Commencement 2004

Provost's citations

Thomas J. Brokaw
Doctor of Humane Letters
Presented by Joseph Angotti, chair of the broadcast program and professor of journalism, Medill School of Journalism
The anchor of the weekday NBC Nightly News since 1983, Tom Brokaw is one of America’s most accomplished electronic journalists. An eyewitness to much of the history of the last four decades, he has covered every presidential campaign since 1968; he was the first American network anchor to interview such figures as the Dalai Lama and Vladimir Putin and to report from Berlin the night the Berlin Wall fell. Although stepping down later this year as Nightly News anchor, he will continue his career at NBC as a documentary producer, reporter, and news analyst. Brokaw is also the author of three best-selling books, including The Greatest Generation (1998), about Americans born in the 1920s. Brokaw’s articles, essays, and commentary have appeared in such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Newsweek. His many awards include seven Emmys, two Peabodys, and the Fred Friendly First Amendment Award.

For more than two decades you have helped us make sense of our turbulent world. As anchor of NBC Nightly News, you have earned our trust in times of challenge and crisis. When new world leaders emerge and major international stories break, you are often the first on the scene. Your journalistic achievements extend far beyond the nightly newscast, with award-winning prime-time specials and investigative reports as well as published articles and essays. Your best-selling book The Greatest Generation and its two sequels have won you even further acclaim. You have shared your insights and expertise with our students in Medill classes and as a speaker on the Crain Lecture Series. We welcome you back as an esteemed member of the Northwestern community.

Guido Calabresi
Doctor of Laws
Presented by Howard J. Trienens, trustee, Northwestern University
Currently a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Sterling Professor of Law Emeritus at Yale University, Calabresi gained distinction first as a legal scholar on the faculty of Yale Law School, then as the vigorous dean of that school, and most recently as one of the most widely respected members of the American judiciary. His books The Cost of Accidents: A Legal and Economic Analysis (1970) and Tragic Choices (1978) were pathbreaking studies of how laws can influence behavior and affect the incidence of injury involving parties not related by contract. A Yale graduate, Calabresi studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a corresponding fellow of the British Academy.

From the halls of academe to the halls of justice, your world-class legal scholarship has taken you to the top of your field. After years of laying down the law to students as professor and dean at Yale Law School, you now do so literally from the Court of Appeals bench, earning a reputation as one of the nation’s most respected jurists. Through your books and articles you have influenced such areas as constitutional law, medical law, and statute interpretation, and your 1970 book The Cost of Accidents: A Legal and Economic Analysis helped revolutionize torts law. In recognition of these achievements, you have received major awards and more than 30 honorary degrees. We are proud to add to that distinguished list.

Patricia K. Donahoe
Doctor of Science
Presented by J. Larry Jameson, chair and Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine
Chief of pediatric surgical services at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Marshall K. Bartlett Professor of Surgery at Harvard University Medical School, Donahoe is widely recognized for her achievements as a surgeon and physician-scientist. A pioneer in the surgical repair of children born with complex urogenital abnormalities, she has addressed the compelling ethical issues implicit in treating children born with ambiguous genitalia. Her laboratory has isolated and explored the biological function of the hormone Mullerian Inhibiting Substance that induces regression of the female reproductive organs in males. Donahoe is coauthor of a textbook on the clinical management of intersex abnormalities and the author of numerous scientific papers. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science.

A true pioneer in the field of urogenital medicine, you exemplify the highest level of achievement in both clinical surgery and scientific research — a rare combination. As a surgeon you have concentrated on delicate and complex procedures for correcting congenital abnormalities, and you are in the forefront of confronting the ethical questions these procedures entail. As a researcher you have investigated the potential of fetal inducers as chemotherapeutic agents. In both capacities you have served as an imaginative and passionate role model for countless students, and your bold leadership in professional organizations has added to your renown. Just this week you received the highest award of the Endocrine Society. We take pleasure in adding our further recognition of your remarkable achievements.

Henry Fogel
Doctor of Fine Arts
Presented by Mallory Thompson, professor of music, director of bands, and Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence, School of Music
President and chief executive officer of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association from 1985 until 2003, Fogel is widely regarded as the dean of American orchestral managers. As head of the CSO, Fogel deftly balanced artistic ambitions with fiscal realities to ensure the orchestra’s standing as one of the world’s great symphonic ensembles. Among his achievements were the dramatic growth in the orchestra’s endowment, the renovation and expansion of Orchestra Hall, and initiatives to bring the orchestra into closer touch with the Chicago community. Prior to joining the CSO, Fogel was executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and orchestra manager of the New York Philharmonic. He is now president and CEO of the American Symphony Orchestra League, an organization serving more than 900 North American orchestras.
Behind every great orchestra is a great orchestra administrator. For almost two decades, you were the chief executive behind the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, leading that world-renowned ensemble through a period of intense change and growth as it broadened its connections with the community, expanded its educational offerings, and enhanced its facilities. While maintaining an admirable fiscal discipline, you nevertheless made it possible for the orchestra to reach ever higher levels of artistic achievement. Long considered a national leader in your field, you have served as a consultant on management and labor issues for orchestras around the country, and today you lead your field officially as head of the American Symphony Orchestra League. We applaud your signal contributions to our nation’s artistic life.

Yuan-Cheng B. Fung
Doctor of Science
Presented by Lyle F. Mockros, professor of biomedical engineering and chemical and biological engineering, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Professor emeritus of bioengineering and applied mechanics at the University of California, San Diego, Fung is widely recognized as the father of biomechanics. His work established the fundamental biomechanical properties and behaviors of nearly every organ and tissue in the body. Initially trained in aeronautics and mathematics, Fung became a leading international authority in aeroelasticity. He then retrained himself in physiology and devoted his talents to applying engineering principles to the life sciences. The former president of both the American Academy of Mechanics and the Biomedical Engineering Society, Fung is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science, and the Institute of Medicine. In 2000 he received the National Medal of Science.

With degrees in aeronautics and mathematics, you first established yourself as the world’s leading authority on aeroelasticity. But mastering an existing field was not enough for your wide-ranging intellect. Stopping midcareer to retrain yourself in physiology, you went on to establish the completely new field of biomechanics, dedicated to understanding how living systems interact with the physical world in health and disease. Largely through your pioneering research and professional leadership, that field now boasts a thriving international community, on par with many long-established areas of engineering. A recipient of the National Medal of Science, you are one of a handful of researchers recognized by election to all three of America’s leading scientific academies. We are proud to add to these many honors.

Shirley Ann Jackson
Doctor of Science
Presented by Louis Gomez, Aon Professor of Learning Sciences, School of Education and Social Policy, and professor of computer science, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute since 1999, Jackson is a theoretical physicist whose research has focused on the optical and electronic properties of layered materials. In earning her PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973, she became the first African American woman to receive an MIT doctorate in any subject. Following a career in AT&T Bell Labs and at Rutgers University, she was appointed by President Clinton in 1995 to chair the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Jackson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is currently president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society.

Your career has been a long string of historic firsts: the first African American woman to earn a doctorate at MIT, the first to serve on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the first elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the first to lead a national research university, and the first woman and first African American to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. At AT&T Bell Laboratories and Rutgers University, you distinguished yourself as a theoretical physicist with research into the electronic and optical properties of two-dimensional systems and layered materials. Today, as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, you lead the oldest degree-granting technological university in the English-speaking world. We are honored to welcome you as a member of the Northwestern family.

Paul A. Volcker
Doctor of Laws
Presented by Deborah J. Lucas, Donald C. Clark/Household International Distinguished Professor of Finance, J. L. Kellogg School of Management
Frederick H. Schultz Professor of International Economic Policy emeritus at Princeton University, Volcker is a longtime public servant who held senior positions in the administrations of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, and Reagan. From 1979 to1987 he chaired the Federal Reserve System’s board of governors, where he boldly implemented a monetary policy that broke a long and pernicious cycle of inflation and helped revitalize the American economy. Following his many years of public service, he served as chair of the investment banking firm James D. Wolfensohn, Inc., and, most recently, as a forceful advocate for reform in corporate governance and accounting standards. Volcker has chaired the North American Committee of the Trilateral Commission and in 1999 headed an investigation of Swiss banks’ handling of the accounts of Holocaust victims.

In the world of finance and economics, you are indisputably a giant. Serving five presidents of both parties, you developed an unmatched reputation for courage and integrity in monetary policy. Your most lasting mark on U.S. economic history came during your eight-year tenure as chair of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System. Inheriting a sluggish economy and rampant inflation, you took controversial actions to reverse those trends, laying the foundation for the succeeding decade’s economic boom. Having cleaned up that mess, you have since been widely sought after to clean up many others, and your probity and intellect continue to benefit the financial community. We thank you for your exemplary service to our nation and our world.