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The Commencement ceremony includes presentation of candidates for graduation, conferring of degrees by the President and the Commencement address. No honorary degrees will be presented.
Commencement Ceremony on the Olin Great Lawn
The 2012 ceremony will begin at 3:00 p.m. (sharp) on the Olin College Great Lawn. Each graduate will be called to the stage by name to receive his/her degree. A photographer will be recording the event. Information on how to obtain these photographs will available through the Communication Office following Commencement. Guests are encouraged to wear business casual attire to commencement events.
Commencement Speaker
Nick Donofrio
Former Executive Vice President, IBM
Senior Fellow, Kauffman Foundation
Upon recommendation of the Commencement Steering Committee and with the consent of the Board of Trustees, President Richard K. Miller has invited Nicholas M. Donofrio to give the main address at Olin's seventh Commencement on May 20, 2012.
Mr. Donofrio is a senior fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. He serves on the U.S. Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board and his appointment as a member of the State of Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education was recently announced by the Governor of Connecticut. He uses his vast experience as an innovator and entrepreneur in techology and science to explore programming opportunities for the Kauffman Foundation's initiative, Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation, which is aimed at creating high-growth companies. A 44-year IBM veteran, he served as an IBM fellow, the company's highest technical honor. From 1997 until his retirement in October 2008, he served as executive vice president of Innovation and Technology. In addition to his most recent role, he served in a variety of capacities, including vice chairman of the IBM International Foundation and chairman of the Board of Governors for the IBM Academy of Technology. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards, including two IBM Invention Achievement Awards, two IBM Outstanding Innovation Awards, CNBC's Overall Technology Leadership Award in 2005, and the Excellence in Leadership Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2008. He holds seven technology patents, is a member of numerous technical and science honor societies, and holds several board positions. He served on the board of directors for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering and was board chair from 1997 to 2002. In 2005, he was appointed by the U.S. Department of Education to serve on the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, a 20-member delegation of business and university leaders charged with developing a new national strategy for post-secondary education that meets the needs of a diverse population. He received his B.E.E. from RPI in 1967, his M.S.E.E. from Syracuse University in 1971 and has several honorary doctorates in engineering and science from various U.S. and European colleges and universities.
Members of the Olin community are invited to add names of potential speakers to the Steering Committee's working list for 2013 and beyond. Suggestions may be sent to Dean Rod Crafts (rod.crafts@olin.edu) and should include your rationale, any relationship your nominee may have to Olin, and if you have any special connection to the nominee that would facilitate our contacting her or him.