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Edward G. Rendell, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will be the principal speaker at Lafayette’s 169th Commencement 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22, and will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Lafayette president Arthur J. Rothkopf ’55 said, “I am delighted that Governor Rendell will speak to our graduates and parents at commencement. He has a distinguished record of public service in Pennsylvania and has strengthened our Commonwealth. He also has a deep commitment to the welfare of higher education in our state.”
Commencement will be televised live. All households within a 50-mile radius of campus can watch on RCN and WBPH-TV. The telecast will be carried statewide on PCN, Pennsylvania Cable Network.
The telecast will be available nationally via satellite (KU Band, AMC 9, Transponder K 03, Downlink Frequency 11760 Vertical). It can be viewed by those who have a satellite receiver capable of dialing into the coordinates or have access to a venue such as a restaurant that has these capabilities.
Ali A. Mazrui, director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton University, State University of New York, will deliver the baccalaureate address that morning at 10:30 a.m. He will be awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity at commencement.
Two other honorary degrees will be conferred at Commencement. Shelley Brown, executive director of the State Theatre Center for the Arts, Easton, will be awarded an honorary Doctor of the Performing Arts degree. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree.
Both the Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremonies will be held outdoors on the Quad. In case of rain, they will be held in Allan P. Kirby Sports Center. Click here for information for parents on Commencement.
Rendell joins a list of eminent Lafayette commencement speakers in recent years, including former President George H.W. Bush, Vartan Gregorian, Jim Lehrer, Doris Kearns Goodwin, George F. Will, Maya Angelou, French Ambassador Francois Bujon de l’Estang, Bill Cosby, and David McCullough.
Rendell was inaugurated as Pennsylvania’s 45th governor on January 21, 2003. He serves as chief executive of the nations fifth-most populous state and oversees a $21 billion budget.
Rendell served as mayor of Philadelphia 1992-99 and served two terms as Philadelphia’s district attorney, 1978-85.
As mayor of Philadelphia, he eliminated a $250 million deficit; balanced the city’s budget and generated five consecutive budget surpluses; reduced business and wage taxes for four consecutive years; implemented new revenue-generating initiatives, and improved services to the city’s neighborhoods. The New York Times called the Philadelphia renaissance under Rendell “the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history.”
Dubbed “America’s Mayor” by Vice President Al Gore, Rendell worked to revive Philadelphia’s economy and position it as a destination city. During the Rendell administration, Philadelphia enjoyed six straight years of job gains. Philadelphia is nationally and internationally recognized for its enhanced historical tourist attractions, thriving downtown, and convention center.
Rendell served as general chair of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 presidential election. An Army veteran, he is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1965) and Villanova Law School (J.D. 1968). He has been active in the community through a variety of memberships on boards and teaches two government and politics courses at Penn.
Rendell’s wife, Marjorie O. Rendell, is a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The Rendells have one son, Jesse.