History
Keynote Speakers
In 1994, the then-CEO of Oracle Corporation, Lawrence Ellison, served as the university's first commencement keynote speaker. Prior to this, a notable alumnus or one of that year's honorary degree recipients addressed the graduating class. A major highlight of the ceremony, the keynote speaker's message serves to motivate and inspire the graduates.
Honorary Degree Recipients
Carnegie Mellon University issued its first honorary degree in 1947, a Doctor of Literary Laws degree to Rufus Henry Fitzgerald, the then-chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. Since then, CMU has continued to recognize individuals who have achieved preeminent levels of distinction in their fields and who have made extraordinary contributions to society.
Below is a list of recent keynote speakers and honorary degree recipients. For further history, contact University Events.
2012
Keynote Speaker
- Patrick Wilson (A'95), actor
- Renee Fleming, soprano
- Temple Grandin, professor of animal sciences, Colorado State University
- Ruth Gruber, humanitarian
- Daniel Kahneman, professor emeritus, Princeton University
- Richard P. Simmons, chairman emeritus, Allegheny Technologies Incorporated
2011
Keynote Speaker
- Aron Ralston (E'97), author and speaker
- Craig R. Barrett, retired CEO and chairman of the board, Intel Corporation
- Steven Bochco (A'66), television producer; writer
- Chip Ganassi, owner, Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.
- Rafael Rangel Sostmann, president, Technologico de Monterrey System
- Rick Rashid, senior vice president, Microsoft Research
- David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D. (CS'89,'90), clinical professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- David Steiner (E'51), chairman, Steiner Equities Group, LLC
- Oliver E. Williamson (TPR'62,'63), Edgar F. Kaiser emeritus professor of business, economics and law, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
2010
Keynote Speaker
- Ian G. Rawson, managing director, Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, Haiti
- Chester Gordon Bell, principal researcher, Microsoft Research, Silicon Valley Lab
- Robert H. Dennard (E'58), IBM fellow
- Barbara Luderowski, founding director and president, Mattress Factory
- James H. Simons, chair, Renaissance Technologies LLC; president, Euclidean Capital LLC
2009
Keynote Speaker
- Eric Schmidt, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, Google, Inc
(also received an honorary degree)
- Thomas Detre, M.D., emeritus distinguished senior vice chancellor for health sciences, University of Pittsburgh
- Keith Lockhart (A'83), conductor, Boston Pops Orchestra
- Phylicia Rashad, actor
- Harold T. Shapiro, president emeritus and professor of economics and public affairs, Princeton University
2008
Keynote Speaker
- Al Gore, former vice president of the United States; nobel laureate
(also received an honorary degree)
- Norman R. Augustine, retired chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
- Jeffrey P. Bezos, founder and CEO, Amazon.com
- Elizabeth Catlett, artist
- Nam P. Suh (E'64), president, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Patrick Suppes, Lucie Stern professor of philosophy, emeritus, Stanford University
2007
Keynote Speaker
- William H. Cosby, Jr., educator and actor
(also received an honorary degree)
- Helen S. Faison, director, The Pittsburgh Teachers Institute
- Wilton A. Hawkins (E'48), former president, Chemplast Corporation
- Paolo Lugari, founder and executive director, The Experimental Center of Gaviotas
- Gerald C. Meyers (E'50, TPR'54), professor, University of Michigan Ross Business School; former chairman and CEO, American Motors Corporation
- Earl Wild (A'37), concert pianist
2006
Keynote Speaker
- Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, chairperson, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development
(also received an honorary degree)
- Jonathan Borofsky (A'64), artist
- Vartan Gregorian, president, Carnegie Corporation of New York
- John L. Hall (S'56,58,62), senior fellow, emeritus, National Institute of Standards and Technology; 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics recipient
- Jeffrey A. Romoff, president, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- Alan "Bud" Yorkin (E'48), producer; director
2005
Keynote Speaker
- Daniel T. Green (A'94), director; writer; producer; president, Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Association Board
- Mel Bochner (A'62), artist
- Robert A. Dickinson, lighting designer
- Jessie Gruman, president and founding executive director, Center for the Advancement of Health
2004
Keynote Speaker
- Candace Sheffield Matthews (E'81), president, SoftSheen-Carson; trustee, Carnegie Mellon University
- C.D. Mote Jr., president and Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering, University of Maryland
- William D. Ruckelshaus, the first administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); strategic director, Madrona Venture Group; principal, Madrona Investment Group, LLC
- Richard A. Tapia, Noah Harding professor of computational and applied mathematics, associate director of graduate studies, Rice University; director, Center for Excellence and Equity in Education, Rice University; adjunct faculty member, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston
2003
Keynote Speaker
- Teresa Heinz Kerry, chairwoman, Howard Heinz Endowment and Heinz Family Philanthropies; trustee, Carnegie Mellon University
- George Armitage Miller, James S. McDonnell distinguished university professor of psychology, emeritus, Princeton University
- Paul O'Neill, the 72nd secretary of the U.S. Treasury; special advisor, The Blackstone Group
- Ivan E. Sutherland (E'59), vice president and fellow, Sun Microsystems
- James M. Walton, president emeritus, Carnegie Institute; chair, Vira I. Heinz Endowment; trustee emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University; trustee, Sarah Scaife Foundation
2002
Keynote Speaker
- Tom Ridge, director, Office of Homeland Security of the United States; former governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
(also received an honorary degree)
- Anita Borg, president and founding director, Institute for Women and Technology
- William Bowen, president, A.W. Mellon Foundation
- George Cowan, founder and distinguished fellow, The Santa Fe Institute; former associate director of research and senior laboratory fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory
- John Seinfeld, Louis E. Nohl professor, California Institute of Technology