University News | May 24, 2012

Harvard Commencement week 2012: events for Thursday, May 24

Honorary degrees, undergraduate speeches, anniversary song debut, Fareed Zakaria speaks, and more

EVENTS FOR Thursday, May 24, include:

Gates to Harvard Yard open at 6:45 A.M., and there will be a morning prayer service for graduating seniors at 8 A.M. in Memorial Church.
Morning Exercises begin at 9:45 A.M. and include: Honorary Degree candidates; Latin salutatory; undergraduate and graduate English addresses. “Villanelle for an Anniversary,” the choral version of Seamus Heaney's 350th anniversary poem, will debut during the ceremony, which will be broadcast live on WHRB (audio) and harvard.edu (video) and will end at 11:30 A.M.
At 12 noon, there will be various luncheons and diploma awarding ceremonies at the undergraduate Houses, graduate, and Professional Schools.
At 2 P.M., healthcare reformer Dr. Donald Berwick ’68, M.D.-M.P.P. ’72, will speak to Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Dental School degree candidates on the HMS quad.
Afternoon Exercises, with speeches by President Drew Faust and international-affiars expert Fareed Zakaria, will begin at 2:30 P.M. in Tercentenary Theatre; this includes the annual meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association, with the announcement of Overseer and Director election results, and the awarding of Harvard Medals.
Harvard School of Public Health’s Commencement ceremony will begin at 2:30 P.M. in Kresge courtyard.

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