CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The 133rd commencement of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be held in two ceremonies May 16 at the Assembly Hall, 1800 S. First St., Champaign.
The speaker at both ceremonies will be Lani Guinier, a civil rights activist, author and Harvard Law School professor. She and seven others will receive honorary degrees at the ceremonies.
At the 10:30 a.m. ceremony, candidates in the colleges of Applied Life Studies, Communications, Law, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine; the Institute of Aviation; the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations; the School of Social Work; and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science will receive degrees.
Candidates in the colleges of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering; and Fine and Applied Arts will receive their degrees at the 2 p.m. ceremony.
Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for the morning ceremony and at 1 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. After all students and their guests are seated, the remaining seats will be available to the public. Shuttle buses also will stop at various locations on campus, including Assembly Hall, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
All students who have earned bachelor's, master's, doctoral and professional degrees and advanced certificates during the preceding year are honored at the annual commencement.
WILL-AM (580) will provide on-air and online coverage of the 2 p.m. ceremony.
In 1998, Guinier became the first black woman to be appointed to a tenured professorship at Harvard Law School. Before joining the faculty at Harvard, she was a tenured professor for 10 years at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
During the 1980s Guinier was head of the voting rights project at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and had served in the Civil Rights Division during the Carter administration as special assistant to Drew S. Days, who then was an assistant U.S. attorney general.
Guinier came to prominent public attention when she was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993 to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, only to have her name withdrawn without a confirmation hearing. Guinier turned that incident into a powerful personal and political memoir, "Lift Every Voice: Turning a Civil Rights Setback Into a New Vision of Social Justice."
While a member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Guinier investigated the experience of women in law school, leading to the publication of a book, "Becoming Gentlemen: Women, Law School and Institutional Change." She and her co-authors found that women were not graduating with top honors, although women and men came to the school with virtually identical credentials.
A graduate of Radcliffe College of Harvard University and Yale Law School, Guinier has received numerous awards, including the 1995 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession and the Rosa Parks Award from the American Association for Affirmative Action. She will be awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree.
The others who will receive honorary degrees during the 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies:
• Frances Allen, pioneer in the field of compilers; honorary degree of doctor of science.
Allen is the first woman to achieve the title of IBM Fellow and is the past president of IBM Academy of Technology. She specializes in compilers, compiler optimization and high performance computing. She is considered one of the giants of the field of programming language compiler research and development. Allen established the theoretical framework and methodology for compiler research that has been followed by thousands of researchers and developers during the past 30 years.
• John Hope Franklin, writer and historian; honorary degree of doctor of humane letters.
Franklin is the author of "From Slavery to Freedom," which reshaped the way African-American history is understood and taught. Franklin is the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University and also served on the faculties of St. Augustine's College, Howard University, Brooklyn College and the University of Chicago.
Franklin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 and was appointed by President Clinton to lead a panel of advisers on promoting racial understanding in the United States.
• Temple Grandin, distinguished scientist concerning the handling, slaughtering, transporting and housing of farm animals; honorary degree of doctor of science.
Grandin's work has had a remarkable influence on the animal production industry in the United States and abroad.
A U. of I. alumna, she is known for designing unprecedented and humane facilities for cattle and other animals all over the world, and, in effect, revolutionizing the meat industry. She received the American Meat Institute's highest award, the AMI Industry Advancement Award, because of her role in transforming both animal-welfare attitudes and practices within the meat industry.
• Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; honorary degree of doctor of education.
Hrabowski, a U. of I. alumnus, serves as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, and universities and school systems nationally. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. He sits on numerous corporate and civic boards and has written a number of articles and is a co-author of two books: "Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males," focusing on parenting and high-achieving African-American males in science; and "Overcoming the Odds," on successful African-American females in science.
• Shirley Ann Jackson, president, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; honorary degree of university administration.
Prior to becoming Rensselaer's president in 1999, Jackson held senior positions in government, as commissioner and chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; in industry and research, as a theoretical physicist at the former AT&T Bell Laboratories; and in academia, as a professor of theoretical physics at Rutgers University. Jackson is the first woman to receive a doctorate from MIT - in any subject. She is one of the first two African-American women to receive a doctorate in physics in the United States, and is also the first African-American woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
• Christine M. Korsgaard, leading Kantian moral philosopher; honorary degree of doctor of humane letters.
Korsgaard, a U. of I. alumna, is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University where she has been chair of the department of philosophy since 1995. She is the first woman to chair this department as well as the first woman to hold the rank of full professor of philosophy alone, rather than by joint appointment. She is considered one of the most prominent, influential, and highly regarded philosophers of her generation. She is the author of two books, "Creating the Kingdom of Ends," and "The Sources of Normativity," which have set the agenda for those working in the field. Her work has had wide international influence, and is regarded as excellent and groundbreaking.
• Robert P. Moses, founder and president, the Algebra Project Inc.; honorary degree of doctor of science and letters.
During his young adult life, Moses was a pivotal organizer for the civil rights movement as a field secretary for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and was director of SNCC's Mississippi Project. He was recognized as a driving force behind the Mississippi Summer Project of 1964 and in organizing the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which challenged the Mississippi regulars at the 1964 Democratic Convention.
A MacArthur Foundation Fellow at Harvard from 1982-1987, Moses used his fellowship to work full-time teaching algebra to seventh and eighth graders as a school volunteer. During that time, he developed the concept for the Algebra Project, which uses experiential learning drawn from the work of Dewey, Lewin, Piaget, Quine and Kolb - and a five-step curricular process Moses innovated - to help middle-school students make the conceptual shift from arithmetic to algebra. These materials formed the backbone of Algebra Project teacher and trainer training, and implementation throughout the United States.
The UI Alumni Association will present three Alumni Achievement Awards at the commencement ceremonies:
Robert Falls is honored for his creative vision and leadership in contemporary American theater. The artistic director of Chicago's acclaimed Goodman Theatre since 1986, he has directed and produced numerous world-class theatrical experiences. His recent Broadway productions of "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "Death of a Salesman" were multiple Tony Award winners, including Best Director of a Play for the latter. Additionally, he has received the Artistic Leadership Award from the League of Chicago Theatres and the Illinois Arts Council Governor's Award for outstanding achievement. He earned a bachelor's degree in theater from the U. of I. College of Fine and Applied Arts in 1976.
Robert T. Fraley is honored for his advances in agricultural biotechnology as a viable approach to help solve food production problems and to improve food quality, especially in developing countries. He is executive vice president and chief technology officer for St. Louis-based Monsanto Co., for which he oversees integrated crop and seed agribusiness technology and research. The recipient of the 1999 National Medal of Technology earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1974 and a master's degree and doctorate in microbiology/biochemistry in 1976 and 1979, respectively, from the U. of I. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Clifford B. Saper is honored for his world-renowned, groundbreaking research on mapping much of the brain's complex circuitry. He is the James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and chairman of its Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His pioneering work in how the brain manages basic life functions has led to advances in treating numerous diseases and disorders. His more recent discovery of a key "sleep switch" in the brain has redefined how scientists understand sleep and consciousness. Prior to receiving a dual M.D in neurobiology from Washington University, he earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a master's degree in neurobiology in 1972 from the U. of I. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Receiving the University of Illinois Distinguished Service Award:
Roger Plummer is honored for his positive and definitive impact on the University of Illinois across all lines of advancement. He is a former chairman of the U. of I. Alumni Association Board of Directors, former member of the U. of I. Board of Trustees and a current member of the U. of I. Foundation Board of Directors. The retired president and CEO of Ameritech Information Systems, along with his wife, Joanne, are founding sponsors of Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival and have endowed a scholarship in the U. of I. College of Engineering. He also shares his professional expertise and informed counsel in support of U. of I. education, engineering, business, athletics and the arts. He received his U. of I. bachelor's degree in engineering mechanics in 1964.
All graduating students and their guests are invited to a reception hosted by university President James J. Stukel and Nancy Cantor, chancellor of the Urbana campus, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. May 16 in the gardens of the president's house, 711 W. Florida Ave., Urbana. Academic attire is encouraged.
The first floor of the main library will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. May 15 and May 16 for visitors and students to view the University Honors Bronze Tablets.
Many individual UI units have scheduled additional commencement ceremonies. All take place on May 16, except as noted:
COLLEGES
• Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences - for undergraduate degrees, 9:30 a.m., Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts; for graduate degrees, 10 a.m., Recital Hall, Smith Memorial Hall, 805 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana.
• Applied Life Studies - 9:30 a.m., May 15, Assembly Hall.
• Business - departments of accountancy, business administration, economics and finance, 1:30 p.m., May 15, Assembly Hall; MBAs and Executive MBAs, 9 a.m., May 15, Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Communications - 2 p.m., Foellinger Auditorium, 709 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana.
• Education - 10 a.m., 100 George Huff Hall, 1206 S. Fourth St., Champaign.
• Engineering - 4:30 p.m., Assembly Hall.
• Law - 12:30 p.m., May 15, Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Veterinary Medicine - 1:30 p.m., Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
SCHOOLS
• Architecture - 9 a.m., Foellinger Auditorium.
• Art and Design - 10 a.m., Tryon Festival Theater, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Graduate School of Library and Information Science - 1:30 p.m., Recital Hall, Smith Memorial Hall.
• Life Sciences - 2 p.m., 100 George Huff Hall.
• Music - 5:30 p.m., Recital Hall, Smith Memorial Hall.
• Social Work - 4 p.m., Illini Rooms, Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana.
DEPARTMENTS
• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering - 1:30 p.m., Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Chemistry- 1:30 p.m., Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Economics (LAS) and Finance (LAS) - 10 a.m., May 17, Foellinger Auditorium.
• English and Rhetoric - 2:30 p.m., May 15, Foellinger Auditorium.
• History, Interdisciplinary Major and Units in Foreign Languages Building - 4:30 p.m., May 15, Foellinger Auditorium.
• Landscape Architecture - 10:30 a.m., Sunken Garden, Allerton Park, Route 2, Monticello; in case of rain, Miller School Gymnasium, 100 W. Jefferson St., Monticello.
• Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science (LAS) - 4 p.m., Tryon Festival Theater, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Philosophy and Speech Communication - 12:30 p.m., May 15, Foellinger Auditorium.
• Physics and Astronomy - 2 p.m., May 15, 151 Loomis Laboratory of Physics, 1110 W. Green St., Urbana.
• Psychology - 4:30 p.m., Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Social Sciences - 4 p.m., May 15, Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Theater - 10 a.m., Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
• Urban and Regional Planning - 10 a.m., Levis Faculty Center, 919 W. Illinois St., Urbana.
INSTITUTES
• Aviation - 2 p.m., Illini Union Ballroom, Second Floor.
• Labor and Industrial Relations - 3 p.m., May 15, 141 Wohlers Hall, 1206 S. Sixth St., Champaign.
CONGRATULATORY PROGRAMS
• African-American Cultural Program - 6:30 p.m., May 15, 100 George Huff Hall.
• La Casa Cultural Latina - 7 p.m., May 15, Foellinger Auditorium.
• Native American House - 6 p.m., May 15, Native American House, 1206 W. Nevada Ave., Urbana.
INITIATION PROGRAM
• Phi Beta Kappa - 7:30 p.m., May 14, Illini Union Ballroom
COMMISSIONING PROGRAM
• All-Service ROTC Commissioning Ceremony - 11 a.m., May 17, Foellinger Auditorium.