Can you believe there are only 38 more days of school (including weekends) left in this academic year?? We definitely cannot…
With graduation fast approaching, seniors are buying their cap and gowns, furiously finishing the last pages of thesis and finalizing their plans for after graduation. As the countdown begins, we prepare to say goodbye to the wonderful class of 2015. With so many activities happening for the seniors around this time, the only thing the other DePauw students have to look forward to is the Commencement speaker and on March 30, President Brian Casey finally let the student body know who we could look forward to.
On March 30, President Brian Casey announced that the 2015 Commencement speaker will be Ruth J. Simmons. A graduate of Harvard University, Simmons was the first female president of Brown University and served in this position from 2001 to 2012. She contributed significantly in making Brown one of the top research universities. Simmons has also served in various faculty and administrative positions at the University of Southern California, Princeton University and Spelman College. Before her presidency at Brown University, Simmons served from 1995 to 2001 as the president of the all women’s Smith College. Ruth J. Simmons is certainly a woman of many accomplishments, she has also received Brown University Faculty’s highest honor, the Susan Colver Rosenberger Medal in 2011 and in 2012 was named a ‘chevalier’ of the French Legion of Honor. Simmons is now a professor of Africana Studies at Brown University. Ruth J. Simmons will be the University’s 176th Commencement speaker and will take her place among an impressive list of past DePauw Commencement speakers such as actor, Kal Penn and novelist Barbara Kingsolver. All DePauw students are encouraged to attend graduation this May 17th in Holton Quadrangle.