NYU President John Sexton and Board of Trustees Chairman Martin Lipton today announced the names of those to be honored at the University’s 183rd Commencement Exercises, which will be held Wednesday, May 20, 2015 in Yankee Stadium.

Sherrilyn Ifill, NAACP Legal Defense Fund Leader and NYU Law Alum, to Speak at NYU’s Commencement
NYU President John Sexton and Board of Trustees Chairman Martin Lipton today announced the names of those to be honored at the University’s 183rd Commencement Exercises, which will be held Wednesday, May 20, 2015 in Yankee Stadium. Sherrilyn Ifill (above) – President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, attorney, author, legal scholar, NYU Law School graduate, and leading U.S. voice on race and civil rights – will address the graduates and guests on behalf of all the degree recipients.

Honorary Degree Recipients also Include Pianist Lang Lang, Mathematician Peter Lax, Humanitarian Graça Simbine Machel, Immunologist Jan Vilcek

Whitney Museum Director Adam Weinberg to Receive the Rudin Award, Businessman John Paulson to Receive the Gallatin Medal

NYU President John Sexton and Board of Trustees Chairman Martin Lipton today announced the names of those to be honored at the University’s 183rd Commencement Exercises, which will be held Wednesday, May 20, 2015 in Yankee Stadium.

Sherrilyn Ifill – President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, attorney, author, legal scholar, NYU Law School graduate, and leading U.S. voice on race and civil rights – will address the graduates and guests on behalf of all the degree recipients. Ms. Ifill will receive a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, at the ceremony.

This year’s other recipients of honorary doctorates are:
Lang Lang – an internationally renowned pianist who has played with the world’s leading orchestras – will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts degree, honoris causa.
Peter D. Lax – Abel Prize-winning mathematician, professor emeritus at NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and an NYU alumnus – will receive a Doctor of Science degree, honoris causa.
Graça Simbine Machel – political leader, humanitarian, and advocate on behalf of women and children in Africa and throughout the world – will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa.
Jan Tomas Vilcek – physician, biomedical researcher, inventor of Remicade, and philanthropist – will receive a Doctor of Science degree, honoris causa.

The “Albert Gallatin Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Society” will be presented to investor, philanthropist, and NYU alumnus and Trustee John Paulson for achievements in business and his generous support of medicine, education, and conservation.

The “Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City” will be presented to Adam D. Weinberg, the Alice Pratt Brown Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, in recognition of his leadership in making New York one of the world’s great centers for the arts.

This year’s student commencement speaker is Brent Dibble, who will receive a dual MD/MBA degree as an inaugural member of the School of Medicine/Stern School of Business program. He was the co-leader of the student volunteer effort to evacuate patients during Superstorm Sandy and will begin his residency in emergency medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center next fall.

More details are available on the commencement web page.

Founded in 1831, NYU is one of the world’s foremost research universities and is a member of the selective Association of American Universities. NYU has degree-granting university campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai; has eleven other global academic sites, including London, Paris, Florence, Tel Aviv, Buenos Aires, and Accra; and both sends more students to study abroad and educates more international students than any other U.S. college or university. Through its numerous schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and performing arts, music and studio arts, public administration, social work, and professional studies, among other areas.
 

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