Speakers

In order of appearance

Barry P. Scherr has been Dartmouth’s Provost since 2001 and also serves as the Mandel Family Professor of Russian. Scherr joined the Dartmouth faculty in 1974 and has chaired both the Department of Russian and the Program in Linguistics and Cognitive Science. His many grants and honors include the Joe Malik Award for Outstanding Service to the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages. Scherr received his A.B. degree at Harvard University and his A.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago.

Hearn Chun trained in philosophy and theology and is currently teaching philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University and Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea. He also taught at McCormick Theological Seminary and the State University of New York at Stony Brook and is a maternal uncle of President Jim Yong Kim. Watch and read Hearn Chun's speech.

John H. Lynch is the 80th Governor of New Hampshire, currently serving his third two-year term. Under his leadership, the state has made significant progress in such areas as improving high school graduation rates, expanding access to health insurance for children and small businesses, protecting the environment, increasing job training, improving transportation, and reforming the state’s retirement system. Lynch earned his undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1974. He also holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Watch and read Governor Lynch's speech.

Ruth J. Simmons is the President of Brown University, where she also holds an appointment as Professor of Comparative Literature and of Africana Studies. She previously served as the President of Smith College. Simmons is a member of the Howard University Board of Trustees and serves on a number of other boards, including those of Texas Instruments and The Goldman Sachs Group. Among her many honors are a Fulbright Fellowship, President’s Award from the United Negro College Fund, Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, and Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal. Simmons received her B.A. from Dillard University in New Orleans and her Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures from Harvard University. Watch and read Ruth Simmons's speech.

Allan M. Brandt is the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, where he serves as the Amalie Moses Kass Professor of the History of Medicine. His work focuses on social and ethical aspects of health, disease, medical practices, and policy in the twentieth century. Brandt has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He earned his undergraduate degree at Brandeis University and his Ph.D. in American history at Columbia University. Watch and read Allan Brandt's speech.

Sylvia C. Spears is Dartmouth’s Acting Dean of the College. Prior to this appointment, she served as Acting Senior Associate Dean of the College and as Director of the Office of Pluralism and Leadership/Associate Dean of Student Life. Before coming to Dartmouth, Spears held a faculty position at the University of Rhode Island, where she taught in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and served as a member of the core faculty in the College Student Personnel Program. Spears received her B.A. in speech communications and M.S. in human development and family studies from the University of Rhode Island, and her Ph.D. in education from the Rhode Island College/ University of Rhode Island Joint Doctoral Program.

For Student Body President Frances C. Vernon ’10, campus leadership is familiar territory. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native arrived in Hanover with four years’ experience as president of her high school class and has led Dartmouth’s Class of 2010 since her first year on campus. At Dartmouth, Vernon designed her own major in globalization, health, and development, with a focus on Latin America. She recently conducted research in New York City and Puebla, Mexico, for her senior thesis “A Binational Study—Trade Liberalization, Migration, and HIV/AIDS: Access to Health Services and Continuity of Care of HIV Positive Mexican Migrants.” Watch and read Frances Vernon's speech.

Michael E. Porter, the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School, is a leading authority on competitive strategy; the competitiveness and economic development of nations, states, and regions; and the application of competitive principles to social problems. In 2001, Harvard Business School and Harvard University jointly created the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, dedicated to furthering his work. Porter received his B.S.E. from Princeton University, his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and his Ph.D. in business economics from Harvard University. Watch and read Michael Porter's speech.

Physician-anthropologist Paul Farmer is the Maude and Lillian Presley Professor of Social Medicine and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, as well as the Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is also a founding director of Partners In Health, an international healthcare non-profit that undertakes research and advocacy on behalf of the destitute sick. Farmer recently was appointed U.N. Deputy Special Envoy to Haiti, where he has worked since 1983. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the MacArthur “Genius” Award. Farmer received his B.A. from Duke University, his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and his Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University. Watch and read Paul Farmer's speech.

Charles E. Haldeman Jr. ’70 is the Chair of Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees and the Chief Executive Officer of Freddie Mac. A 35- year veteran of the financial services industry, he served previously as C.E.O. and Chairman of Putnam Investment Management, L.L.C.; Chief Executive Officer of Delaware Investments; President and Chief Operating Officer of United Asset Management; and Partner and Director of Cooke & Bieler, Inc. Haldeman currently is a member of the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors. He earned his A.B. at Dartmouth College, his M.B.A. at Harvard Business School, and his J.D. at Harvard Law School.

James Wright is Dartmouth’s President Emeritus and Eleazar Wheelock Professor of History. A member of the faculty since 1969, he served as President from 1998 to 2009. During his presidency, undergraduate applications grew by 79 percent and the student body became increasingly diverse, with students of color and international students representing more than 40 percent of the student body. Wright spearheaded the College’s $1.3 billion Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience to provide additional resources for faculty support, new construction, and the out-of- classroom experience. Wright, who served in the Marine Corps, has been honored by several national organizations for helping to create a new educational counseling program for wounded U.S. veterans and for helping to draft language for the Yellow Ribbon Program in the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. Watch and read Jim Wright's speech.

Richard R. Crocker is the Virginia Rice Kelsey ’61s Dean of the Tucker Foundation, as well as the Chaplain of Dartmouth College. Crocker is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. He is a graduate of Brown University, with an A.B. and an M.A. in English and American literature. Crocker was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and holds M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Vanderbilt University. He is a licensed pastoral psychotherapist. Watch and read Richard Crocker's benediction.

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