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Ithaca College Commencement Slated for May 15
 Some 1,425 graduates
will be awarded degrees at Ithaca College’s 104th Commencement
on Saturday, May 15, with distinguished author and poet Maya
Angelou delivering the main address. Also speaking to the
graduating seniors and their guests will be Ithaca College president
Peggy R. Williams, chairman of the board of trustees Herman
E. Muller Jr., and senior class president Dominic Cottone.
An honorary doctor of music degree will be awarded to Howard Gardner, a noted researcher
and writer on human intelligence.
See the Commencement
'99 Web pages for more information on this year's ceremonnies.
The ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Butterfield Stadium.
In the event of severe weather, Commencement will be moved into
Ben Light Gymnasium. In a change from previous years and from
previously announced procedures, there will be two indoor ceremonies
should the severe weather plan be put into effect. The graduating
class will be split into two groups to allow for more family
members and guests to participate in the program. Detailed information
on the plan will be mailed to students and parents prior to Commencement
weekend.
 Angelou is best known as a poet
and the author of a series of autobiographical novels confronting
the racial and sexual pressures brought to bear on African-American
women. Her work combines her perspective as an individual with
her involvement in larger social and political movements, including
civil rights. In 1993 she became the first woman and the first
African American to read her work at a presidential inauguration.
Her poem for Bill Clinton’s first inaugural, "On the
Pulse of Morning," celebrates the diversity of the American
and world communities and calls on them to work together to create
a better future.
Angelou first gained national prominence with her Pulitzer
Prize–nominated 1970 book, I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings, an account of her childhood, during which she was
raped by her mother’s boyfriend and lost the ability to
speak for several years. Her poetry collections include Just
Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Die (1971), And
Still I Rise (1978), and Shaker, Why Don’t
You Sing? (1983). She has also written several plays for
screen, stage, and television, and she made her feature film
directorial debut last year with Down in the Delta.
Among many honors, Angelou received a Tony Award nomination
for her performance in the play Look Away, an Emmy Award
nomination for her supporting role in the television landmark
Roots, and a Grammy Award for best spoken word album.
She has also been recognized as woman of the year by Essence
magazine and as one of the top 100 most influential women by
Ladies’ Home Journal. She lectures and gives readings
of her works throughout the world — including at Ithaca
College in 1995 — and has a lifetime appointment as Reynolds
Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. |
