I'm delighted to present the Medal for
Eminent Service. The medal has been
awarded by Amherst College since 1934,
and this year's distinction goes to a
member of the class of 1988, Catherine Chia.
Cathy would you come forward.
Cathy, in the 29 years since you graduated from
Amherst College you have achieved
success in the field of architecture,
while consistently giving back to your
alma mater as a trustee, class president,
reunion chair, campaign volunteer,
pathways mentor and many other volunteer
roles. You have been a model of
inspiration, effectiveness and
selflessness. Your commitment to
education extends to your professional
affiliations in architecture and design,
and your investment in Amherst has
created tremendous opportunity for
future generations of students. In honor
of your contributions to the College, to
the profession and beyond, it is my
pleasure to extend to you, on behalf of
Amherst College and its board of
trustees, the Medal for Eminent Service.
Congratulations.
And it is now my pleasure to confer
honorary degrees on behalf of the
college. With these honorary degrees
we recognize people who have brought
honor to their professions and public
service, Including several of our most
distinguished alumni, and others who by
the conferral of this degree become
alumni, of a special kind, of Amherst
College. As we send new graduates, that is
you, to serve in the world, we welcome
amorous honorary graduates who are
exemplary in the worlds they have already
served. The first recipients is
Dr. Steven Chu. Unfortunately, Dr. Chu is
unable to be with us because of a
serious bike accident. We want to
recognize Steven Cho's extraordinary
accomplishments in science. From
fundamental physics to biology and
energy, which have advanced research
around the world. Including analysis in
laboratories here on the Amherst campus.
His efforts as the United States
Secretary of Energy, the longest-serving
secretary, and the first scientist to be
a cabinet member. His efforts to educate
those in power, about the perils of
anthropogenic climate change, and his
advocacy for renewable energy sources
have made him a trailblazer for a new
generation of scientific leaders.
We commend his ongoing commitment to
research and insight on a microscopic
scale, and to sustainable energy on a
global one. By virtue of the authority
vested in me by the board of trustees of
Amherst College, I confer upon Dr. Steven
Chu the degree Doctor of Science, honoris
causa, with all the rights and privileges
pertaining thereto. We look forward to
welcoming Dr. Chu ,in person, in the
coming year, and we wish him all the best.
Thank you.
Our second honorary degree recipient is
Professor William Cronin. Bill. At a time
when some questioned the value of the
liberal arts, you offer moving and
hopeful perspectives on education, and
they parallel your groundbreaking work
on the human interaction with the
natural world.
How we depend on ecosystems to sustain
our material lives, how we modify the
landscapes in which we live and work, and
how are our ideas of nature shape our
relationships with the world around us.
Across three decades, your scholarly work
has redefined a study of American
environmental history. Indeed, many would
say that you are the founder of the
field of environmental history. 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
William Cronin.
Esther Duflo. Esther, we honor and
celebrate your many contributions to the
field of economics, your guidance in
helping governments and aid
organizations redefine their practices,
and the resulting impact you and your
colleagues have had in improving the
lives of the poor and addressing poverty
around the world. The fearlessness of
your creative data-driven approach and
the interdisciplinary collaborations
that you foster, are an inspiration to
students, to researchers, and to everyone
else around the globe. 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.
Thank you for all you do, Join me in
congratulating Esther Duflo.
Yanira Castro Negroni. Over 20 years you
have achieved the extraordinary in the
world of dance and performance art. With
inspired determination and vision, you
have created important, nuanced timely
works of art and audience engagement of
a novel sort. The richly new and nuanced
projects of your group, a canary torsi, are
mesmerizing and evocative. You are
rightfully recognized for the rigor of
your bold, creative collaborations.
In youth you were inspired and molded by
women within your own family, and then at
Amherst, and today your commitment to
mentorship of students, within the five
colleges, serves as a model for new
generations of artists. Thank you for all
you do. By virtue of the authority vested
in me, by the Board of Trustees of
Amherst College, I confer upon you the
degree Doctor of Arts, honoris causa, with
all the rights and privileges pertaining
thereto.
Please join me in congratulating Yanira.
That was from the woman who told me I
had mispronounced her name last night.
Barrett Rollins, as chief, Barrett,
Dr. Barrett Rollins, as Chief Scientific
Officer, at Dana-Farber, you are fostering
a collaborative culture of rigorous
inquiry and cancer research. Your work on
the Profile Project, places you on the
cutting edge of understanding the
clinical and research impact of
precision medicine. As a result, your
contributions continue to change
outcomes for patients around the world.
Through innovative scientific
collaborations you are building
meaningful and effective partnerships
across disciplines, serving as an example
to students and faculty, at your own alma
mater Amherst College and far beyond. By
virtue of the authority vested in me by
the Board of Trustees of Amherst College
I confer upon you the degree Doctor of
Science, honoris causa, with all the
rights and privileges pertaining thereto.
Thank you for all you do and
congratulations to Barret Rollins.
Peter Rubinstein. For half a century your
life's work has embodied what we at
Amherst, and all who strive to build
communities everywhere, hope to do. Go far
beyond tolerance to respect and dialogue
across difference and you exemplify how
that work can happen in some of the most
complex conversations. Your passionate
commitment, to moving communities, toward
acceptance for difference of faith,
marks a deep contribution to religious
thinking. A life devoted to taking down
walls and building understanding is one
we deeply honor. 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 Rabbi
Peter Rubinstein.