leading consulting firm in the field of homeland security, business continuity, and disaster mitigation. He is chairman of Rodman and Renshaw, an investment bank based in New York and London. He is a general partner in Four Seasons Ventures, an investment fund dedicated to commercializing military technology. He is a member of the boards of directors of Adam Aircraft and Space Launch Corporation.
General Clark graduated first in his class from the United States Military Academy (B.S.) and completed degrees in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University (B.A. and M.A.) as a Rhodes Scholar.
About Rensselaer Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation's oldest technological university. The university offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management, and the humanities and social sciences. Institute programs serve undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals around the world. Rensselaer faculty are known for pre-eminence in research conducted in a wide range of fields, with particular emphasis in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, and the media arts and technology. The Institute is well known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development.
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