Rita Colwell To Address Graduating Class
Web MasterAllison Barrett
Student Life Staff
Following the NAACP’s Julian Bond and conservative America’s George Will, Dr. Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation, will deliver this spring’s commencement address.
Colwell, a prominent figure in the recent movement to address the role of women and minorities in the sciences, will also be presented with an honorary doctor of science degree, the eighteenth of her career.
“Dr. Colwell was among the individuals recommended by the Board of Trustees to receive an honorary doctorate, and she emerged as the strongest candidate to be the commencement speaker as well,” said Chancellor Mark Wrighton.
Colwell was appointed as the first female director of the NSF in 1998 and moved quickly to focus the NSF’s efforts on increasing women and minority participation in the sciences and engineering. Prior to her position at the NSF, Colwell served as president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and as a professor of microbiology at UM. Throughout her career in the sciences, Colwell has also served as an advisor for the United States government and numerous private foundations, while also authoring several books.
Wrighton, a member of the National Science Board, said that his association with the NSB, the governing body of the NSF, did not play a role in the university’s choice of Colwell as the commencement speaker. She was chosen for the job prior to Wrighton’s confirmation as a member of the NSB.
“Having now served as a member of the National Science Board with the opportunity to interact directly with Dr. Colwell, I am even more pleased that she has agreed to serve as this year’s commencement speaker,” said Wrighton.
Colwell will most likely bring a much different perspective to the graduating seniors than more politically oriented predecessors such as Bond and Will.
“Every commencement speaker brings a different message based on their own experiences, responsibilities, and views of the issues facing the graduating class before them,” said Wrighton.
WU’s 140th commencement will take place on May 18, 2001, in Brookings Quad.
Erin Nolan contributed to this article.
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