School of Education and Social Policy

Students in the School of Education and Social Policy began the year on a somber note with the events of Sept. 11 but leave the school with new opportunity, said Dean Penelope Peterson at Saturday’s convocation.

“Students come to our school because they want to make a difference in the lives of people,” Peterson said. “Please believe that you can make a difference in the lives of children here and around the world.”

Keynote speaker Alex Kotlowitz reiterated this point, telling students they are in a different world and now, more than ever, should seize the opportunity as the next generation of leaders to experience new areas and people by listening to others’ stories.

“Consider yourself explorers and this the time to explore,” Kotlowitz said. “Navigate, and we will follow.”

Kotlowitz is a Medill lecturer and award-winning author of books such as “There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America.”

A packed crowd gathered at Northwestern’s Cahn Auditorium to hear the speech and witness 88 undergrads and 25 postgraduate students receive their diplomas.

Graduate Saira Alimohamed urged fellow graduates to practice what they have learned.

“Our next challenge is to take our challenges and passions to the next level,” Alimohamed said.

Naval Rotc Commissioning

With support from their families, three NU Naval ROTC midshipmen were commissioned as officers in the U.S. Navy.

The men, who also earned degrees at NU, are required by the Naval ROTC program to serve four years in the Navy and will soon begin further military training.

But at the June 20 ceremony the new officers looked to the past and to family support.

“It is because of the support of the (Naval ROTC) staff and friends and family that I have made it this far,” said McCormick graduate Erik Barton. Barton was commissioned by his brother, Lt. Jacob Barton.

The ceremony’s keynote address was given by the father of commissioned student Kyle Harken, Retired Naval Capt. Jerry Harken offered advice from years as a commanding officer on how be an effective leader, including being true to oneself and listening to others.

“Effective leadership is a balancing act,” he said.

Though the new officers graduated from their NU schools the following weekend, they said it was their commissioning of which they were most proud.

“Commissioning is more important, because where commencement is a conclusion, commissioning is a beginning,” said Kyle Harken, a Weinberg graduate.

New officer Michael Charnota, a McCormick graduate, also said he was proud of his accomplishment – even though he began Naval ROTC for the scholarship.

“There’s nothing I would rather be doing than joining the Navy today, ” Charnota said.

Mccormick school of engineering and applied science

In a ceremony that emphasized applying education to real life, the 327 graduates of the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science received their degrees amid a flurry of high-fives and awards.

Rhonda Dibachi, McCormick ’83, the keynote speaker and an executive vice president of Niku Corp., explained how she uses skills learned at NU and McCormick both inside and outside the workplace.

“It was cool how (Dibachi’s speech) was personal and that it related to students,” said graduate Max Schneider. “It was about making a difference and using technology.”

Some graduates were recognized for their work with an award for creativity and innovation. The school recognized projects exploring a modified wheelchair design, self-healing axle for a Mars probe, new step-stroke therapy and electroporation for DNA-based gene therapy.

Many McCormick graduates will face the harsh realities of the job market. Some graduates were spotted wearing caps with “No Job” written in tape across the top.

Regardless of future plans, family members and friends said they were proud of the graduates.

“It’s wonderful. Northwestern is one of the best schools in the nation for engineering,” said James Moehrle, grandfather of graduate Matthew Moehrle. “It has been a short four years, but probably not for (Matthew).”

School of Music

Keynote speaker T.J. Anderson, a renowned composer working on an opera based on research by NU prof. Timothy Breen, told School of Music graduates they can use their studies to make a difference in the world’s political turmoil.

“Music, a non-violent expression, can be a form of political protest,” Anderson said. “I don’t believe music will solve all of the problems in America. However, I do believe it has the force to undermine evil.”

Anderson encouraged graduates to heed the musical messages of peace their generation has grown up with, including those of John Lennon and Anderson’s former student Tracy Chapman.

“The task for all of us is to make a difference,” he said.

At Saturday’s ceremony, 92 students received undergraduate degrees and 99 others received post-graduate degrees.

Graduate Abby Lyng said the ceremony made her feel proud.

“I liked the way (Anderson) connected music to what’s going on in the world,” she said.

Graduate Magaly Cordero said she appreciated the sincerity of Music Dean Bernard Dobroski and the ceremony’s location in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. She added, however, the day felt strange overall.

“It’s very surreal,” she said. “It’s a very odd feeling.”

But graduate Dave Mendez said he was ready to go.

“Let’s see, five years?” Mendez said. “Thank God it’s done.”

Medill School of Journalism

Lois Wille, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and former Chicago Tribune editorial page editor, advised Medill School of Journalism graduates to be flexible and to make themselves heard as journalists.

“Have an open mind and an open heart,” she said in her keynote address.

Wille noted it was difficult to give advice to the 144 undergraduate students, 85 graduate students and 7 joint-degree recipients receiving diplomas at Saturday’s convocation, because the profession has changed greatly since her career began at the Chicago Daily News in 1957.

“You know, I almost feel sorry for you starting out today, ” she said. “Americans today seem so passive. I don’t know why. Maybe they are tired of hearing about their country’s problems, their city’s problems.”

Assistant Dean Roger Boye congratulated the class of 2002 on its academic and journalistic achievement, noting it had the highest grade cut-offs for honors of any class in Medill history.

“In 10 to 15 years, many of the people who walk across this stage will be the elite of American journalism,” he said.

Graduate Jonathan Feldheim said the ceremony gave him the opportunity to say goodbye and also to get acquainted with Medill faculty.

“I just had the best conversation for the first time with the dean,” he said. “I’m like, ‘I’ve never said a word to you in my life, but I’m so glad to be talking to you right now.'”

School of Speech

A little song and a lot of storytelling seemed only appropriate as the 366 graduating School of Speech seniors and 33 graduate students received diplomas at Saturday’s two convocations.

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall was filled with more than 2,500 relatives and other supporters between the two convocations, both of which featured keynote speaker Rives Collins, a theatre professor and famed storyteller.

“I’ve always liked stories better than speeches,” Collins told graduates and audience members just before beginning a favorite folktale of his about a cobbler and a king.

Collins also stressed the importance of using the ceremony’s rituals to look back at the past and “catch a glimpse of the future” while still experiencing the present.

The convocation included comments from Dean Barbara O’Keefe.

“I didn’t expect to meet nice people,” said O’Keefe, who took her post in 2000. “But I found some of the best humans I’ve ever met in my life.”

O’Keefe also called for a moment of silence for Gwendolyn Magurshak and former NU football strong safety Rashidi Wheeler, both of whom died in
2001 and would have graduated with the Class of 2002.