Newswise — The Hon. Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor of the City of New York, founder of financial-information and media company Bloomberg L.P, and noted philanthropist, will return to his hometown of Medford, Mass., to deliver the commencement address at Tufts University on May 20, 2007.
"We are delighted to welcome Mayor Bloomberg back to Medford where he will be part of a very distinguished class of honorary degree recipients. Each has made substantial contributions to society, and we look forward to honoring their achievements as we celebrate with our graduates," said Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow.
The son of a bookkeeper at a Medford dairy, Bloomberg's thirst for information and fascination with technology were evident at an early age and led him to a career on Wall Street with Salomon Brothers. He later started his own company, Bloomberg L.P., which revolutionized the way Wall Street did business and later branched into media and publishing. As the company enjoyed tremendous growth, Bloomberg dedicated more of his time and energy to philanthropy and civic affairs. His desire to improve education, advance medical research and increase access to the arts has provided the motivation for much of his philanthropy. He was elected New York's 108th mayor in November 2001.
At commencement, to be held at 9 a.m. on the green on Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus, Bloomberg will receive an honorary doctorate of public service. Five other distinguished leaders will also receive honorary doctorates:
Dr. Thomas Jefferson (T.J.) Anderson, one of the leading composers of his generation and an expert on the music of Scott Joplin; retired professor and chair of the Tufts Music Department and Austin Fletcher Professor of Music, Emeritus (honorary doctorate of music)
Lord Alec Broers, a pioneer in nanotechnology; current chair of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee; immediate past president of the Royal Academy of Engineering; and former vice chancellor (equivalent to president) of the University of Cambridge, England (honorary doctorate of science)
Capt. Frederick H. (Rick) Hauck, distinguished astronaut, combat and test pilot, and 1962 graduate of Tufts, who flew on three space shuttle missions, including commanding the redesigned spaceship on its critical first flight after the Challenger explosion; (honorary doctorate of public service)
Denise Jefferson, director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center for more than 20 years; leader in contemporary dance who has contributed to the education of thousands of dancers and carries on Ailey's vision that dance should be available to everyone (honorary doctorate of fine arts)
Thomas C. Schelling, who shared the 2005 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences "for having enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis" and has advanced knowledge of arms control, environmental and health policy, and race relations (honorary doctorate of humane letters)
In addition, on Saturday, May 19, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner, lawyer and human rights activist, will address the graduates of The Fletcher School during their annual Class Day ceremonies.
Tufts University, located on three Massachusetts campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville, and Grafton, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the Premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the University's eight schools is widely encouraged.
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