Today NYU officially announced that Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver the commencement address at the graduation ceremony for NYU’s Class of 2009. The U.S. Secretary of State, former U.S. Senator from New York, former First Lady, and Wellesley and Yale Law graduate can now add to her list of accomplishments an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from NYU, which she will receive at the ceremony.
According to the NYU press release, honorary degree recipients also include White House Journalist Helen Thomas, Nobel physicist Albert Fert, health advocate Jessie Gruman, and playwright and NYU alum John Patrick Shanley. NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein will receive the Rudin Award for “exemplary service to New York City.”
This year’s commencement will be held on May 13th at Yankee Stadium – since a substantial portion of the Washington Square Park (notably the fountain into which newly-minted NYU graduates traditionally jump, robes and all) remains closed for construction. Though the vast majority of renovation, including landscaping, park benches, lampposts, and increased greenspace, appears complete, the closed section is not scheduled to re-open until “spring 2009″ (which we really know, translating from construction-speak, is probably summer 2009 at the earliest).
But those of you who had been looking forward to some friendly secretary of state splish-splashing at the fountain, have no fear: if last year’s graduation streaker is any indication, anything can happen.
4 responses so far ↓
Mayor Bloomberg’s Washington Square Park Redesign: Over budget. Delayed. And NYU can’t even hold their graduation ceremony there… « Washington Square Park // March 24, 2009 at 12:34 pm |
[...] meetings I’ve attended, the Parks Department has declined to give a time frame) and, as MFHS writes, “which we really know, judging from construction-speak, is probably Summer 2009 at the [...]
mazzafhs // March 24, 2009 at 4:02 pm |
According to the NYC Parks Department website, the first “phase of construction is expected to be completed by spring 2009.” http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/washington_sq_park/reconstruction.php
cat // March 24, 2009 at 4:51 pm |
Hi Mazzafhs,
I don’t know when that Parks Dept. site was last updated but that was their hope at one point. I think you are right that it’ll probably be summer 09 at the earliest but we’ll see… It could be late May or June. But in meetings they never admit to a time frame (although back in December, they said early this year so take that for what it’s worth).
Cathryn
Washington Square Park Blog.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and former Chair of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker Come to NYU « Mazza FHS: Mazza First Hand Source // March 25, 2009 at 5:29 am |
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