Troy, N.Y. - Rensselaer will bestow honorary doctorates upon six American trailblazers this year. At the university's 197th Commencement ceremony on May 17, Rensselaer will honor a world-renowned neurosurgeon, two Nobel laureates, a former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and a well-loved local philanthropist. And at its Honors Convocation this fall, Rensselaer will honor a visionary state senator.

Benjamin Carson
Honorary Doctor of Science
World-renowned neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson will be the featured speaker at Rensselaer's 197th Commencement ceremony. Carson, who was awarded an honorary doctorate of science, has been director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins since 1984. He walked into the world spotlight in 1987 when he led a medical team that successfully separated West German conjoined twins who were connected at the cranium, the first time this kind of surgery was performed. Both children survived.

Ten years later in 1997, Carson led a team of South African doctors in the first successful separation of twins at the top of the head, establishing a technique that has since saved the lives of hundreds of hopelessly ill children. At 33, Benjamin Carson became the youngest ever chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the U.S. The techniques he developed have saved the lives of hundreds of children.

Born into poverty, Carson knows what it takes to beat the odds. His father abandoned the family when he was 8, but his mother encouraged him to learn, and he was transformed from a fifth-grade "dummy" to a top scholar. He is the author of three best-selling books, Gifted Hands, Think Big, and The Big Picture. All three incorporate his belief that discipline and exhibiting good character are at the core of true success. He earned a scholarship to Yale University, then graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School.

The Honorable Donna Shalala
Honorary Doctor of Laws

Shalala is the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services who served in the Clinton Administration from 1993-2001 - a record tenure for the post. During her tenure, she expanded the Head Start educational program for preschool children, expanded AIDS research, sought universal immunizations for children, and reformed welfare. At the end of her service, The Washington Post described her as "one of the most successful government managers of modern times."

Shalala, now president of the University of Miami, has a long line of accomplishments. In 1988, when she was named chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she became the first woman to head a Big Ten school.

Shalala also served under President Carter as assistant secretary for policy research and development at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. There, she worked to establish women's shelters, create mortgage credits for women, and promote anti-discrimination legislation. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in urban studies at Western College in 1962, Shalala earned her master's and Ph.D. degrees at Syracuse University in social science in 1968 and 1970 respectively.

Morris "Marty" Silverman
Honorary Doctor of Laws

Marty Silverman, Troy native and well-known local philanthropist, has helped transform the Capital Region into a pace-setter in law, science, medicine, and education. Through the Marty and Dorothy Silverman Foundation, formed in 1984 and named after him and his late wife, the Manhattan resident has donated millions of dollars to stimulate and improve a variety of research and education initiatives. His generosity also has benefited senior citizens, abused and neglected youngsters, and veterans.

Among his multiple contributions, Silverman created the Renaissance Corporation of Albany, and established the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. Last year, he gave a gift of $7 million to Rensselaer to accelerate biotechnology research in the Capital Region.

Silverman graduated from Albany Law School in 1936. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he established National Equipment Rental, which became the largest privately held leasing firm in the United States.

Richard Smalley
Honorary Doctor of Science

Richard Smalley, the Hackerman Professor of Chemistry at Rice University, is one of three recipients of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of carbon atoms bound in the form of a ball, commonly known as fullerenes or "buckeyballs." He developed an important experimental technique he used in his prize-winning research while he was a research associate at the University of Chicago.

Smalley, who revolutionized the field of materials science with his discovery in 1985, received a B.S. from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1973. In 1990, Smalley was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and in 1991 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His numerous awards in addition to the Nobel include the 1991 Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics, the 1992 International Prize for New Materials, the 1992 E.O. Lawrence Award of the U.S. Department of Energy, and the 1996 Franklin Medal.

Smalley has predicted that nanotechnology will have enormous impacts on health, wealth and standard of living on a scale that overshadows other breakthroughs such as manmade polymers and medical imaging.

Robert Solow
Honorary Doctor of Laws

Robert Solow, a world leading economist, received the Nobel Prize in 1987 for his seminal contributions to the theory of capital and economic growth. Solow emphasized the importance of research and technological innovation in improving economic productivity. His work altered history as national governments came to realize that they must harness technology as an engine of growth.

After serving in the Army Signal Corps during World War II, Solow earned a bachelor's degree in economics at Harvard University in 1947 and then a Ph.D. in 1951. The MIT professor emeritus in economics has taught at the same university since 1949.

Solow served on President John F. Kennedy's Council of Economic Advisors in the early 1960s. He has served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the Board of Trustees of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Solow also is the 1999 recipient of the National Medal of Science, administered through the National Science Foundation. His books include Capital Theory and the Rate of Return (1963), The Sources of Unemployment in the United States (1964), and The Labor Market as Social Institution (1990).

The Honorable Joseph Bruno

This fall, at its Honors Convocation, Rensselaer also will confer an honorary doctorate on New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. A biotechnology visionary, Bruno has worked tirelessly to bring the economic benefits of technological innovation to the state.

Among other major programs and initiatives, Bruno's work has led to the creation of the Gen*NY*sis (Generating Employment through New York Science) program to ensure that the state maintains its position as a premier location for life sciences research and technology development. Last year, he secured $22.5 million in Gen*NY*sis funds for Rensselaer. Bruno also created the $20 million JOBS NOW fund to help make New York more economically competitive with other states.

Bruno was first elected to the Senate in 1976. Since then, he has concentrated his efforts on ways to stimulate economic development to make New York more competitive with other states, particularly in the area of high technology, in creating jobs and improving quality of life.

Contact: Caroline Jenkins
Phone: (518) 276-6531
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