Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Politicians, Journalists Among 2009 Commencement Speakers

A former U.S. senator, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and the managing editor of PBS’s “Washington Week” are among those who will speak at Georgetown’s 210th commencement ceremonies, the university announced Wednesday.

“This year’s commencement speakers are exceptional individuals representing a diverse array of backgrounds and perspectives,” University President John J. DeGioia said in a press release. “These men and women have devoted themselves to public service, teaching others and addressing critical global issues. They embody the many kinds of opportunities that await our graduates.”

Georgetown College has invited Gwen Ifill, the moderator and managing editor of PBS’s “Washington Week,” to speak at its commencement ceremony on May 16. Ifill is also a senior correspondent for “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.” She is the author of “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama,” and served as a moderator for the 2004 and 2008 vice presidential election debates.

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) will speak on May 16 as well in an address to the graduating class of the School of Foreign Service. Hagel currently serves as a distinguished professor of governance and politics at Georgetown. In September, he spoke about the relationship between the Middle East and the United States at Riggs Library.

Following Hagel, Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno will speak to graduating students of the McDonough School of Business. In Sept. 1998, Moreno served as Colombian ambassador to the United States. Moreno’s daughter is a junior at Georgetown.

The speaker for the School of Nursing and Health Studies will be Pulitzer Prize-winning author Laurie Garrett. Garrett, who was formerly a reporter for Newsday, currently serves as a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ana Palacio, a Spanish politician, will address students graduating from the McDonough School of Business MBA program on Friday. Palacio served as Spain’s first female foreign minister from 2002 to 2004. Later in the day, Nobel laureate and professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University Daniel Kahneman will speak at the commencement ceremony for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences on Healy Lawn.

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III, the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address graduates of the School of Continuing Studies. Hrabowski is currently a consultant to to the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the National Academies.

The School of Medicine has invited Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) to speak to students at its commencement ceremony at Constitution Hall. Barrasso is a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Indian Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Barrasso’s son Peter is a junior at Georgetown.

David Vladeck, co-director of the Institute for Public Representation and director of the Center on Health Regulation and Governance, will speak at the Law Center’s graduation ceremony on Healy Lawn.

The senior convocation speaker will be U.S. Army Capt. Daniel Feehan (SFS ’05).

Click here for information on last year’s commencement speakers.

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