Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) 145th Commencement will be held today on the campus Quadrangle, where 1,165 degrees will be conferred. In total, 781 bachelor's degrees, 358 master's degrees, and 26 PhDs will be awarded. Additionally, 328 degrees were awarded earlier this academic year.
Thousands are expected to hear messages delivered by keynote speaker Eric S. Lander, president and founding director of The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, as well as WPI President and CEO Dennis Berkey.
Honorary degrees will be conferred upon Lander; Carol T. Christ, president of Smith College; and Robert H. Beckett '57, retired chairman and CEO of Robec, Inc., and currently president and CEO of Tribo Surface Engineering.
In his prepared remarks, Berkey will tell students that they have added to the rich fabric of the university in a variety of ways. "You have achieved at the highest levels – in the classrooms, on your project teams, on our playing fields, on the stage, and in the theatre; you have brought substance, texture, and vitality to the university's social and cultural life," he said.
President Berkey will also express gratitude for having met many of the students and praise their intellect, achievements, and insights. He will also urge students to take full advantage of their abilities. "Use your talents wisely—helping to address and resolve the major threats and opportunities in our world, as our distinguished alumnus, Robert Goddard admonished, 'turning the dreams of yesterday, and hopes of today, into a bright reality of tomorrow.' "
The Chairman's Exemplary Faculty Prize will also be presented for the seventh time during WPI's 2013 Commencement. The prize was established in 2007 through the personal philanthropy of Donald K. Peterson '71, former chair of the WPI Board of Trustees. The award recognizes faculty members who, as true exemplars of the university’s highest aspirations and most important qualities, excel in all relevant areas of faculty performance.
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