Honorary degree recipients also include George Bugliarello, Donald B. Keck, and Charles H. Thornton

Troy, N.Y. – Quoting 19th-century English novelist Charles Kingsley, Internet pioneer Robert “Bob” Metcalfe offered insight to the secret of happiness in his address today to nearly 1,300 graduates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 198th Commencement at the Harkness Field. “All we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about,” Metcalfe said in quoting Kingsley.

Metcalfe also encouraged students to not limit themselves in the search for knowledge. “You must get the truth from as many sources as you can find,” he added.

Currently general partner in the venture capital firm Polaris Venture Partners, Metcalfe invented Ethernet networking in 1973 while working at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Metcalfe founded 3Com Corporation (1979), the billion-dollar networking company in which he served as chairman, CEO, division general manager, and vice president of engineering, marketing, and sales. He is a noted columnist and commentator for prominent publications such as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.

In her remarks, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson honored Metcalfe for being “a true technological innovator, reinventing yourself — and at each stage of your career — transforming our world.”

“Seize These Opportunities,” President Jackson Advises Class of 2004
In her address to the Class of 2004, President Jackson urged graduating seniors to seize opportunities that open the heart and the mind.

“You are an extraordinarily knowledgeable group, but every day the world offers us opportunities to put aside our preconceived ideas and opinions, and to open our minds to new ways of thinking and being. Please seize these opportunities.”

“Your drive to innovate, to create, to discover, to delve into the mysteries of the physical, natural, and aesthetic worlds, ensures that your education will not end here, but it will continue, throughout your life, to astonish, surprise, and delight you,” President Jackson added.

Years to Remember, Student Class President Says
Student Class President Anne Marie Lisuzzo also spoke to her fellow graduates at the podium, reflecting on college life by quoting author and civil rights leader W.E.B. Dubois: “A glimpse of the higher life… is granted to the one who, amid the rush and roar of living, pauses four short years to learn what living means.”

“These are the years we’ll remember forever,” added Lisuzzo, from Colonie. She received her bachelor’s degree in management today. After graduation, Lisuzzo will begin her career at NBC in New York City, where she will be working in the network station’s Management Leadership Program.

Honorary Degrees
In addition to Metcalfe, Rensselaer also conferred an honorary degree on George Bugliarello, Donald B. Keck, and Charles H. Thornton.

George Bugliarello
Engineer and educator George Bugliarello is president emeritus (1973-1994) and former chancellor (1994-2003) of Polytechnic University. Honored for his contributions in biomedical engineering and science policy, Bugliarello is now serving a four-year term as foreign secretary of the National Academy of Engineering, of which he has been a member since 1987.

Donald B. Keck
In 1970, Donald Keck was a member of the Corning glass research team that developed the optical fiber that led to the telecommunications revolution. Working with Robert Maurer and Peter Schultz, the team developed an optical fiber capable of carrying 65,000 times more information than conventional copper wire. Keck is currently chief technology officer of Infotonics.

Charles H. Thornton
Structural engineer Charles Thornton is chair of the Thornton-Tomasetti Group Inc. His firm built the 95-story Petronas Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur City Center in Malaysia, the tallest skyscraper in the world, as well as a number of other noted structures such as Chicago Stadium, Comiskey Park, and the 50-story Americas Tower in New York.

Contact: Jodi Ackerman
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