Peter Bohlin ’58, Santiago Calatrava, and Frederick W. Smith also receive honorary degrees

General Wesley K. Clark, U.S.Army Retired

Photo by Rensselaer/KrisQua

Calling the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Class of 2006 graduates “the frontline warriors” as global science and technology innovators, General Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army Retired, encouraged seniors to be engaged as citizens in the global community, to be leaders in promoting economic opportunity, and to always pursue and embrace justice and equality.

“You are the frontline warriors. You’re all being equipped not with weapons of war, but with one of the most powerful ideas in human history — the scientific method, the idea that human knowledge can actually be sought and gained by the formulation of hypotheses about the observable world and the collection of objective, reputable data to prove or disprove and thereby advance the human condition,” General Clark said today during the Institute’s 200th Commencement at the Harkness Field in Troy, N.Y.

The challenge of being a part of the global community, said General Clark, “starts here at home, with basic research, applied science, technology, and education.”

“This is a different world with different challenges and you’re right at the very center of it with the skills you have learned here,” General Clark said. “Take your skills to create jobs, generate wealth at home and abroad, work to strengthen common institutions, build alliances with international organizations and international law — values that help us to avoid the destructive forces which have so often led to violence and warfare. It all starts here with ideas and knowledge.”

Wesley K. Clark is CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic advisory and consulting firm. He is one of the nation’s most distinguished retired military officers, having risen to the rank of four-star general during his 34 years of service in the United States Army. In his last military position, General Clark was NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander and the Commander-in-Chief of the United States European Command. In 2004, General Clark was a candidate for the President of the United States.

In her remarks, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson honored General Clark for being “a scholar and a patriot, a man of intellect and action.” And, in awarding General Clark an honorary degree, it was said: “During your 34-year military career, you foresaw that modern warfare would require peacekeeping and nation building — diplomacy as well as victory on the line of fire. Severely wounded in combat, you have taught us that life’s obstacles are only incentives to greatness.”

“Be a Source for Hope, for Optimism,” President Jackson Advises Class of 2006
In her address to the Class of 2006, President Jackson reminded graduating seniors that, as Rensselaer celebrates it 200th Commencement, they are part of a significant milestone in the Institute’s history and will leave their own imprint as this young century moves forward.

“You are walking in the footsteps of some of the giants of the 19th and 20th centuries, as you are sure to leave your imprint on the 21st century,” President Jackson said. “You are receiving degrees in subject areas unheard of — and unimagined — by those who attended the first Commencement. Their world was smaller, more self-contained, with the vast frontier of the United States yet to be explored, and settled. You are entering a world of increasing complexity, interconnectedness, and, in many ways, fragility.”

President Jackson encouraged the graduating class to learn from General Clark and Rensselaer’s other honorees. “Listen to what each has to say about the world which awaits you. They are living examples of the idea espoused by the 19th-century education and religious leader John Henry Newman: ‘A truly great intellect … is one which takes a connected view of old and new, past and present, far and near, and which has an insight into the influence of all these one on another; without which there is no whole, and no centre.’ ”

“As you step forward to begin your careers and the rest of your lives … keep in mind that you are part of a global community — a world that needs your knowledge, your passion for service, your ingenuity, and your commitment to creating a better world,” President Jackson said. “Be a force for hope, for optimism, and apply your Rensselaer education — as that first Commencement class was exhorted — ‘for the common purposes of life.’ ”

President Jackson also applauded the extraordinary community service and philanthropy efforts of Rensselaer students. Within the last year alone, they have devoted more than 23,000 hours to community service, and raised money for relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Pakistan, and the tsunami that devastated parts of Asia. Students raised an unprecedented amount of money this year — nearly $190,000, including more than $124,000 for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Endless Opportunities Await in an Uncertain Future, Student Class President Says
Student Class President Brandon Smith spoke to his fellow graduates, reflecting on the history of Rensselaer and a future that is filled with challenges, change, and, above all, possibility.

“Just in our four short years here we have seen much change, not only on this campus but around the world. We have two new buildings (the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies and the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center) on campus and a more diverse student body. We have seen Hurricane Katrina devastate the Gulf States, the Northeast suffer a blackout, the war in Iraq, and the Red Sox have more championships than the Yankees,” said Smith, a mechanical engineer major from Constantia, a town just outside of Syracuse.

“Looking back on what’s happened over the last 200 years, it’s hard to imagine what the next 200 will bring,” Smith added. “There is an endless opportunity for growth in the world, and it’s exciting that the men and woman in front of me are going to be the ones who provide that positive change.”

A Rare Honor – The Trustee Medal
During Saturday’s ceremony, Rensselaer honored David Haviland ’64, who retired in December 2005 after 40 years of service to the Institute. He received the Trustee Medal, a rare honor bestowed on only one other member of the Rensselaer community in the history of the Institute. Haviland arrived at Rensselaer in 1960 as a student and held the titles of professor, associate dean, dean of architecture, research center director, vice president for student life, and vice president for institute advancement. At the December 2005 meeting of the Board of Trustees, Haviland was cited for his service “as a student leader, a beloved professor and mentor, a trusted administrator, counselor, friend, and true son of Rensselaer.”

The Perfect 4.0
The J. Erik Jonsson Prize is awarded to the senior with the highest academic record. This year 30 seniors completed their undergraduate studies with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. The winner of the 2005 J. Erik Jonsson Prize is Adam Marcus, computer science major.

Honorary Degrees
In addition to General Clark, Rensselaer also conferred an honorary degree on Peter Bohlin ’58, Santiago Calatrava, and Frederick W. Smith.

Peter Bohlin ’58, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects who received his architecture degree from Rensselaer, is a founding principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, with offices in Wilkes-Barre (Penn.), Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, and San Francisco. The firm, whose work has been honored with more than 300 design awards since its inception in 1965, teamed with Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann to design Rensselaer’s Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Santiago Calatrava, world-renowned architect, is the founding principal of the firm Santiago Calatrava, with offices in Zurich (Switzerland) and Valencia (Spain). His most recent commissions include designing the Permanent World Trade Center PATH Terminal, a $2 billion transportation hub to be located on the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center complex, which was destroyed in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.

Frederick W. Smith is founder, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of FedEx Corporation, a $32 billion global transportation and logistics company. FedEx, which serves more than 220 countries and territories, handles more than six million shipments each business day. Smith, who founded FedEx in 1971, has served as chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council and is the current chairman of the French-American Business Council.

Contact: Theresa Bourgeois
Phone: (518) 276-2840
E-mail: bourgt@rpi.edu