May 2007

Renowned Journalist, Scientists, and Political Leaders to Address Graduates in Culminating Commencement of Trachtenberg Era

Leaders from the scientific, political, journalistic, and academic communities will speak at GW’s Commencement to be held May 20 on the National Mall. This year’s five honorary degree recipients include Wolf Blitzer, acclaimed broadcast journalist and CNN anchor; Ralph J. Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences; Linda W. Cropp, former chairwoman of the Council of the District of Columbia; Harvey V. Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine; and Lowell P. Weicker Jr., president of the Trust for America’s Health and former United States senator and governor of Connecticut. GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg will deliver the charge to the graduates, and Catherine O’Connor, B.S. ’07, an Iraqi War veteran, will be the student speaker.

“Any university would consider it a privilege to celebrate one or two of these remarkable people who are receiving honorary degrees from GW this May,” says Trachtenberg. “That we should have such a collection from the American academy underscores our values. These individuals help identify for our graduates the aspirations we have for them. They are a north star to all who think of the application of mind, heart, and hand to the enhancement of society.”

Award-winning journalist Wolf Blitzer is the anchor of CNN’s The Situation Room. His accolades include the 2004 Journalist Pillar of Justice Award from the Respect for Law Alliance, the 2003 Daniel Pearl Award from the Chicago Press Veterans Association, and an Emmy Award for his 1996 coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing. He is the author of two books—Between Washington and Jerusalem: A Reporter’s Notebook and Territory of Lies—and articles for numerous publications.
Ralph J. Cicerone is the president of the National Academy of Sciences, an honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research. Cicerone is an atmospheric scientist whose research in atmospheric chemistry and climate change has helped shape science and environmental policy nationally and internationally. His research was recognized on the citation for the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to University of California, Irvine,
colleague F. Sherwood Rowland. Prior to his election as president
of the National Academy of Sciences, Cicerone was the chancellor of the University of California, Irvine.

A public servant for more than three decades, Linda W. Cropp most recently served two consecutive terms as chairwoman of the Council of the District of Columbia. In 1997, she became the first woman elected to the council chair position and was reelected in 1998 and 2002. Cropp was first elected to the council in 1990 as an at-large member. While a councilmember, she led the Human Services, Redistricting for the District, and Metropolitan Transit Budget committees. She spearheaded the creation of the District’s Department of Health and drove funding for the completion of the Metrorail system. Cropp began her career with the D.C. Public Schools as a teacher and guidance counselor and also served as vice president and president of the D.C. Board of Education.

Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine, an organization that provides advice to the government under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences. Prior to joining the Institute of Medicine, Fineberg served as provost of Harvard University and dean of the Harvard School of Public Health. He also has served as president of the Society for Medical Decision Making and as an adviser to the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. At the Institute of Medicine, Fineberg has chaired and served on a number of panels concerning health policy issues, ranging from AIDS to vaccine safety.

A former U.S. senator, Lowell P. Weicker Jr. is the president of the Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization “dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority.” Weicker’s 30 years in public service include elected positions as Connecticut state representative; mayor of Greenwich, Conn.; U.S. representative; U.S. senator; and governor of Connecticut. Weicker has held academic appointments at the GW Law School, Yale University, and University of Virginia School of Law and School of Medicine. Board of Trustees Chairman Charles T. Manatt, J.D. ’62, will speak at the Law School Diploma Ceremony to be held the afternoon of May 20.

Fitzhugh Mullan, GW Murdoch Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy and director of the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy, will present the keynote address at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences M.D. Celebration on May 20. Mullan is an expert on health care workforce policy, including medical and nursing education, physician migration, and global workforce capacity development.

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