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Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 9:59 a.m.

First lady offers service challenge; may be Commencement speaker

by Alex Byers

Michelle_Obama_official_por

Updated 3:50 p.m. First lady Michelle Obama has promised to be the 2010 Commencement speaker if the GW community completes 100,000 hours of community service this year, University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard said this morning.

Service hours will be counted monthly by the GW Office of Community Service, and “volunteerism, service learning, and federal work study service employment” will count toward the tally, according to a University statement. Work with AmeriCorps and other pro-bono service will be counted as well.

Obama’s challenge coincides with GW’s Freshman Day of Service, and the eighth anniversary of 9/11. More than 1,500 freshmen are expected to participate in the Day of Service, according to the statement.

Student Association President Julie Bindelglass and SA Executive Vice President Jason Lifton said Obama’s challenge spurred from a letter they sent the first lady over the summer, asking her to participate in the Freshman Day of Service. Read the letter here (PDF).

Although Obama said she could not attend the event, she offered the possibility of speaking at Commencement if GW students could complete her challenge.

Read more…

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Sunday, May 31, 2009 8:04 p.m.

Emanuel gave nearly identical commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College

by Emily Cahn
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel delivers the keynote address at Commencement, held Sunday morning on the National Mall. Anne Wernikoff/assistant photo editor

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel delivers the keynote address at Commencement, held the morning of May 17 on the National Mall. Anne Wernikoff/assistant photo editor

GW’s 2009 keynote commencement speaker, Rahm Emanuel, gave nearly the same speech to GW graduates as he did to graduates of Sarah Lawrence College, a small liberal arts school in Bronxville, N.Y.

Aside from sharing some personal memories from his undergraduate experience at Sarah Lawrence, his alma mater, Emanuel’s speech was exactly the same.

You can compare the speech he gave at GW on May 17 to the speech he gave at Sarah Lawrence five days later.

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Sunday, May 17, 2009 3:27 p.m.

Transcript of Rahm Emanuel’s Commencement address

by Sarah Scire

This is an express transcript of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s commencement speech this morning, courtesy of the University’s media relations office. Emanuel was awarded a honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel speaks at University-wide Commencement on Sunday morning. University President Steven Knapp (left) and Board of Trustees Chairman Russ Ramsey flank the keynote speaker. Anne Wernikoff/Assistant photo editor.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel speaks at University-wide Commencement Sunday morning on the National Mall. University President Steven Knapp (left) and GW Board of Trustees Chairman Russ Ramsey flank the keynote speaker. Anne Wernikoff/Assistant photo editor.

PRESIDENT KNAPP: Ladies and gentlemen, our commencement speaker, Doctor Rahm Emanuel.

MR. EMANUEL: “Doctor.” I just want you to know that you’ve made one Jewish mother happy in Chicago –
(Laughter.)
– who spent many a sleepless night wondering what would happen to her middle son.
(Laughter.)
I listened to that introduction. I actually wish my parents were here, because I know my mother would be proud and my father would be amazed.
(Laughter.)
President, Mr. Chairman, and the Board of Trustees, members of the faculty, proud parents, family, friends, and above all the graduating class of 2009: Congratulations.
(Applause.)
I also want to thank George Washington University for bestowing this honorary degree. This is actually the second honorary degree I’ve received this year. Just last week I was awarded an honorary degree for my contribution in the field of linguistics, particularly my work in four-letter words.
(Laughter.)
This is a wonderful day for all of you, as you mark the end of one great effort and the beginning of another. You’ve taken on difficult assignments, passed tough exams. You’ve pored over course packets late into the night and into the early morning. You’ve worked hard. You’ve also played hard. You’ve stumbled and gotten back up, occasionally as a consequence of playing hard. You also did your fair share of growing up over the past four years.

Read more…

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Saturday, May 16, 2009 10:46 p.m.

Rainy commencement on National Mall expected for third consecutive year

by Sarah Scire

The University-wide Commencement is expected to take place on the National Mall despite some forecasted showers, University Spokeswoman Tracy Schario said.

Tomorrow’s ceremony is scheduled to go on rain or shine but the University has booked the Verizon Center in case thunder and lightning forces the Commencement to move indoors. The weather has been rainy for two years running.

The Weather Channel and the National Weather Service both predict showers at 9:30a.m., when the procession is scheduled to be begin, but the chance of precipitation decreases as the morning goes on.

“It looks like it may be a wet start, but no dangerous weather is predicted,” Schario wrote in an e-mail Saturday night.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009 9:55 a.m.

Verizon Center availability still up in the air

by Gabrielle Bluestone

The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 in an overtime game at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh last night, forcing a seventh game between the two teams in the second round of the National Hockey League playoffs. The teams will play again on Wednesday at the Verizon Center.

If the Caps win the seventh game, they will go on to the third round and potentially render the Verizon Center unavailable as a Commencement backup site. The building would be unusable if the Caps have a third-round game scheduled Sunday at the Verizon Center. The backup site would only be necessary in the event of life-threatening weather such as lightning.

University spokeswoman Tracy Schario said if the Verizon Center is unavailable during Commencement, the Smith Center would be used as a alternative site. Because the Smith Center holds 5,000 people, only graduates and the commencement platform party – the individuals who sit onstage during Commencement – would be present. Friends and family would be able to watch the ceremonies from multiple video viewing sites.

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009 5:48 p.m.

Graduation speakers for School of Business and College of Professional Studies announced

by Sarah Scire

This post was written by Hatchet Staff Writer Lauren French.

A former Securities and Exchange Commissioner and a local councilwoman will be addressing graduates during two of universities’ individual commencement ceremonies, university officials said this morning.

Former Securities and Exchange Commissioner Cynthia Glassman, a George W. Bush appointee, will be speaking to the School of Business undergraduates at their ceremony on May 15, according to the School of Business.

Glassman was sworn in during Bush’s first term, in 2002, and served as Acting Chairman through the summer of 2005.

D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh will address the graduates of the College of Professional Studies during their ceremony on May 16, according to CPS’s Web site.

Currently serving as a councilmember for D.C. Ward 3, Cheh is also a tenured professor at GW. She currently chairs the GW Law Public Interest Committee, which works with faculty and students providing pro bono legal services to the underprivileged.

The commencement ceremonies for the individual schools take place the Friday and Saturday before the University-wide commencement ceremony on the National Mall on May 17.

Other confirmed speakers:

* Law School: Gregory Garre, former U.S. solicitor general
* Graduate GWSB: Stefan Jacoby, Volkswagen Group of America
President and CEO
* ESIA: Kurt Volker, U.S. ambassador to NATO
* SEAS: Bill Westenhofer, Oscar-winning visual effects artist
* SMHS: William Devries, renowned surgeon
* CCAS: No outside speaker; CCAS dean, students and faculty will speak
* SPHHS: Roslyn Brock, vice chairman of NAACP board

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Sunday, March 29, 2009 6:46 p.m.

NATO ambassador will speak at Elliott School graduation ceremony

by Sarah Scire

NATO Ambassador Kurt Volker will participate in the Elliott School of International Affairs graduation ceremony on May 15, the school announced this week.

Volker, who was named the U.S. representative to NATO this fall, is an alumnus of the Elliott School, graduating in 1987 with a master’s in international affairs. He guest lectures in graduate-level courses at GW once a semester, according to the Elliott School Web site.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009 3:01 a.m.

Rahm Emanuel will be Commencement speaker

by Sarah Scire

This post was written by Lauren French and Sarah Scire.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

Update, 3:50 p.m. Emanuel will be the Commencement speaker, the University confirmed in a news release. Jeanne Narum, president of Project Kaleidoscope and the Independent College Office, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science, and GW alumnus and sculptor John Safer will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.

In the release, University President Steven Knapp said the three honorees “exemplify the University’s ideals of excellence, leadership and service.”

Original Post. Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff to President Barack Obama, will be this year’s Commencement speaker, two sources directly involved in the keynote speaker selection process told The Hatchet Tuesday evening.

Nothing has been confirmed by the University or Emanuel’s office, and both sources asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. A source provided The Hatchet with an e-mail from Senior Vice President and General Counsel Beth Nolan to the Special Advisory Committee on Commencement Speakers stating Emanuel had accepted University President Steven Knapp’s invitation to speak at the ceremony on May 17.

University spokeswoman Tracy Schario declined to confirm Emanuel was the speaker in an interview shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. Schario did not deny that the former Illinois congressman had accepted the invitation, however.

“I can’t confirm anything related to the Commencement speaker yet,” Schario said.

One committee member, Associate Vice President of Student and Academic Support Services Peter Konwerski, said in an interview Tuesday evening that he knew they had been considering someone in the Obama administration, but he had not yet read Nolan’s e-mail. Konwerski added Wednesday morning that the committee had nominated Emanuel, among other candidates, for Knapp’s approval.

The White House press office did not immediately return requests for comment as of Wednesday morning.

Eric Roper contributed to this report.

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Friday, May 23, 2008 1:39 p.m.

Trachtenberg to give keynote speech at Excelsior College

by Alexa Millinger

Former University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg will give the keynote Commencement address at Excelsior College at its ceremony on July 11. The school’s Web site hails Trachtenberg as a “long time advocate for higher education.” Excelsior is a private college located in Albany, N.Y., best known for its distance learning programs. Trachtenberg, who is no stranger to Commencement addresses, spoke at GW’s ceremony last year on the National Mall.

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Saturday, May 17, 2008 7:42 p.m.

With rain forecast for Commencement, possibility of location change

by Alexa Millinger

Weather Forecast Update, 3:15 a.m. The National Weather Service is reporting a 70 percent chance of rain Sunday, with thunderstorms “likely” come the afternoon:

A chance of showers, mainly between 9am and noon, then showers and thunderstorms likely after noon. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. Cloudy, with a high near 72. West wind between 5 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. [Last updated May 17, 10 p.m.]

The Weather Channel is reporting a 40 percent chance of thundershowers at 10 a.m., the start of the ceremony. By noon, the chance of thundershowers increases to 70 percent, and by 1 p.m. the forecast is upgraded to thunderstorms.

Despite a chance of thunderstorms, Commencement remains scheduled for the Mall, according to a recording on the GW information line.

Original Post. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow morning’s Commencement cermony on the National Mall, and the University is preparing the Verizon Center as a back-up location in case of life-threatening weather.

GW spokesperson Tracy Schario said that the Verizon Center would have been prepared as a back-up location even if rain weren’t forecast, as is standard practice. Based on the weather, the University and the National Park Service – who oversees the Mall – will decide if it is safe to hold Commencement outside.

“Right now it looks like it will just be raining, but we’ll see what happens,” Schario said. If it is just raining, it will still be held on the Mall.

She doesn’t foresee the ultimate decision being made before tomorrow morning, but advises families to remember their tickets, which will be necessary if Commencement is moved indoors.

In preparation, Schario said she has been in contact with meteorologists for further weather updates, as well as with WTOP radio station to get the word out in the case of a location change. She said they have also prepared scripts for the GW information line (202-994-5050) and the Campus Advisories Web site, where students and families should look for information.

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