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MICHAEL BLOOMBERG TO DELIVER BARNARD COLLEGE
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Billie Jean King, David Remnick, and Thelma Davidson Adair
to Receive Medals of Distinction
updated
04.23.08
New York, NY – Michael R. Bloomberg, the 108th Mayor of the City of New York and founder of financial information giant Bloomberg L.P., will address approximately 590 members of the Class of 2008 and their families and friends at Barnard College's 116th commencement ceremony, to be held on Tuesday, May 20. He will also receive the Barnard Medal of Distinction, the College's highest honor.
"Mayor Bloomberg's achievements and intellect perfectly reflect the ambitions of our students and the accomplishments of our alumnae," said Anna Quindlen '74, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and bestselling author. "And as the father of two successful daughters, he is ideally positioned to speak from the heart to members of the class of 2008. We couldn't be more pleased to honor New York's exemplary Mayor."
Bloomberg was selected by a committee of trustees, faculty, administrators, and students, charged with choosing honorees of high distinction whose mark on the world bears some relation to Barnard: as a college dedicated to the education and advancement of women, inseparable from its location in New York City, and committed to intellectual and creative achievements in the liberal arts and sciences.
Bloomberg has been a strong advocate for women's issues, as well as a friend and partner to Barnard over the years. In 2003, he and his newly restored New York City Commission on Women's Issues gathered at Barnard to celebrate Women's History Month and to announce the College's partnership with the Commission on a survey to improve women's advancement in the workplace and the overall quality of life for women in the city. In 2007, President Judith R. Shapiro, along with eight other presidents of New York City colleges and universities, joined the Mayor's PlaNYC 2030 "Green Team," to highlight the need for academic institutions to play a leading role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"Both Mayor Bloomberg and Barnard College embody the best of New York. As members of what is not only New York City's women's college, but the college for all New York City women, we admire what he has done for the city we care about so deeply," said Shapiro. "We are honored that he is with us to help send another six hundred bright, spirited, and energetic young women out to lead and change the world."
Bloomberg's biography is well known. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a family of modest means, and raised in Medford, MA, Bloomberg helped pay his way through Johns Hopkins University by parking cars, eventually graduating with a degree in electrical engineering. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and went on to work at Salomon Brothers on Wall Street, making partner in just six years. Although he eventually was put in charge of all of Salomon's stock trading and sales and later, its information systems, Bloomberg found himself out of a job in 1981 when Salomon was acquired by another firm. The day after he was fired, Bloomberg decided to start his own company, pursuing an idea he had as a young trader to improve on the archaic nature in which financial data was manually stored and retrieved at the time. Bloomberg L.P. went on to revolutionize Wall Street and today, is the leading provider of financial information to companies, news organizations, and financial and legal professionals around the world.
As his company grew, Bloomberg dedicated more of his time and energy to philanthropy and civic affairs. In 2001, although never having held elective office, Bloomberg was elected mayor of New York. He came into office shortly after the tragic events of September 11, at a time when many believed that businesses would flee, and New York might never recover. Bloomberg's administration not only restored confidence in New York City for businesses, residents, and tourists, it enacted policies and programs that allowed the city to flourish. Bloomberg's administration became known for its innovative proposals, focus on improving New Yorkers' collective quality of life, fiscal responsibility, and ability to get things done. Bloomberg was reelected in 2005 by a landslide margin and has enjoyed approval ratings of approximately 70 percent for much of his second term. In its "enthusiastic" endorsement during Bloomberg's reelection campaign, The New York Times praised his record of accomplishment and speculated that, "he may be remembered as one of the greatest mayors in New York history."
Barnard's commencement ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m. on May 20. In addition to honoring Bloomberg, the College will celebrate the achievements of tennis great, living legend, and social activist Billie Jean King; Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and Editor-in-Chief of The New Yorker David Remnick; and lifelong Harlem advocate and chief organizer of Harlem's Head Start programs Dr. Thelma Davidson Adair. All four honorees will be awarded the Barnard Medal of Distinction.
President Judith R. Shapiro, who is retiring this June after fourteen successful years leading the College, will confer the medals, present the degree candidates and address the expected crowd of approximately 5,000 graduates, family members, faculty and staff of Barnard, the most sought-after women's college in the nation.
Biographies of Additional Honorees
Billie Jean King has long been a champion for social change and equality and has created numerous inroads for women during her legendary career. One of the most illustrious and celebrated tennis players in history, she is credited with spearheading the women's movement in tennis and is often recognized as the single most influential player in popularizing professional tennis in the United States. King has won thirty-nine Grand Slam titles, in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, including a record twenty titles at Wimbledon. In 1973, King empowered women and educated men when she defeated her male opponent Bobby Riggs in one of the greatest moments in sports history – a match known as the Battle of the Sexes. During the height of her tennis superstardom, King founded the Women's Tennis Association, the Women's Sports Foundation, and co-founded World TeamTennis, the groundbreaking co-ed professional tennis league. In 1990, King was named one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" by Life magazine, and in 1994, she was ranked No. 5 on Sports Illustrated's "Top 40 Athletes" list. She has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Court of Champions at the USTA National Tennis Center.
King remains active both in the tennis community and as a social activist. She is an advocate for LGBT rights and a staunch supporter of women in sports. She currently serves on the boards of both the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Women's Sports Foundation. Last year, King launched GreenSlam, an organization that challenges the sports industry to be more proactive about supporting the environment and adopting green initiatives.
David Remnick is Editor-in-Chief of The New Yorker, an award-winning journalist, and author of five books, including Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993. A prolific writer, Remnick has covered a diverse array of subject matter, ranging from articles about Pope John Paul II to Mike Tyson to Ralph Ellison. Remnick began his career as a beat reporter at the Washington Post before becoming its Moscow correspondent in 1988. After ten years at the Post, he moved to The New Yorker, of which he was appointed editor in 1998 with unanimous praise. Since Remnick became editor, the prestigious literary magazine has won twenty-one National Magazine Awards. He was also named Advertising Age's Editor of the Year in 2000.
Dr. Thelma Davidson Adair is an authority on childhood education, chief organizer of Harlem's Head Start programs, and a lifelong advocate for Harlem. She taught at Queens College for twenty-nine years and is professor emerita of early childhood education. Her numerous publications have become an authoritative guide for early childhood educators throughout the United States.
Over sixty years ago, in 1944, Adair helped establish Mount Morris New Life, a children's day care center. Twenty years later, in 1965, Adair organized the first Head Start programs in Harlem. Both programs continue to operate today and help hundreds of children and their families in the Harlem community. Adair is also a Presbyterian Elder in the Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church of New York and was the first African-American moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA). As a church Elder, Adair is a strong voice for the full participation of women in the ecumenical movement and a strong proponent of peace and justice throughout the world. |
