USC Announces Commencement Speaker, Honorary Degree Recipients

The University of Southern California’s 129th annual commencement on May 11 will feature an address by Christiane Amanpour, global affairs anchor at ABC News and chief international correspondent for CNN International.

More than 40,000 people, including graduates and their families, are expected to attend the event, either at Alumni Park or one of the 34 satellite ceremonies. Almost 14,000 degrees will be conferred at the commencement, including about 1,400 Ph.D.s.

Degree candidates, Half-Century Trojans, faculty and distinguished guests will form a processional leaving Bovard Auditorium at 8:30 a.m. USC President C. L. Max Nikias will preside over the main 9 a.m. ceremony in Alumni Park.

The eight honorary degree recipients, including Amanpour, this year represent a global set of civic, academic, and social leaders:

Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, force commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, during which time he is credited with saving more than 32,000 lives. He currently serves as a Canadian senator.

Dana Dornsife, USC benefactor and international humanitarian. Together with her husband David, she provided the single largest gift in the university’s history—a transformative contribution that named the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences in 2011.

David Dornsife, USC trustee and alumnus whose family’s dedication to advancing the university’s work in neuroscience and medicine dates back several decades. He also served as chairman of the board of the Herrick Corporation and vice president of the Hedco Foundation, which supports health and education. Â

Victoria Hale, pharmaceutical scientist and social entrepreneur. She founded Medicines360 and the first non-profit pharmaceutical company in the United States, and Institute for OneWorld Health, which developed a new cure for black fever and technology that has significantly reduced the cost of malaria drugs.

Armas C. “Mike” Markkula, entrepreneur, innovator and engineer—and graduate of USC. He played a key role in the founding and growth of Apple Computer, having served as an early investor, adviser, and chief executive officer.

Julie Mork, philanthropic leader, champion of education and advocate of youth and visually impaired children. She and her family gave single largest contribution for undergraduate scholarships USC’s history, and provided the naming gift for the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in 2005.

John Mork, USC trustee and alumnus, and chief executive officer of Energy Corporation of America. He is a member of the Chief Executives Organization, the World Presidents’ Organization, as well as the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Board of Councilors.

USC is proud to honor our Nisei students at this year’s commencement ceremony.

Honorary Degree Recipients:

Yuri Hirooka Kumai
Iwao George Kawakami
Yutaka Kody Kodama
Setsuko Matsunaga Nishi
Hitoshi George Sameshima
Frank Takashi Tofukuji

The university also will honor valedictorian Genevieve Hoffman and salutatorians Sonam Kapadia and Jeffrey Ryan Hill.

On May 9, the Keck School of Medicine of USC will hold its satellite ceremony for M.S., Ph.D., and Public Health graduates with Dr. Irving Weissman, director of the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, as the ceremony’s speaker. Dr. Nadine Gracia, deputy assistant secretary for minority health (acting) for the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will speak at the Keck School’s May 12 satellite ceremony for M.D./Ph.D. and M.D. graduates.

The Baccalaureate Ceremony for USC degree candidates and their families will be held on May 10 in Bovard Auditorium. Television journalist Lisa Ling will deliver the keynote address at the non-denominational, inter-faith celebration. The baccalaureate dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m. on Pardee Way.

The Chicano/Latino Celebration will be held at 8 p.m. on May 10 Howard Jones Field; the African-American Cultural Celebration will be held at 8 p.m. on May 10 at Bovard Auditorium; and the Asian Pacific Graduate Celebration will be held at 8 p.m. on May 10 at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center grand ballroom.

For more information, visit www.usc.edu/commencement.

Diplomas will be presented at satellite ceremonies for individual schools, with speakers to include:

USC Leventhal School of Accounting
John Campbell, congressman for the 48th District of California
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USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy
Bill Shumard, president and CEO of Special Olympics, Southern California

USC Marshall School of Business, Graduate students
Timothy Coleman, senior managing director of Blackstone

USC School of Cinematic Arts
Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros.

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences has four satellite ceremonies:

• Group 1, at Howard Jones Field
Dani Byrd, USC Dornsife vice dean for faculty and professor of linguistics

• Group 2, at Parking Lot 6
Donal Manahan, USC Dornsife vice dean for students and professor of biological sciences

• Group 3, at The Shrine Auditorium
Steven Lamy, USC Dornsife vice dean for academic programs and professor of international relations

• Group 4, at Alumni Park
George Sanchez, USC Dornsife vice dean for diversity and strategic initiatives and professor of American studies and ethnicity
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USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, School of Communication
Maria Shriver, award-winning journalist, best-selling author and activist

USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, School of Journalism
Christiane Amanpour, global affairs anchor at ABC News and chief international correspondent for CNN International

Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
John Robinson, former NFL and USC football coach

Roski School of Fine Arts
Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

USC Rossier School of Education
Don Shalvey, deputy director for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Programs Education Initiative

ROTC Commissioning Ceremony – Air Force, Army, Naval
Rear Admiral Peter A. Gumataotao, U. S. Navy

USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Graduate students
Feng Deng, founding managing director of Northern Light Venture Capital

USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Undergraduates
Dan Barry, NASA astronaut and director of 9th Sense, Inc.

USC Gould School of Law
Goodwin Liu, associate justice of the Supreme Court of California

USC Thornton School of Music
Antonio Damasio, university professor of neuroscience and director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at USC

USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Ronnie C. Chan, USC trustee and chairman of Hang Lung Group Limited and Hang Lung Properties Limited

USC School of Social Work
Marcia Wilson, adjunct associate professor, USC School of Social Work, and USC alumna

USC School of Pharmacy
Virginia Herold, executive officer, California State Board of Pharmacy

USC School of Theatre
Gary Ross, writer/producer/director whose credits include “Seabiscuit” and “The Hunger Games”

Other satellite ceremony speakers are to be announced and will be posted on the Commencement website.

Contact: Robert Perkins at (213) 740-9226 or perkinsr@usc.edu