Nine leaders in the fields of the arts, humanities, international development and law will receive honorary degrees from at Commencement Monday. Six of the honorees will be speaking on campus during Commencement Weekend.
The recipients are:
The Aga Khan, His Highness Prince Karim, is the 49th hereditary imam, or leader, of the world's 15 million Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. As imam, he is the interpreter of matters of faith to the Ismailis, who live in some 25 countries.
He became the imam of the Ismailis in July 1957 at the age of 20. He spent his early childhood in Kenya, attended school in Switzerland and graduated in 1959 with honors from Harvard University with a degree in Islamic history.
The Aga Khan has taken his responsibilities beyond interpretation of matters of faith to include social, economic and cultural development through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Most AKDN social activities take place in East Africa, South Asia and Central Asia through the Aga Khan Foundation, Aga Khan University, Aga Khan Health Services, Aga Khan Education Services and Aga Khan Housing Boards. Economic activities are carried out by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development and financial service companies, mainly in Asia and Africa. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture coordinates cultural activities. Under its aegis are the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture and the Historic Cities Support Programme.
In recent years, the AKDN has disbursed an annual average of $100 million for non-profit activities. The funds are provided by the imam and the Ismaili community, and international and local donor agencies.
The Aga Khan is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, most recently the Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito civil from Spain and an honorary degree from the University of Wales. His son Prince Rahim graduated from Brown in 1995.
Mary Chapin Carpenter, Doctor of Music (D.Mus.)
Mary Chapin Carpenter is a singer, songwriter and a multi-platinum-selling recording artist. She is the recipient of five Grammy Awards, two Country Music Association Awards, and numerous other honors in the entertainment industry. In 1993, she was recognized by the Feminist Majority Foundation for "outstanding work for and commitment to women's equality."
She maintains an active commitment to various social and environmental organizations, including the CARE Foundation, The Institute for Intercultural Understanding, the Wilderness Society and the Country Music AIDS Awareness Campaign.
With more than 6 million albums sold to date, her music bridges folk, pop, country and rock 'n' roll, appealing to a diverse audience. Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote, "Few current songwriters look at the small dramas of adulthood and few still depict them with Ms. Carpenter's cliché-free clarity. ... The quality in Ms. Carpenter's music that bridges conventional categories is a down-to-earth directness and rock-bottom honesty." Newsweek wrote "Carpenter is a rare performer who is of her audience, not above it. ... She is a skilled narrator, both perceptive and articulate."
Carpenter is a 1981 graduate of Brown with a degree in American civilization. Since her first album release in 1987, she has maintained an active touring and recording schedule. Her sixth release, "I Want to Be Your Girlfriend," will be out this summer.
Edward D. Eddy, Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
As chairman of the Providence Blueprint for Education (PROBE) and president emeritus of the University of Rhode Island, Edward D. Eddy has been a forceful spokesman for education reform in Rhode Island.
He has served in higher education for 50 years, first as interfaith chaplain at Cornell University in 1946, then at the University of New Hampshire (1949-60) as an instructor, then as acting president, vice president and provost. He also was president of Chatham College (1960-77) and provost of Pennsylvania State University (1977-83) before becoming president and university professor at URI in 1983.
After retiring from URI in 1991, Eddy became chairman of PROBE, a citizen review of the Providence public schools. In 1993, PROBE issued a far-reaching survey that examined the city schools' strengths and weaknesses and made several recommendations for improvements. The following year, Eddy organized the Providence Education Reform Coalition, an assemblage of some 50 community agencies active in school reform.
Eddy also is vice chairman of the Board of the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help, chair of the National Advisory Board for its Africa programs, and chair of the selection committee for Teachers for Africa. His volume on the history of land-grant universities in the United States remains the single most authoritative work on such institutions.
Eddy received his bachelor of arts and doctor of philosophy from Cornell University, and his master of divinity from Yale University. Over the years he has led a wide range of civic and community organizations. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards.
Timothy C. Forbes, Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
Timothy C. Forbes is chief operating officer of Forbes, Inc., and president of American Heritage, a division of Forbes, Inc. American Heritage publishes American Heritage Magazine; American Heritage of Invention and Technology; Audacity: The Magazine of Business Experience; Mediacritic; American Legacy: The Magazine of African-American History and Culture, and books on American history and related topics.
Since 1986, when Forbes became president of the American Heritage division, American Heritage Magazine has experienced rapid growth, with circulation more than doubling and advertising more than quadrupling. Its editorial excellence has been recognized by the National Association of Magazine Editors, having received nine nominations and three National Magazine Awards.
After graduating from Brown in 1976 with an A.B. with honors in semiotics, Forbes entered the film business as an independent producer and screenwriter. Several of his films on historical subjects and current affairs were broadcast nationally on PBS. His filmed economic history, "Some Call It Greed," won many awards, including the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge Honor Medal and a Cindy Award for historical research.
In addition to serving as a trustee at Brown, Forbes is a trustee of St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center of New York, and trustee of Tougaloo College. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, the Old Merchant's House, the Civil War Trust, The Municipal Art Society of New York and the United Hospital Fund. He is vice chairman of the Historic House Trust of New York City.
Forbes was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1987.
Agnes Gund, Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
Agnes Gund has been a guiding force at The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) since 1967, most recently as MOMA's president. Throughout that time, she has worked to expand the museum's services to a larger, more diverse public.
A prominent collector of postwar art, Gund has served on a number of MOMA's committees until being named president in June 1995. She also has devoted time to public service, particularly in issues surrounding AIDS research, arts programs and education, and as a benefactor to museums, art organizations, social and environmental organizations and women's issues.
Gund is president and founder of the Studio in a School Association, an artist-taught program of fine art for children in New York City schools. In 1988, she and the program received two honors : The Dorothy Freedman Award from the City of New York and the New York State Governor's Arts Award. More recently, Gund received the College Art Association Women in the Arts award and was elected a fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
As a trustee of the University, Gund has served on four Corporation committees: Administration and Financial Aid, Facilities and Design, Minority Affairs, and Undergraduate Education. She also devotes time as a trustee of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York City, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., the J. Paul Getty Trust in Malibu, Calif., and as a member of the Museum Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Gund graduated with an A.B. in art history from Connecticut College and an A.M. in art history from Harvard University.
Arthur Mitchell, Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
Arthur Mitchell - dancer, choreographer and educator - has been a pivotal figure in the world of dance for more than four decades.
He began dancing professionally in 1954 with William Dollar's Ballet Theatre Workshop, then moved on to the John Butler Co. In 1955, he debuted with the New York City Ballet, the first black male dancer to become a permanent member of a major American ballet company. Some two dozen New York City Ballet roles were created for or are associated with him.
In 1969, with Karel Shook, Mitchell founded Dance Theater of Harlem (DTH) as his personal commitment to the people of Harlem following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. As its president and artistic director, Mitchell ensures the internationally acclaimed company's solid commitment to enrich lives through performances and a wide range of outreach activities. He continues to oversee all facets of the school, teaching the company and conducting master classes and lectures all over the world. More than 1,300 students from all over the world come to DTH to study ballet, jazz, tap, ethnic dance, dance history and music theory. DTH brings its educational programs to communities and schools throughout the country, and has established long-term residencies with the cities of Cambridge, Mass., Detroit and Washington, D.C.
One of Mitchell's missions is to serve as a cultural ambassador for the United States, and has traveled to China, the former Soviet Union and South Africa to educate people there about the arts. In 1994 the National Endowment for the Arts named him its official Ambassador for the Arts.
Mitchell's achievements have earned him scores of awards and honors, most recently the National Medal of Arts and a MacArthur Fellowship.
Sandra Day O'Connor, Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Sandra Day O'Connor is the U.S. Supreme Court's 102nd justice and its first female member. She was nominated by President Ronald Reagan in July 1981 and took the oath of office the following September.
Since that time, she has written scores of opinions for the court. Her votes are generally considered conservative, but, according to one writer, "she frequently surprises observers with her political independence."
"As the first woman to be nominated as a Supreme Court justice, I am particularly honored," O'Connor said at the opening of her confirmation hearings in 1981. "But I happily share the honor with millions of American women of yesterday and today whose abilities and conduct have given me this opportunity for service."
O'Connor received her LL.B. from Stanford University, from which she also received her B.A. magna cum laude. While in law school at Stanford, she was a member of the Order of the Coif, Board of Editors, Stanford Law Review.
O'Connor has held a number of legal positions, beginning with deputy county attorney for San Mateo County, Calif., from 1952-53. She then became a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center in Frankfurt, Germany, and was in private practice in Maryvale, Ariz., before being appointed assistant attorney general of Arizona in 1965. In 1969, she was appointed state senator and subsequently was reelected to two-two-year terms. While in the Arizona Senate, she was elected Senate Majority Leader and chaired the State, County, and Municipal Affairs Committee.
In 1975 she was elected judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court, where she served until Gov. Bruce Babbitt appointed her to the Arizona Court of Appeals. She served there until her nomination to the Supreme Court.
Itzhak Perlman, Doctor of Music (D.Mus.)
Itzhak Perlman has been hailed as one of the world's finest performers of the major violin repertoire.
The Israeli-born Perlman presented his first public concert in Tel Aviv at the age of 10, and completed his initial training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. He came to New York and soon was propelled into the international arena with an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1958. Following his studies at the Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay, Perlman won the prestigious Leventritt Competition in 1964, which led to an international career in which he has appeared with every major orchestra throughout the world, including history-making tours with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1987 to Eastern block countries, in 1990 to the Soviet Union, and in 1994 to and China and India.
His recordings regularly appear on the best-seller charts and have won 15 Grammy Awards. Some of his recent releases feature collaborations with other world-class artists.
Perlman has appeared on television in shows as diverse as "Sesame Street" and "Live from Lincoln Center." One of his proudest achievements was his collaboration with composer John Williams in Steven Spielberg's film "Schindler's List," in which Perlman performed the violin solos.
He has received several other awards and honors, including the Medal of Liberty from President Ronald Reagan in 1986.
Perlman's daughter Leora is a member of Brown's Class of 1996; his daughter Nava graduated from Brown in 1992.
James D. Wolfensohn, Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
James D. Wolfensohn is the ninth president of the World Bank, an international public lending institution that helps developing countries reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. Since becoming president in June 1995, Wolfensohn has traveled to Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East to deepen his understanding of the challenges facing the World Bank and its constituencies.
Wolfensohn also is chairman of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University and chairs the Finance Committee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group, an honorary trustee of the Brookings Institution and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Century Association in New York.
His interest in the performing arts led him to the chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (1990-1995) and chairman of New York's Carnegie Hall (1980-91). For his contributions to the arts, particularly to artistic exchange between the United States and Great Britain, Wolfensohn was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1995.
Before joining the World Bank, Wolfensohn was an international investment banker. He also has been a lawyer in the Australian law firm of Allen Allen & Hemsley.
He holds B.A. and LL.B. degrees from the University of Sydney and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He served as a Royal Australian Air Force Flying Officer and was a member of the 1956 Australian Olympic Fencing Team. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.