From left to right: Admiral Michelle Howard, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Craig Mundie, and David Rubenstein.
Rensselaer will host the President’s annual Commencement Colloquy on Friday, May 29 at 3:30 p.m. The event will feature a moderated discussion between the Rensselaer Commencement speaker, Admiral Michelle Howard, and three other distinguished speakers, who all will receive honorary degrees. The colloquy is a Commencement tradition unique to Rensselaer, keeping with its mission to prepare the next generation to succeed and lead in this world by bridging disciplines and sectors.
Admiral Howard is the 38th vice chief of United States Naval Operations. She will be joined by noted filmmaker and scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., cybersecurity policy expert Craig Mundie, and financial services pioneer and “patriotic” philanthropist David Rubenstein. Speakers will participate in a panel-style discussion moderated by President Shirley Ann Jackson.
This year’s Colloquy, titled “Resilient Leadership for a Resilient World,” draws together leaders who have demonstrated both personal and professional resilience on the world’s stage. Admiral Howard was the first female promoted to the rank of four-star Admiral and the first African-American woman to reach a four-star rank in the Department of Defense. Gates, prolific critic, documentary filmmaker, and author; Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, the dominant force in the high-profile world of asset management; and Mundie, president of technology strategy consulting firm Mundie & Associates, are also all well-known leaders in their respective fields.
The panel will precede the 209th Commencement Ceremony, to be held on Saturday, May 30, at the East Campus Athletic Village Stadium.
For more, visit the Colloquy website and the Commencement website.