AND NOW WE AWARD THE MEDAL FOR EMINENT SERVICE WHICH HAS BEEN AWARDED
BY THE TRUSTEES OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1934 AS A MEANS OF RECOGNIZING EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE
TO THE COLLEGE.
THIS YEAR'S DISTINCTION GOES TO: PAULA K. RAUCH.
PAULA?
PAULA, YOU ARE AMONG OUR EARLIEST WOMEN STUDENTS AND GRADUATES.
YOU EMBODY THE VALUES AND IDEALS DEAREST TO AMHERST.
AS A VISIONARY CLINICIAN AND ADVOCATE FOR MENTAL HEALTH, YOU HAVE IMPROVED THE LIVES
OF CHILDREN, VETERANS, AND FAMILIES.
IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS AND SETTINGS.
AS AN ENGAGED ALUMNA, FOR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES YOU HAVE SHARED YOUR TIME AND GENIUS WITH
US IN MULTIPLE CAPACITIES, INCLUDING AS WISE COUNSELOR AND TRUSTEE.
WE ARE HONORED THAT YOU SENT YOUR TWO CHILDREN TO AMHERST COLLEGE AND GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE
WAYS IN WHICH YOU HAVE HELPED SHAPE THIS INSTITUTION.
IN HONOR OF YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COLLEGE, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO EXTEND TO YOU, ON BEHALF
OF THE AMHERST COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE MEDAL FOR EMINENT SERVICE.PLEASE JOIN
ME IN CONGRATULATING PAULA.
[APPLAUSE]
TO CONFER HONORARY DEGREES ON CONFER HONORARY DEGREES ON BEHALF OF AMHERST COLLEGE.
WE RECOGNIZE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BROUGHT HONOR TO THEIR PROFESSIONS AND PUBLIC SERVICE,
INCLUDING SEVERAL OF OUR OWN MOST DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI, AND OTHERS WHO, BY THIS CONFERRAL,
BECOME ALUMNI OF A SPECIAL KIND.
AS WE SEND NEW GRADUATES FORTH TO SERVE IN THE WORLD AT LARGE, WE ALSO WELCOME AMHERST'S
HONORARY GRADUATES, WHO ARE EXEMPLARY IN THE WORLDS THEY ALREADY HAVE SERVED.
DAVID COREY.
[APPLAUSE]
DAVID, YOUR INTREPID AND VISIONARY QUEST TO UNDERSTAND THE PHYSIOLOGY OF HUMAN HEARING
HAS TRANSFORMED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THIS FUNDAMENTAL SENSORY CAPACITY.
YOUR PATHBREAKING DISCOVERY OF THE PROTEIN THAT LETS US HEAR BRINGS US CLOSER TO A FUTURE
IN WHICH THE AUDITORY FUNCTIONING OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CAN BE PRESERVED OR RESTORED.
WE SALUTE YOUR PASSION, YOUR TALENT FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND YOUR DEDICATION TO IMPROVING
THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE DELIGHTED TO PRESENT YOU HONORARY DEGREE AND SO THIS IS YOUR SECOND DEGREE FROM AMHERST
COLLEGE.
BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF AMHERST COLLEGE,
I CONFER UPON YOU THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF SCIENCE,
HONORIS CAUSA, WITH ALL THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES PERTAINING THERETO.CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN.
[APPLAUSE]
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF ARTS: ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ, YOUR RICHLY REALIZED AND DISTINCTIVELY BOLD VISION HAS EXPANDED THE
POSSIBILITIES OF EXPRESSIVE REPRESENTATION AND OPENED NEW FRONTIERS OF COMPASSION AND
INSIGHT.
IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS, YOU HAVE DOCUMENTED A RICH ARRAY OF THE SO MANY FACETS OF THE HUMAN
EXPERIENCE, ENHANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OURSELVES AND
OUR WORLD.
BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF AMHERST COLLEGE,
I CONFER UPON YOU THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF ARTS, HONORIS CAUSA, WITH ALL THE RIGHTS AND
PRIVILEGES PERTAINING THERETO.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING ANNIE LEIBOVITZ.
[APPLAUSE]
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF DIVINITY: ARCHBISHOP THABO MAKGOBA
[APPLAUSE]
ARCHBISHOP THABO MAKGOBA, WE CELEBRATE YOUR EXTRAORDINARY COMMITMENT TO SPEAKING OUT FOR
HUMAN DIGNITY, AND AGAINST INTOLERANCE AND DISCRIMINATION.
WE CELEBRATE YOUR ELOQUENCE, COMPASSION, THE WAY YOUR AND MORAL SUASION AWAKEN US TO OUR
INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY TO CONDUCT OURSELVES ETHICALLY AND WITH PARTICULAR
CARE FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE OF OUR NEIGHBORS.
BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF AMHERST COLLEGE,
I CONFER UPON YOU THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF DIVINITY, HONORIS CAUSA, WITH ALL THE RIGHTS
AND PRIVILEGES PERTAINING THERETO.
THANK YOU, ARCHBISHOP, FOR ALL YOU DO.
[APPLAUSE]
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS: CHARLES C. MANN, A GRADUATE OF AMHERST COLLEGE
IN THE CLASS OF '76.
[APPLAUSE]
CHARLES C. MANN, YOUR POWERFUL, PROVOCATIVE AND INCREDIBLY
INSIGHTFUL WRITING REFRAMES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF OUR PAST AND OUR
FUTURE, AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, OUR PRESENT.
YOUR INCISIVE CURIOSITY AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO RIGOROUS ANALYSIS HAVE, FOR COUNTLESS READERS,
ILLUMINATED THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ENGAGED, SKEPTICAL A QUESTIONER OF RECEIVED INFORMATION.
AND FOR THEY OF YOU WHO USE TWITTER, YOU SHOULD FOLLOW HIM.
WE ARE DELIGHTED TO PRESENT YOU WITH YOUR SECOND AMHERST DEGREE.
BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF AMHERST COLLEGE,
I CONFER UPON YOU THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS, HONORIS CAUSA, WITH ALL THE
RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES PERTAINING THERETO.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING CHARLES MANN.
[APPLAUSE]
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF SCIENCE: NERGIS MAVALVALA, ASTROPHYSICIST
[APPLAUSE]
NERGIS, YOUR PIONEERING CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELDS OF GRAVITATIONAL WAVE ASTROPHYSICS
AND QUANTUM MEASUREMENT SCIENCE ARE TRANSFORMING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR UNIVERSE AND USHERING
IN A NEW ERA OF DISCOVERY.YOU ARE EXTRAORDINARY.
BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF AMHERST COLLEGE,
I CONFER UPON YOU THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF SCIENCE, HONORIS CAUSA, WITH ALL THE RIGHTS
AND PRIVILEGES PERTAINING THERETO.PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING,
NERGIS MAVALVALA [APPLAUSE]
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS: CULLEN MURPHY, A GRADUATE OF AMHERST COLLEGE
IN THE CLASS OF 1974, WRITER AND EDITOR [APPLAUSE]
CULLEN MURPHY, AS A WRITER AND EDITOR, YOUR CAPACIOUS AND GENEROUS-MINDED INTELLIGENCE
HAS ILLUMINATED A DAZZLING RANGE OF TOPICS, ISSUES, PROBLEMS.
AND AS A TRUSTEE AND CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COLLEGE, YOUR VISION, LEADERSHIP,
AND INTEGRITY HAVE, DURING NEARLY TWO DECADES OF REMARKABLE SERVICE, VITALLY SUPPORTED AMHERST
COLLEGE IN REALIZING ITS PROMISE IN THE WORLD.
WE ARE DELIGHTED TO PRESENT YOU WITH YOUR SECOND AMHERST DEGREE.AND TO CONGRATULATE
YOU ON YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING CULLEN.
[APPLAUSE]
BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF AMHERST COLLEGE,
I CONFER UPON YOU THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS, HONORIS CAUSA, WITH ALL THE
RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES PERTAINING THERETO.
[APPLAUSE]
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS: DARREN WALKER
[APPLAUSE]
DARREN WALKER, WITH THIS HONOR WE CELEBRATE YOUR PASSIONATE DEDICATION TO ADDRESSING CIRCUMSTANCES
OF SOCIAL INJUSTICE AND DRIVERS OF INEQUALITY IN OUR NATION AND AROUND THE WORLD.
YOUR COMMITMENT TO PRINCIPLED AND TRANSFORMATIVE
PHILANTHROPY ARE INSPIRATIONAL.
BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF AMHERST COLLEGE,
I CONFER UPON YOU THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS, HONORIS CAUSA, WITH ALL THE
RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES PERTAINING THERETO.JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING DARREN WALKER.
[APPLAUSE]