Honorary Doctorates To Be Conferred on Moviemaker Bobby Farrelly, Genomic Researcher Claire Fraser, and Brown University President Ruth Simmons

Troy, N.Y. — Civilian space traveler and Rensselaer alumnus Dennis Tito will be the featured speaker at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 196th Commencement ceremonies on May 18.

Commencement 2002 marks the return of the graduation ceremonies to the Rensselaer campus. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the Harkness Field. A festive celebration picnic immediately following the ceremony will be held at various sites around the main campus.

“We are delighted that Dennis Tito has accepted our invitation to speak at Commencement,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “Through his business successes, Mr. Tito was able to realize a lifelong dream of visiting outer space. His immense achievements as an entrepreneur and as the first tourist to go to International Space Station are an inspiration to Rensselaer graduates and especially to the Class of 2002.”

Tito, who will be awarded an honorary doctorate of engineering from Rensselaer, is founder and chief executive of Wilshire Associates, one of the largest investment management consulting firms in the U.S. He received his bachelor’s degree in astronautics and aeronautics from New York University College of Engineering in 1962, and a master’s degree in engineering science from Rensselaer at Hartford in 1964.

Tito started his career as an aerospace engineer for NASA, where he helped to develop robotic missions to Mars and Venus. In 1972, he established Wilshire Associates in California. The same year he developed the Wilshire aggregate market index (Wilshire 5000), which is the most widely used index in the securities market. The company manages clients with $500 billion in assets and oversees $11 billion in pension funds.

Rensselaer also will bestow honorary doctoral degrees on Bobby Farrelly ’81, Claire Fraser ’77, and Ruth Simmons.

Bobby Farrelly ’81
With his brother Peter, Bobby Farrelly, has directed and produced some of the most successful comedy films in recent years. The pair’s movies include box-office megahit Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, and Shallow Hal. Farrelly, who graduated from Rensselaer with a bachelor’s in geology, will receive an honorary doctorate in arts and humane letters.

Claire Fraser ’77
Fraser, president of The Institute for Genomic Research, will receive an honorary doctorate of science. As a leader in the sequencing of the genomes of several microbial organisms, Fraser has helped initiate the era of comparative genomics. She was recognized by Newsweek magazine this year as “one of seven players to watch in the coming year and beyond.” She graduated from Rensselaer in 1977 with a bachelor’s in biology.

Ruth Simmons
Simmons, president of Brown University, will receive an honorary doctorate of engineering. Simmons, the great-granddaughter of slaves, made history when she assumed the presidency of Smith College in 1995, becoming the first African-American woman to head a top-ranked college in the United States. At Smith, she established the nation’s first engineering program at a woman’s college. She holds a doctorate in romance languages and literatures from Harvard University.

Contact: Jodi Ackerman
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