WHAT: Washington University’s 153rd Commencement. The university will award 3,030 degrees to 2,899 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The university also will bestow honorary degrees on six individuals.
WHO: Tony La Russa, JD, who is being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, will deliver the 2014 Commencement address. During the ceremony, La Russa, who is considered one of the best managers in baseball history and also known for his tireless animal rescue work, will receive an honorary doctor of humanities degree.
Washington University’s five other honorary degree recipients and their degrees are:
- Henry W. Bloch, co-founder of H&R Block and a civic leader and philanthropist who has worked to improve the quality of life in his hometown of Kansas City, doctor of humanities;
- Temple Grandin, PhD, a professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University whose insights into animal behavior and her innovations in livestock handling have revolutionized farm-animal welfare; doctor of humanities;
- Vivian W. Pinn, MD, a senior scientist emerita at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Center and a highly regarded pioneer in women’s health, doctor of science;
- David E. Robertson, music director of the St. Louis Symphony, chief conductor and artistic director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and one of today’s most sought-after American conductors, doctor of humane letters; and
- Diana Chapman Walsh, PhD, the 12th president of Wellesley College who initiated a number of new programs during her tenure from 1993-2007, doctor of science.
WHERE: Brookings Quadrangle, which is directly west of Brookings Hall, the university’s main administration building that sits on the hill overlooking Forest Park.
WHEN: 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 16, 2014
MEDIA RESERVED SEATING: News organizations sending a reporter to Commencement should call Sue Killenberg McGinn by 5 p.m. Thursday, May 15, to make arrangements for a reserved-seating ticket. Mult boxes will be available at the seats and near the Beaumont Pavilion stage. The reserved media seats are in the Chancellor’s section, which is at the north end of the Quad on the right-hand side of Beaumont Pavilion.
LIVE TV BROADCASTS: TV stations who plan to shoot live from Brookings Quad should make arrangements with Liam Otten. Please call (314) 935-8494 (office) on May 15 or (314) 874-6331 (cell) on May 16.
MEDIA PARKING: Reserved media parking is available near the south end of Brookings Hall. Take Forsyth Boulevard or Forest Park Parkway to Hoyt Drive; take Hoyt to south leg of the circle drive that leads up to Brookings Hall, where a parking attendant will direct you. Please show attendant a media ID.
For more information the morning of Commencement, call Sue Killenberg McGinn at (314) 603-6008.