Pace University 2013 Graduates to Hear Commencement Speakers who are Influential Icons in Education, Philanthropy, Publishing, and the Federal Judiciary

Speakers are Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie Corporation of New York; Joel I. Klein, CEO at Amplify; Michael Clinton, Publishing Executive at HearstMagazines; and Malachy E. Mannion, District Judge for the U.S. District Court; Commencement Ceremonies to be Held May 14, 15, and 17

This year’s commencement speakers and honorary degree recipients at Pace University, two of whom are Pace alumni, are driving forces in education, philanthropy, publishing, and the U.S. federal bench. Each seized opportunities to reach the top of his profession, an apt lesson for the university’s 2,420 graduates.

“This year’s honorary degree recipients are such strong embodiments of Pace’s mission of Opportunitas, they can’t help but inspire our graduates,” Stephen J. Friedman, Pace’s President, said. “They have not only achieved great success in their careers, they’ve helped to transform the disciplines in which they’ve worked: be it public education, publishing, or the quest for peace and understanding through a life-long advancement of knowledge.”

New York Undergraduate Commencement: Wed., May 15, 10:30 a.m., at Radio City Music Hall

Joel I. Klein, chief executive officer of Amplify, an innovative educational technology company, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and address 875 graduating seniors.

A transformational force as chancellor of New York City’s public school system for eight years, Klein became a national leader in a bipartisan effort to institute greater accountability in public education and remains an advocate for public school reform. Under his leadership as the school system’s longest-serving chancellor, the city opened 470 new schools, closed failing ones, and raised graduation rates by 20 percent. At Amplify, he is seeking to transform American education through creating and executing new, forward-looking uses for technology in the classroom.

“College graduation is one of the most exciting times in a person's life. Pace has some of the brightest and most dynamic students in the country and I’m excited to be addressing them,” Klein said. "Among this year's class are some of the world's next great innovators and business leaders. I find that inspiring and I hope they do, too.”

Klein graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University, as well as magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. Klein clerked for United States Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell and later founded his own law firm. He served as Deputy White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton and he was appointed Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He also served as the former chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, Inc.

Graduate Level Commencement: Wed., May 15, 4 p.m., at Radio City Music Hall

Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

In his role at the foundation created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911, Gregorian builds upon its mission to advance education, understanding, and democracy while working towards world peace. "It is not just the management of wealth that matters in maintaining a foundation’s relevance," Gregorian has been quoted as saying, "but also the manner in which that wealth is equitably and responsibly disseminated by those who have taken on this task."

While already an eminent academician, Gregorian came to wider public prominence as president of The New York Public Library in the 1980s. His achievements there led to the library’s remarkable civic and financial renaissance. Gregorian doubled the library’s budget, restored its architecture, and raised more than $427 million. But most importantly, he restored the library’s status as one of New York City’s most important intellectual and cultural centers.

Gregorian began his academic career with teaching positions at several institutions including San Francisco State College, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Texas at Austin. Later, he joined the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the founding dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and then provost. He went on to become president of Brown University. His work there helped bring even more international attention to the venerated Ivy League university. His President’s Lecture Series exposed students to renowned thought leaders, celebrated authors, and noted scholars. Even while leading a successful capital campaign and overseeing a major building project, Gregorian still found time to teach. During his Brown presidency, applications for admissions hit new highs, and the student body grew more and more diverse.

Gregorian was born in Tabriz, Iran, of Armenian parents, receiving his elementary education in Iran and his secondary education in Lebanon. He came to the United States to attend Stanford University. There he earned a bachelor’s degree with honors and a combined Ph.D. in history and humanities. He is the author of three books and has received, among many honors, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the National Humanities Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed him to the White House Fellowships Commission. He will be speaking to 800 students receiving graduate degrees.

Westchester Ceremonies

Pace Law School Commencement: Tues., May 14, 4 p.m., at Pace Law School, 78 North Broadway, White Plains, NY

The Honorable Malachy E. Mannion, Pace Law School alumnus and District Judge for the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws from Pace Law School. He will also offer his views to 325 graduating law students.

Mannion was appointed a United States Magistrate Judge for the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in 2001, serving until his appointment as District Judge. He held the office of Chief Magistrate Judge of the District Court from 2011 to 2012. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Nassau County (NY) District Attorney’s Office from 1980 to 1986. From 1986 to 2001, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Westchester Undergraduate Commencement: Fri., May 17, 11 a.m., at Pace’s Pleasantville campus, 861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY, entrance #3, Ann and Alfred Goldstein Health and Fitness Center

Michael Clinton, president, marketing and publishing director of Hearst Magazines, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and address 420 Westchester graduates.

An alumnus of Pace’s Lubin School of Business, Clinton oversees 20 magazine titles, some of the most well-known in publishing. They include Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Popular Mechanics, and O, The Oprah Magazine, and together represent more than $1 billion in annual revenue. He is also in charge of all digital, iPad, tablet, corporate sales and marketing, brand development, and advertiser e-commerce initiatives for Hearst’s magazines.

But Clinton’s title and job description fall short of his true accomplishment at Hearst: He is credited with revamping the company’s magazine group, helping to transform Hearst’s lineup of titles into the powerhouse roster it is today, and preparing those publications for the age of pixels over print.

Clinton is the author of six travel books that feature his photography and writing. After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science, Clinton earned an MBA from Lubin. He began his career in publishing at Fairchild Publications, followed by leadership positions at GQ Magazine and Condé Nast Publications. He currently is a member of the Board of Directors of Hearst Corporation and the Chairman of the Magazine Publishers of America.

“My years at the Lubin Graduate School of Business gave me a set of unique skills that has allowed me to build a successful career in publishing,” Clinton said. “Pace University’s unique access to academics, government, and industry professionals get students ready for the real world of business.”

About Pace University: Since 1906, Pace University has educated thinking professionals by providing high quality education for the professions on a firm base of liberal learning amid the advantages of the New York metropolitan area. A private university, Pace has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, enrolling nearly 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in its Lubin School of Business, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health Professions, School of Education, School of Law, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. http://www.pace.edu

Media admission is by press pass.