FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAY 13, 2002

Click Here for a Complete Text of Solomon Oliver's Address

Solomon Oliver, U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Ohio and a Wooster graduate as well as a Trustee, gave the Commencement speech in front of 354 graduating seniors.

WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster's Class of 2002 heard words of encouragement in these uncertain times from principal speaker Solomon Oliver at the 132nd commencement ceremony Monday morning in Timken Gymnasium. Oliver, U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Ohio and a Wooster graduate as well as a Trustee, assured the 354 graduating seniors that the College has prepared them well for the next step in their journey.

"That was the goal from the very beginning-to provide each of you a nurturing environment in which to learn and grow so that you could move beyond these walls to live challenging and fulfilling lives," he said. "The key to living such lives, at least in part, is to make good use of what you have learned here."

Oliver went on to reinforce the value of their education and its many future applications. "Indeed the education you have received here will have a profound effect on you for the rest of your life," he said. "This does not mean that your education ends at Wooster. In many ways it is only the beginning. But Wooster has prepared you for a lifelong process of education, most of which will be outside the classroom, without a syllabus, clearly defined grades, or course content.

"Your education here, including Independent Study, has provided you with the critical skills of organization, reasoning, analysis, and independent thinking, which will be useful in whatever endeavor you undertake," he added.

Oliver warned the graduates not to forget the valuable lessons they learned about diversity-both in and out of the classroom. "Take ownership in your future living, working, and other environments," he said. "Take affirmative steps, to the extent that you can, to help ensure that they are reflective of that larger society. Apart from the benefits which might flow, for example, in a work setting from having the perspective of a minority on your team, it is just plain fair to make sure that opportunities are made known and are open to all."

In addition to the 354 undergraduate degrees, three honorary degrees were conferred. Author Iris Chang, whose writings exposed past injustices in the international community and promoted peace among peoples of differing races and backgrounds, was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters. Lidia Falcón O'Neill also received the Doctor of Humane Letters for her lifelong commitment to educating the general public and promoting a universal consciousness of social, political, and economic inequalities. Clark Terry, a major figure in the history of jazz trumpet and one of music's most admired personalities, was awarded the honorary degree, Doctor of Music.

Michael Vidmar received the Jonas O. Notestein Prize as the student with the highest scholarship in the senior class. The William Galpin Awards for general excellence in college work when to Neha Sahgal and Lisa Minich for the women, and Charles Nusbaum and Dan Dean for the men. The Daniel F. Lockhart Outstanding senior award went to Dana Schrum.